James L. Liggins Jr. has been appointed to the State Board of Ethics by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
The State Board of Ethics has jurisdiction to determine the ethical conduct of classified or unclassified state employees and public officers of the executive branch of Michigan state government who are appointed by the governor or another executive department official.
Based in the firm’s Kalamazoo office, Liggins is as senior counsel who focuses his practice on construction litigation, property disputes and real estate concerns, as well as business contractual disputes, criminal defense and emergency manager matters. He also advises municipalities on civil and criminal statutes, ordinances and codes, housing code enforcement and property disputes.
Active professionally and in the community, Liggins is a member of the American Bar Association, National Bar Association, Illinois and Indiana state bar associations and the State Bar of Michigan, where he served on both the Judicial Qualifications Committee and the Special Committee on Civil Discovery Court Review. He is also a past board member of the Kalamazoo County Bar Association and co-founder and past president of the Judge Charles A. Pratt Bar Association. He has been named to the Michigan Super Lawyer’s Rising Stars list.
Melding his professional skills and community interests, James serves on the boards of Southwest Michigan First, the Harold and Grace Upjohn Foundation and the Bronson Healthcare Group. He is also the chairman of the board of directors for the United Way of the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo Region and. is the current chair of Kalamazoo’s indigent defense organization, Kalamazoo Defender.
A frequent presenter, James was the 2021 featured speaker for the Michigan Center for Civic Education’s “Community Conversations: Black History Month” program.
Previously an attorney coach and now coordinator of the Michigan High School Mock Trial Tournament, Liggins is a champion for the state’s mock trial program and civic education. With the goal to increase civil discourse among youth in the state, he has coached his high school team and coordinated and led multiple regional and state competitions. The National Mock Trial Championship will be in his hometown of Kalamazoo in 2022.
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