Brian R. Laxton

Brian R. Laxton

also known as Attorney and Counselor at Law PLLC

4.9
Rating: 9.9

Licensed for 26 years

Ethics and professional responsibility Lawyer at East Lansing, MI
Practice Areas: Ethics & Professional Responsibility, Criminal Defense, Administrative Law, Appeals

PO Box 4925, East Lansing, MI

About Brian

Practice Areas

4

Practice Areas

Ethics and Professional Responsibility 65%

Character and Fitness and Attorney Discipline

26 years | 300 cases

65%
Administrative Law 15%

Professional Licensing and Driver's License Restoration

26 years | 100 cases

15%
Criminal Defense 15%

State and Federal; Drunk Driving

26 years

15%
Appeals 5%

State and Federal Criminal and Civil, State Bar of Michigan Examination Appeals

26 years

5%

Fees and Rates

We have not found any cost information for this lawyer


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Licenses

Licensed in Michigan for 26 years

State: Michigan

Acquired: 1999

Active in Good Standing

No misconduct found

Location

Brian R. Laxton Attorney at Law PLLC

PO Box 4925, East Lansing, MI, 48826

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Brian R. Laxton's Reviews

Avvo Review Score

4.9 /5.0

32 Client Reviews

Filter Avvo Reviews (32) Refine reviews to match your needs. Use the filters to quickly surface reviews that align with your case or priorities.

Showing 1 - 5 of 32 reviews

Posted by Mark | January 10, 2024 | Hired Attorney | Lawsuits & Disputes

Hey

Give me my money back. It's been over 2 years. It's not happening and I need the money.

Posted by Kevin | January 30, 2023 | Hired Attorney | Ethics & Professional Responsibility

Sharp and well-prepared

I actually chose to hire Brian based on the reviews I found on Avvo. Brian helped guide me through a four-year journey into the Character and Fitness process, including preparing my application to face all of my issues head-on. At every hearing, Brian showed up extremely well-prepared, knew the fa...cts of my case and even found helpful things in my file that I had overlooked or forgotten about. He was a zealous advocate at my hearings and the end result was admission to the State Bar. Thank you for everything Brian, I don't think it would have been possible without your representation and counseling.

Posted by Ross | October 25, 2021 | Hired Attorney | Ethics & Professional Responsibility

An Excellent Character and Fitness Attorney

I wouldn't be an attorney today without Brian Laxton's assistance through the character and fitness process. It is not an exaggeration to say that Michigan has one of the most difficult and stressful licensure processes in the United States. Brian knew exactly what to do, the finer details of the pro...cess, and how to best present my case to both the district and standing committees. Once we prevailed at the standing committee Brian also successfully petitioned the board of law examiners to preserve my bar exam score. This was a particularly big relief since my obligations to the national guard and a major wrist surgery left me with less than a month to prepare for the July exam. If you have to go through the character and fitness process in Michigan, I highly recommend hiring Brian Laxton.

Posted by John | March 11, 2021 | Hired Attorney | Ethics & Professional Responsibility

4-year Journey

Brian was referred to me by a very good friend and fellow attorney. I had some rather serious character and fitness issues when I applied to the bar during a very difficult period in my life. Brian was a good friend during this time as well as a counselor. He thoroughly prepared me for both the distr...ict and standing committee hearings. He was vigilant throughout the whole process and ultimately helped me to be approved for membership to the State Bar of Michigan. Brian has been involved in helping with professional licensing issues for several years and is an expert with this process. His rates are very reasonable and his track record speaks for itself. I highly recommend him for any professional license issues that you may have.

Posted by Robert | October 23, 2018 | Hired Attorney | Ethics & Professional Responsibility

best case scenario

I am not sure whether I would have my professional license today were it not for Brian Laxton. Some rougher patches in my past were, understandably, flagged for a formal investigation and review by my application. It was a good move to consult with Brian before I even submitted my initial appl...ication paperwork. He helped ensure that my application was drafted in a way that set a good tone for the rest of the review. Brian guided me through every step of the process, from completing my initial application up to and including a committee meeting. Our preparation resulted in a best case scenario coming out of the hearing, and the committee’s positive recommendation was adopted at the higher levels of review. It took a long time. It felt like it took even longer than it actually did. But at the end of the process I emerged a licensed attorney. It was more stressful than 1L, in many ways. While I can’t say how I might have navigated it on my own, I can try to speculate. I did not understand the unique procedure, rights, rules, or the considerable levels of personal discretion given to the committee members who were to determine the fate of my application. I had little concept of what ideas they would consider most important, what would be considered positive developments, what would be considered negative ones. Even with Brian’s help, the process was confusing and frustrating. Given all these factors, it is dubious that on my own things would have gone as well they did: as smoothly as smoothly as possible, at every step. It is more likely that I would have mucked things up and at least caused a big delay and/or higher review, if not worse. Many of the strategies we used were not ones I would have intuited. In retrospect the only thing I might have changed would be to consult with Brian even earlier in my application process. Some issues under review might have benefited from a more organized strategy to document their resolution, and I might have avoided a minor pitfall or two. Setting speculation aside, the reality is that I could not have been more impressed with Brian Laxton’s representation. His work resulted in a best-case scenario.

