$ 550-600 per hour
About Gary
Biography
Mr. August has a commercial litigation practice that is focused largely on construction, complex litigation, and insurance coverage disputes. He acted as lead litigation counsel for Northwest Airlines’ construction of the multiphase $1.6 billion Edward H. McNamara Terminal at Detroit Metropolitan Airport, and in a combined 17 litigated cases, defeated over $41 million in claims against the City of Dearborn stemming from failures in its combined sewer overflow project while at the same time recovering over $30 million for the City, including the largest verdict or settlement reported to Michigan Lawyers Weekly in 2010. He handles large, complex litigation, including representing Wayne County in its litigation over its failed Consolidated Jail Project and negotiated and drafted the $500M+ agreement with Bedrock to swap five County parcels and pay over $350M for the construction of a new criminal justice facility. His track record of winning high-profile cases not only includes those discussed above, but also multi-million dollar claims and class actions against municipalities, public authorities and corporations.
In 2025, Mr. August secured a $6.2 million arbitration award in a complex employment and corporate redemption matter, which was recognized by Michigan Lawyers Weekly as the largest reported arbitration award in the State of Michigan.
Mr. August graduated from Michigan State University in 1989 with High Honors, then attended Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law in Chicago, where he graduated cum laude in 1993 after winning the school’s annual moot court competition and rose to a position as Associate Note & Comment Editor of the Northwestern University Law Review. In his year between college and law school, he worked in Washington, D.C., for Senator Carl Levin. While at Northwestern, he worked during his first summer for the State of Michigan’s Third Judicial Circuit, where he was a law clerk for the Honorable Chief Judge Richard C. Kaufman and Circuit Judge Helene White (now a Sixth Circuit United States Court of Appeals Judge).
After graduating from Northwestern Law School, Mr. August worked as an Associate Attorney at Honigman, Miller, Schwartz, and Cohn until 1996. In 1996, he joined the firm that would ultimately become Zausmer, August & Caldwell, P.C. During his tenure at that firm, he was instrumental in growing the firm from approximately eight attorneys to over 80 attorneys until his retirement from the firm in 2019.
Mr. August has a well-deserved reputation for being one of the State’s best commercial and construction litigators. He has received virtually every honor an attorney can receive from third-party rating services. He is a Fellow of the Michigan State Bar, was selected as a Michigan Super Lawyer from 2006-2020 & 2022-present, has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America since 2013, is AV (Highest) rated by Martindale Hubbell, was honored as a Top Lawyer in Detroit by DBusiness Magazine (2010 and 2014), and he currently has a perfect 10/10 rating by Avvo website for ranking lawyers. Michigan Lawyers Weekly named Mr. August as a Leader in the Law for 2011 after he won the largest verdict or settlement reported in the State of Michigan to Michigan Lawyers Weekly in 2010, resulting from his representation of the City of Dearborn. In 2025, he again achieved the publication’s top reported case distinction by securing the largest reported arbitration award in the State of Michigan. In 2023 and 2025, Mr. August was again honored by Michigan Lawyers Weekly as a Go-To Lawyer for construction law and in 2023 as a Go-To Power Lawyer. Mr. August’s legal prowess has also been recognized outside of legal rating services and publications. He was featured in Crain’s Detroit Business both in its July 2016 Special Report profiling the top 14 “Litigators” in the region and again in 2025 as a “Notable Litigator and Trial Attorney” as a result of his high-dollar, high-profile litigation matters.
Mr. August also served the public as the Chairperson of the Michigan Residential Builders’ and Maintenance & Alteration Contractors’ Board, having first been appointed by Democratic Governor Jennifer Granholm in 2007 and re-appointed by Republican Governor Rick Snyder in 2012 where he served as Chairperson until the expiration of his term in 2016. Mr. August also takes his ethical responsibilities as an attorney seriously, as he serves as a hearing panel chairperson of the Michigan Attorney Discipline Board.
The American legal system is the best in the world, but only if you have an attorney who knows how to make it work for you.
Practice Areas
3
Practice Areas
Litigation
50%
33 years
Construction and Development
40%
33 years
Insurance
10%
33 years
Fees and Rates
Cost
Hourly Rates
Contingency
33%-40%
Payment Methods
- Cash
- Check
Awards
Licenses
Licensed in Florida for 4 years
State: Florida
Acquired: 2021
No misconduct found
Licensed in Michigan for 32 years
State: Michigan
Acquired: 1993
No misconduct found
Location
Gary K. August's Reviews
Avvo Review Score
Not Yet Reviewed
Gary K. August's Lawyer Endorsements
No Endorsement Data Available Yet
This attorney hasn't received any attorney endorsements recently on Avvo.
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This attorney hasn't created any attorney endorsements recently on Avvo.
