Jonathan L. Kirkland

Jonathan L. Kirkland is an Associate practicing in Butzel’s Troy office. Mr. Kirkland proudly serves, advises, and represents individuals and companies in the areas of Real Estate, Corporate Transactions, and Cannabis Licensing with a focus on real property acquisition and disposition, real property leases, general corporate representation, corporate governance, entity formation, mergers and acquisitions, and Michigan medical and adult-use marijuana facility and establishment licensing.

Mr. Kirkland’s real estate transaction experience includes the acquisition, disposition and leasing of vacant land, warehouses, office buildings, manufacturing facilities, athletic facilities, shopping complexes, commercial storefronts, cannabis dispensaries, cannabis grow facilities, apartment buildings, affordable housing communities, and single family residential properties.

Mr. Kirkland was admitted to the State Bar of Michigan in 2015 and is admitted to practice in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

Mr. Kirkland is a proud alumnus of the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law where he earned his Juris Doctor, and Saint Joseph’s College (Indiana) where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, cum laude. While in law school, Mr. Kirkland was a member of the University of Detroit Mercy Law Review, served as the Community Service Chair of the Black Law Student’s Association, and was a Dean’s Scholarship recipient 2012-2015. Additionally, Mr. Kirkland participated in the Wolverine Bar Association Judicial Externship and Summer Clerkship Programs where he clerked as a Summer Judicial Intern for the Honorable Mark A. Randon of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. At Saint Joseph’s College, Mr. Kirkland was a four-year member of the Varsity Football Team where he was named to the Great Lakes Valley Conference All-Academic Team 2008-2010.

Mr. Kirkland is a member of the Detroit Bar Association, Wolverine Bar Association, The Association of Black Law Alumni of the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

Mr. Kirkland was quoted in a 2022 Crain's Detroit Business article, "The forces behind Michigan's plummeting cannabis prices."

Published Works

Klimko, Bruno, Kirkland and Howarah, “Oppression Claims and Limitations of Actions,” The Michigan Business Law Journal, Volume 40, Issue 3 (Fall 2020)

Kirkland, “Individuals Only: Limitations on Personal Residence Exemption Eligibility,” State Bar of Michigan, Real Property Section e-Newsletter, December 2017

All Related Practice Areas

Education

University of Detroit Mercy School of Law 2015, J.D.

Saint Joseph's College 2011, B.A.

Admissions

Memberships

• Detroit Bar Association
• Wolverine Bar Association
• The Association of Black Law Alumni of the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, Board of Directors
• The Sheriff PAL Program, Board of Directors
• Alpha Phi Alpha, Fraternity, Inc.

Awards & Recognitions

Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch: Corporate Law and Mergers and Acquisitions, 2025

Michigan Super Lawyers, Rising Star, 2022-2024