11/4/2009
Kurt D. Dykstra, a partner in the Holland office of Warner Norcross & Judd LLP, has been elected mayor of Holland.
Dykstra, 38, who concentrates his practice in litigation, will serve a two-year term as mayor of Holland, a Lakeshore community of 35,000+ residents. In his new role, Dykstra will serve with eight council members who work closely with the city manager and his staff to oversee the day-to-day operations of the city.
"We are very proud of Kurt and his new position as mayor of Holland," said Douglas E. Wagner, managing partner of Warner Norcross. "Our firm has a long tradition of public service, and we both encourage and support our attorneys and staff when they want to play a larger role in the civic life of our communities."
Other Warner Norcross attorneys who have held public office include John Logie, three-term mayor of Grand Rapids; Guy VanderJagt, a 12-term Michigan State Senator, Harold Sawyer, a former prosecuting attorney for Kent County and four-term U.S. Representative; and Lewis Engman, former chair of the Federal Trade Commission, among others.
Dykstra himself has a long tradition of public, community and professional service. After moving to Holland in 2002, he was appointed and then elected to the Holland City Council, where he has served since 2005. He is the current chair of the West Michigan Airport and active on a number of city boards and commissions.
He also serves on the Public Policy Subcommittee of the Holland Area Chamber of Commerce and as a trustee for Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa. He teaches at Hope College and has volunteered his time with the Western Theological Seminar, Holland Area Arts Council and Community Action House.
Professionally, Dykstra serves on the Wisconsin Board of Bar Examiners. He is also a member of the Federal Bar Association of the Western District of Michigan, the American Bar Association, State Bar of Michigan and State Bar of Wisconsin.
Dykstra received his bachelor of arts degree, magna cum laude, from Northwestern in 1994. He received his doctor of jurisprudence, summa cum laude, from Marquette University Law School in Milwaukee, Wisc., where he graduated first in his class and was the editor in chief of the Marquette Law Review.
A native of Oostburg, Wisconsin, Dykstra now resides in Holland with his wife, Leah, and their two daughters.
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About Warner Norcross & Judd
Warner Norcross & Judd LLP is one of the leading law firms in Michigan and one of the top 200 in the nation. With nearly 220 attorneys in Grand Rapids, Southfield, Sterling Heights, Lansing, Holland and Muskegon, Warner Norcross is a full-service provider of legal services. Nearly half of our partners are listed in the 2010 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. Warner Norcross has been recognized as a national leader in client service among law firms by BTI Consulting, as one of the nation's leading employment law firms by Workforce Management, as one of the 101 Best & Brightest Companies to Work For in both West Michigan and Metro Detroit and as one of the Best Michigan Businesses by Corp! Magazine. The Firm represents local, statewide, regional, national and international clients in all areas of business and civil law.