See All Client Reviews

Brian R. Laxton's Lawyer Endorsements

Endorse Brian
Toby White headshot
Toby White

Criminal defense lawyer | Mar 06

Relationship: Worked together on matter

"I have worked with Mr. Laxton on numerous matters, together, as a fellow attorney and as opposing counsel. We always, and always get things done, and done right. He is fights for his clients and is informed and communicative."

Michael S. Waddington headshot
Michael Waddington

Criminal defense lawyer | Jun 14

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse Brian. He is a highly skilled attorney that is well respected in the legal community."

William Joseph Bieke Jr. headshot
William Bieke

Ethics and professional responsibility lawyer | Jul 29

Relationship: Worked together on matter

"Mr. Laxton is passionate advocate of his clients. He is a prompt and great communicator, he always keeps his clients up to date and informed, and he is diligent about getting his filings in on time. With great pleasure I recommend his services."

Adam Yarussi headshot
Adam Yarussi

Ethics and professional responsibility lawyer | May 14

Relationship: Worked for lawyer

"I endorse this lawyer. Attorney Brian Laxton, is a caring, diligent, and hard-working. I had the pleasure of working for Attorney Laxton during law school. He is someone I greatly admire, and he is a great role model."

Peter James headshot
Peter James

Ethics and professional responsibility lawyer | Sep 06

Relationship: Worked together on matter

"I endorse this lawyer. Brian is very knowledgeable and helpful, friendly and professional. I have worked with many attorneys across many disciplines and in my experience Brian is probably the single best one: he has knowledge of the law without arrogance, a professional demeanor without being distant. He works hard and is very intelligent."

Nicholas A. Leydorf headshot
Nicholas Leydorf

Appeals lawyer | Jul 19

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer. Mr. Laxton is an excellent lawyer and I have referred several potential appellate clients to him."

Michael J. Nichols headshot
Michael Nichols

General practice lawyer | Jan 23

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer. Brian is very smart, works hard and will give you good common sense guidance."

View All Endorsements
Nicholas A. Leydorf headshot
Nicholas Leydorf

Criminal defense lawyer

Experience

Rating:  9.9 (Superb)

Honors

2015

Best Lawyer, Best Lawyers in America

2014

Best Lawyer, Best Lawyers in America

2013

Best Lawyers in America, Best Lawyers in America

2012

Best Lawyers in America - Drunk Driving, Best Lawyers in America

2011

Best Lawyers in America, Best Lawyers in America

2010

David vs. Goliath, Thomas M. Cooley BLSA

2010

Best Lawyers in America, Best Lawyers in America

Work Experience

2011 - Present

Attorney, Brian R. Laxton, Attorney and Counselor At Law PLLC

2007 - 2010

Partner, Mertens, Laxton and Clement, PLLC

2006 - 2014

Visiting Professor, The Thomas M. Cooley Law School

2002 - 2007

Partner, The Reynolds Law Firm, PC

Associations

State Bar of Michigan

Member

Ingham County Bar Association

Member

Eaton County Bar Association

Member

American Inns of Court

Member

Education

1998

The Thomas M. Cooley Law School

JD - Juris Doctor

N/A

Central Michigan University

Speaking Engagements

2014

Lunch with a Lawyer

Character and Fitness Updates

2014

Federal Bar Association

Character and Fitness - Procedure and Common Mistakes

2011

FLAPP

Ethical Considerations In Representation

2010

Career and Professional Development

Character and Fitness

2009

Thomas M. Cooley Law School

Character and Fitness

2009

Ingham County Bar Association, Criminal Law Section

Criminal Law Update

2008

Speaker Series

Character and Fitness

2008

Ingham Count Bench Bar Conference

Attorney Client Privilege Issues

2007

Ingham County Bar Association

Ethical Pitfalls for Private Practitioners

2006

State Bar of Michigan, Young Lawyers Section

Character and Fitness

Publications

2009

Briefs (ICBA) Superdrunk Legislation Update Co-Authored with Attorney Michael J. Nichols

2006

Briefs (ICBA) Death of the Minimum Fee?

Languages

English

Activity

Avvo Rating

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