Experience
Honors
2026
No. 1 Largest Arbitration Award in Michigan for 2025, Michigan Lawyers Weekly
2025
Best Lawyer, Commercial Litigation & Personal Injury, Best Lawyers in America
2025
Notable Trial Lawyers, Crain's Detroit Business
2024
Super Lawyer, Commercial Litigation, Michigan Super Lawyers
2024
Best Lawyer, Commercial Litigation, Best Lawyers in America
2023
Super Lawyer, Michigan Super Lawyers
2023
Go-To Power Lawyers, Michigan Lawyers Weekly
2023
Go To Lawyers Construction Law, Michigan Lawyers Weekly
2023
Best Lawyer, Commercial Litigation, Best Lawyers in America
2022
Super Lawyer Construction Litigation, Michigan Super Lawyers
2022
Best Lawyer Commercial Litigation, Best Lawyer in America
2021
Super Lawyer Construction Litigation, Michigan Super Lawyers
2021
Best Lawyer Commercial Litigation, Best Lawyers in America
2020
Super Lawyer Construction Litigation, Michigan Super Lawyers
2020
Best Lawyer Commercial Litigation, Best Attorneys in America
2019
Super Lawyer Construction Litigation, Michigan Super Lawyers
2019
Best Lawyer Commercial Litigation, Best Lawyers in America
2018
Best Lawyer, Commercial Litigation, Best Lawyers in America
2018
Super Lawyer Construction Litigation, Michigan Super Lawyers
2017
Super Lawyer Construction Litigation, Michigan Super Lawyers
2017
Best Lawyer, Commercial Litigation, Best Lawyers in America
2016
Super Lawyers Construction Litigation, Super Lawyers
2016
The Litigators (1 of 15 top litigators), Crain's Detroit Business
2016
Best Lawyers in America, Best Lawyers in America
2016
Leading Lawyer, Law Bulletin Publishing Company
2015
Super Lawyer Construction Litigation, Super Lawyers
2015
Best Lawyers in America, Best Lawyers in America
2015
Leading Lawyer, Law Bulletin Publishing Company
2014
Leading Lawyer, Law Bulletin Publishing Company
2014
Top Lawyers, dBusiness
2014
Best Lawyers in America, Best Lawyers in America
2014
Super Lawyer Construction Litigation, SuperLawyers
2014
super lawyer -- Construction Litigation, Michigan Super Lawyers
2013
Best Lawyer, Best Lawyers in America
2013
Michigan Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers
2012
Super Lawyer -- Construction Litigation, Michigan Super Lawyer
2012
Best Lawyers in America, Best Lawyers in America
2011
Leaders in the Law 2011, Michigan Lawyers Weekly
2010
AV (Highest) Rated, Martindale-Hubbell
2010
Michigan Super Lawyer -- Construction LItigation, Super Lawyers
2009
Top Lawyer 2010, dbusiness
2009
Michigan Super Lawyer -- Construction Litigation, Michigan Super Lawyers
2008
Michigan Super Lawyer -- Construction Litigation, Michigan Super Lawyers
2007
Michigan Super Lawyer -- Construction Litigation, Michigan Super Lawyers
2006
Michigan Super Lawyer -- Construction Litigation, Michigan Super Lawyers
1992
William Jennings Bryant Award Winner (Best Argument Final Round), Northwestern University School of Law -- Northwestern's Julius H. Miner Moot Court Competition
1992
Lowden-Wigmore Prize, Northwestern University School of Law -- Julius H. Miner Moot Court Competition
1989
Phi Kappa Phi, Michigan State University
Work Experience
2021 - Present
Managing Member, August Law, PLLC
2007 - 2016
Board Member (Chairperson for three years), State of Michigan's Residential Builders' and Maintenance and Alteration Contractors' Board
1996 - 2019
Shareholder, Zausmer, August & Caldwell, P.C.
1993 - 1996
Associate, Honigman Miller Schwartz & Cohn
1992 - 1992
Summer Associate, Honigman Miller Schwartz & Cohn
1991 - 1991
Part Time Law Clerk, Wayne County Circuit Court -- Chief Judge Richard Kaufman; Circuit Judge Helene White
1989 - 1989
Legislative Intern, United States Senator Carl Levin
Associations
2007 - Present
Michigan State Bar FoundationFellow
1993 - Present
Detroit Metropolitan Bar AssociationMember
1993 - 2019
American Bar AssociationMember
1991 - 1993
Northwestern University Law ReviewAssociate Note & Comment Editor
1988 - 1989
Michigan State University -- Phi Alpha ThetaPresident
Education
1993
Northwestern Prtizker School of Law
JD - Juris Doctor
1989
Michigan State University
BA - Bachelor of Arts
Speaking Engagements
2013
Construction Law
Construction Defects; Litigation: Allegations Defenses and Proving Your Case
2011
Michigan Municipal League Annual Meeting
Winning Construction Law Strategies
Publications
2004
Michigan Bar Journal
Contractual Terms That Impact Future Litigation, Issues Pertaining to their Validity
2003
Detroiter
Maximizing Your Legal Budget
1997
Michigan Lawyers Weekly
Teeth 'Pulled' From The Offer of Judgment Rule
Languages
English