Michael R. Bartish

My teenage son made a series of poor decisions that could have seriously altered his life. He chose marijuana over going to high school & was headed down a path that is every parent’s worst fear. My son had the opportunity to change his path but did not cooperate with law enforcement and was facing ...a possible prison sentence. I contacted Mike & shared the situation. Mike asked to see me & my son as soon as he was released from jail. Mike did not sugar coat the situation or the possible outcome for my son but rather was brutally honest about the changes my son needed to make. Over the next 45-days, with Mike’s help & guidance, my son earned his GED & obtained full time employment. Mike was able to work with the judge & Prosecutor and shared my wishes as a parent to send my son to rehab out of state. Mike was successful in getting the most damaging charges dropped & my son went to rehab for 90-days & successfully served 3-years of probation. Mike saw the potential in my son & believed in him. He was able to convey this belief to the courts & I ultimately got my happy, kind & loving son back. Mike saved my family & I am forever grateful.

I came to Mike at a time when my son's life was out of control. My son is an amazing young man with so many gifts, but he had allowed drugs to enter his life and drugs became more important than his future. Mike was honest with my son about where his life was headed, but also believed in my son and m...ade the commitment to fight to help him make a new life for himself. Mike listened to me, as the mother, about what I wanted to help my son because I knew this was his last chance to make a change or his future was bleak. Mike never made any promises or sugarcoated the possible outcome, rather he was honest with my son and our family and guided us through the entire process. Mike worked hard with the prosecutor and judge to help them understand who my son "really was" and the bad choices he had made did not define him. Rather, with the right help and assistance, my son might have the life where he could make a contribution to society. I am happy to report that my son was given the second chance he needed and completed 90-days of rehab. His outlook on life has completely changed and he has decided to spend his life helping others in rehab and become a Registered Behavior Therapist.

PLEASE NOTE: IF YOUR CHILD IS A STUDENT AT GRAND VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY – 1. The university very strictly enforces policies related to student drinking and/or use of marijuana. 2. The GVSU campus police WILL charge your student if they are caught (don’t think they won’t be!) violating these camp...us policies. AND 3. Your student, WHEN charged will find themselves in perhaps the strictest court in the state of Michigan – the 58th District Court in Hudsonville – in front of Judge Kenneth Post. Google this name and court now and save yourself the agony of not knowing the consequences. PLEASE NOTE, I did not say unfair, but strict. And when we found ourselves in this situation recently, we were able to find the most competent attorney to represent our son in Michael Bartish. Mr. Bartish is extremely knowledgeable and practices criminal defense regularly in this court, so he can clearly explain what to expect and the best manner in which to proceed. Most importantly, he was excellent in communicating with us and taking the time to answer our dozens of questions. If, like us, you’ve never been in this situation before, please consider Mr. Michael Bartish to represent your son or daughter. He is sincere, professional and did a remarkable job of easing our stress in this very difficult time. We were very fortunate to have him working for us to secure the best possible judgement for our GVSU student.

Last October, while visiting Grand Rapids, MI for a concert, I was arrested and charged with a felony schedule 1 drug charge. I had a small amount of the substance MDMA in a backpack that was searched, leading to my arrest. I'm a 24 year old college student, working full time to pay for my college ed...ucation, which I'm close to completing. After being informed that I was being charged with a felony, I was scared that I had ruined my chance at a bright future. I took the time to drive up to Grand Rapids, looking for the best lawyer to represent me for what the court case that could potentially make or break the bright future I have planned for myself. After meeting with a few different attorneys, I met with Mike. From the moment I entered his office, I was blown away. Mike got right down to the point, explaining how he's handled many case's like mine, and all the different approaches we could take in court. He was honest and humble, yet had the aggressive personality that I assume many of the great attorneys possess. Needless to say, I hired Attorney Bartish before I walked out of his office. I had been in legal trouble about 5 years ago, and hired an attorney that was considered one of the best in Ann Arbor. While I did receive good representation, that attorney was hard to get a hold of, was never on time and seemed to drag the case along further than it needed to go. I never had any of these issues with Mike. He was already present and well prepared by the time I entered the courthouse. He was also both friendly and familiar with the other attorneys and court employees. However, my main concern was just how well he'd do with my charge. Following the verdict, I owe my life to Mike. Not only did he reduce my felony to a misdemeanor, but he also was able to get the Open Intox charge (I received it at the same time as the felony) dropped completely. I couldn't thank Mr. Bartish enough walking out of the courthouse, but before I could do so, we discussed my future with a short lecture about how to stay on track, being more aware of my surroundings and choosing the right kinds of people to surround myself with. Many attorneys would have just shaken my hand and left, but my discussion with Mr. Bartish showed that he cared about me as a PERSON and not just a client. Attorney Bartish was the right choice for me and I strongly recommend him to others. He proved to myself and my family that he's a hard worker, whose not in the business for the money, but to help give his clients a 2nd chance in life. Keeping a felony charge out of circuit court (far more expensive) isn't easy to do, and Mr. Bartish did just that for me. Personally, I've learned my lesson, so I won't need him to represent me again, but if something did happen, there would be no question Attorney Michael Bartish is the guy I would rush to hire. Mr. Bartish's qualities: Intelligent Personable Hard working Trustworthy

My adult son was involved in a single car, roll-over accident during a rain storm, no one was injured, no substances were involved, but the car was totaled. Prior to the Police arriving at the scene, my son gathered up some scattered belongings that included a Marijuana pipe and placed them inside h...is backpack. To make a long story short, when the police arrived at the scene they ended up searching the backpack and discovering the paraphernalia, without permission or probable cause. I contacted Michael Bartish upon a recommendation of my real estate Lawyer. He immediately reviewed the statements of my son and filled an appearance. He obtained a copy of the Incident Report and filled to obtain any other information or documents the State had. He felt strongly that the search of the backpack was improper and informed us that we had a few choices. What we ultimately pursued was trying to get the Prosecutor to enroll my son in a diversion program that would eliminate the possession of drug paraphernalia charge after he completed community service and counseling... The Prosecutor refused and Mike recommended we file a motion to contest the search as unconstitutional. We agreed and Mike prepared an excellent detailed motion. We once again offered to agree to a diversion program but the Prosecutor, once again, elected to move to have the Judge hear the motion. The day of the Motion Hearing, Mike was prepared and ready to argue his motion. I was very impressed with his Court Room demeanor, he was factual and deliberate while leaving plenty of room for everyone involved in the States’ case to save face. Mike was persuasive and respectful of everyone involved and ultimately successful in our motion. The Judge ruled the search was indeed unconstitutional and suppressed any evidence from the search. The Judge did not dismiss the case but rather left it to the Prosecutors office to determine what they would like to do from here. The Prosecutor then asked the Judge to dismiss the case right then, we were so relieved. I believe that we got the result we did because of Mike's skill and respectful demeanor. After the gavel came down the Judge and the Prosecutor commented in the Court Room on what a great job Mike had done. I completely agree. I cannot imagine that any other attorney could have done a better job. I highly recommend Michael Bartish as an attorney and he earned the title of Counselor. He made sure to take time after the verdict to have a discussion with my son regarding what can happen when one engages in any illegal activity... no matter how inconsequential they might think it to be. I would also like to discuss how responsive Mike was throughout the almost 5 month process. I live on the other side of the State and Mike was always quick to relay any updated information on the case via email and a follow-up letter. He was available to us by phone and always returned our calls and emails promptly. While it is my sincere wish that I never have to use his services again, Michael Bartish is highly recommended by this parent and client. Thank you Mike!