An extraordinarily accomplished attorney, public servant, businessman, scholar and athlete, Dave Honigman is a man for all seasons.

This scholar-athlete received his law degree from the University of Michigan and his undergraduate degree in Philosophy from Yale University, where he was selected by his teammates as Captain of the Yale University judo team.

He has received numerous academic honors, including Special Distinction in Philosophy, High Honors, and special commendation for his work in the philosophy of law, religious studies and the sociology of evil. He was nominated for one of Yale University's highest awards, the Alpheus Henry Snow Prize, for "high scholarship" and an "inspiring... combination of intellectual achievement, character and personality."

A versatile and ferociously competitive athlete, he was a two-time Connecticut State Judo Champion and All-American judo player who received All-state honors in Michigan freestyle and Greco wrestling.

After graduating from law school, Mr. Honigman joined the Michigan law firm of Honigman Miller Schwartz & Cohn. His grandfather, Jason Honigman, author of the Michigan Court Rules Annotated, the Bible of courtroom procedure, and founder of the law firm bearing his name, was of advanced age. David wanted to spend a few years practicing law with his beloved grandfather before age or illness led to his retirement.

When his grandfather announced his retirement, Dave decided to pursue his childhood dream of public service. He threw his hat into the ring for a seat in the Michigan House of Representatives. In a stunning upset, he became one of only a handful of people in the past 100 years to beat an incumbent in a state legislative primary.

Dave has been "one of the first" or "one of the only" to attempt and to accomplish many things.

In the Michigan House of Representatives, he was the first and only legislator in memory to be appointed by the opposing party to chair a Subcommittee. In the Michigan Senate, he was the only legislator chosen to simultaneously chair two standing Committees of the Senate.

He authored more bills that were passed into law than any other legislator not only when he was a Republican member of the Republican-controlled Michigan Senate, but even when he was a Republican member of the Democrat-controlled Michigan House of Representatives and the Governor was a Democrat. Such an achievement was widely deemed "impossible."

He not only successfully passed into law more bills than any other legislator during his cumulative tenure, but he did so relentlessly each and every two-year legislative session with the lone exception of his last session of service, when he was hospitalized with a life-threatening illness.

He was the first Jewish Republican elected to a state office in Michigan history. As fiercely committed to improving the lot of other people as he is to winning in the courtroom, on the judo and wrestling mats, at the ballot box, and in the halls of the legislature, he has been honored many times for his passionate commitment to help people in need and to reform the law.

He left public office because of a life threatening illness. He is healthy now and he has returned to the practice of law to help people from all walks of life and to help businesses and organizations of all types and sizes to get back on their feet after getting knocked down.

Before he left for public office, the Honigman firm regarded Dave as the "go-to guy on constitutional law thinking and briefing" when the firm confronted a constitutional issue of great importance and complexity.

He recently joined the law firm of Mantese and Rossman, reuniting with Gerard Mantese, his friend of many years beginning from their days as young attorneys fresh out of law school practicing at the Honigman firm. The firm has been renamed Mantese Honigman Rossman and Williamson P.C.

His legal skills and experience, honed both as a lawyer and as a lawmaker, are wide-ranging, broad and deep.

He has experience in and handles a broad range of legal challenges that confront businesses, governments, individuals and civic and charitable organizations, including compliance with state and federal laws, labor law, contract drafting, divorce and family law, health care regulation, consumer law, legal representation of creditors and debtors, medical and professional malpractice, personal injury and products liability claims, class action litigation, drafting and litigating complex commercial transactions, bankruptcy, civil rights law compliance and litigation, campaign finance and election law compliance and litigation, white collar and government corruption law, real estate transactions and litigation, transactions and litigation involving schools and universities, claims involving local, state and federal government entities, transactions and litigation involving regulated industries and utilities (e.g., phone, power, cable, gas, Internet, and television companies), and environmental litigation and compliance.

David also has a distinguished history in First Amendment Freedom of Speech and Association, Open Meetings Act, and Freedom of Information Act regulation involving television, radio, Internet and print journalists as well as civic and political organizations, and First Amendment Free Exercise of Religion and Establishment Clause litigation as well as the regulation and business transactions of religious organizations.

Dave represents persons with disabilities, including families with autistic children, in proceedings involving school districts, insurance companies, government agencies and businesses.

In 2009, both Michigan Lawyers Weekly and Crain's Business Detroit recognized Dave for winning the largest 2009 award in a Michigan environmental lawsuit and one of the largest awards of any sort. Dave wrested an $18.76 million settlement from Waste Management Inc. on behalf of suburban Detroit residents in a class action lawsuit for violations of the Michigan Environmental Protection Act, nuisance and negligence at the State's largest landfill.

He pursues relief for clients not only in the courtroom and at the bargaining table, but also before government regulators and local, state and federal legislators. He has personally authored a plethora of legislation as well as led campaigns to successfully enact dozens of changes to existing law on behalf of individuals and groups.

Making new laws is an enormously complex task. It requires the navigation of a diffuse system of checks and balances designed by the Founding Fathers to disperse and to attenuate power and to make change difficult. Our democratic system of checks and balances is designed to give the advantage to the opponents of change and to confront the advocates of change with formidable obstacles.

As the leader of movements to make changes to established laws and policies, Dave successfully managed broad and always evolving coalitions of diverse individuals and groups with partially overlapping and partially conflicting interests, and with shifting and often prickly internal disagreements.

Very much like high stakes litigation to save a family or a business from financial ruin, the reform movements he championed confronted David with opposition from powerful interest groups with huge resources.

While serving in public office, he was respected by both Democrats and Republicans. As a business negotiator and litigator, he is respected even by his adversaries. He is civil and tolerant in the face of disagreement and strong emotion. He knows how to inspire, convince, cajole and persuade people to be reasonable, kind and decent. Countless times, he has conjured agreement out of disagreement.

If compromise and agreement are possible with your adversary on terms that are fair to you, you can be sure that Dave will find a way to accomplish it. But if compromise and agreement aren't possible, if your adversary refuses to be fair and reasonable, Dave knows how to win.