Dirk A. Beamer

Historically rooted in business litigation and management-side employment law, Dirk continues to spearhead the firm’s efforts in those arenas. In April of 2020, following a lengthy arbitration proceeding and hearing, a retired Oakland County judge ruled that Dirk’s clients (an automotive supplier and its key employees) had not misappropriated trade secrets or breached their contractual commitments as alleged.

Dirk spent much of 2020 helping business owners navigate the new and evolving laws and policies surrounding the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on the workforce. He works to develop and implement sound employment policies, handles terminations and reductions in force and negotiates employment packages and severance arrangements. In 2018, Dirk was asked to provide a training session on workplace harassment to the staff of the Michigan Department of Civil Rights.

Given his close working relationship with clients’ ownership and management, Dirk is regularly called upon for guidance on commercial transactions, M&A work and succession planning. In each of the last three years, Dirk worked on eight figure business sales.

Dirk serves as general counsel for several national professional trade associations, including the National Association of Professional Allstate Agents (NAPAA) and the United Farmers Agents Association (UFAA). Through the latter two relationships in particular, Dirk has acquired expertise counseling insurance agents in management, corporate discipline and buying and selling agencies, handling over 300 such transactions.

"My job isn’t simply to tell clients what the law says. It’s helping them decide on the best course of action under the circumstances presented."