Kurtis T. Wilder

Former Justice Kurtis T. Wilder is a Shareholder and practices in Butzel’s Detroit Office.  He rejoined Butzel after nearly 27 years as a Trial Judge, Judge of the Michigan Court of Appeals, and Michigan Supreme Court Justice, one of only five jurists in Michigan history to have served on all three levels of Michigan’s Court System. 

Justice Wilder concentrates his practice in appeals, litigation, and mediation and facilitation. As a former trial and appellate jurist, Justice Wilder has unique perspectives on oral advocacy at the trial and appellate level, trial and appeals preparation, and alternative dispute resolution. Since returning to private practice, he has successfully argued cases in the Michigan Supreme Court, US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and the Michigan Court of Appeals, and federal and state trial courts.  He serves as a Neutral Mediator/Arbitrator with New Era ADR, a digital advanced dispute resolution platform, and as Senior Lecturing Fellow at Regent University School of Law.  He is admitted as a member of the Bar of the United States Supreme Court.

Justice Wilder has been sought after for leadership roles in many organizations.  He served as Past Chair of the Board of Directors of the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, Chair of the Board of Trustees of Interlochen Center for the Arts, and as a member of the Board of Directors of the Alumni Association of the University of Michigan.  Justice Wilder also serves as an Elder and Chancel Choir member at First Presbyterian Church of Plymouth.  He has served as Chair of the Board of Directors of the State of Michigan Community Corrections Advisory Board, the National Kidney Foundation of Michigan, Nonprofit Enterprise at Work, and the Michigan Judges Association.

Justice Wilder graduated from the University of Michigan with an A.B. degree in Political Science in 1981, and from the University of Michigan Law School with a Juris Doctor degree in 1984.

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