BACKGROUND

Stephen Postema has over thirty-five years of legal experience. He served as the City Attorney for Ann Arbor from 2003 to 2022. He is now of counsel to the Conlin, McKenney & Philbrick law firm.

 

Stephen's broad background proves beneficial when assisting others with their legal issues. He is an experienced legal advisor, risk manager, and litigator. While at the City, Stephen supervised all  litigation, and under his direction the City’s legal department established important state and federal legal precedent in areas of employment law, negligence, governmental immunity, qualified immunity, property taxation, and constitutional law. He also successfully negotiated resolutions of many of the City’s most difficult issues, including employment, negligence, land use, and commercial matters.

 

Stephen regularly presented the City’s positions to the Washtenaw Circuit Court, U.S. District Court, Michigan Court of Appeals, Michigan Supreme Court, and the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.  He has written amicus briefs on pressing municipal issues.  Prior to becoming City Attorney, he was a litigation partner at the Bodman law firm. He received the Thomas Cooley Distinguished Supreme Court Brief Award for his appellate work.

 

Stephen served on the Board of Directors of the Michigan Association of Municipal Attorneys for eight years, serving two terms as the President of the Board. He served eight years on the Michigan Municipal League’s Legal Defense Fund, assisting with legal strategy on cases impacting municipalities across the state. He chaired MAMA’s legislative committee for a decade. He has been a consultant to other municipalities.

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Stephen received the Outstanding Service Award from the Michigan Municipal League and was selected as a “Leader in the Law” in Michigan by Michigan Lawyers Weekly.

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Stephen has been a speaker on employment and municipal law topics to municipal attorneys, governmental officials, and clients. He has taught a law school seminar on state and local government law. He is a past contributor to the Institute for Continuing Legal Education. 

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Stephen has mediated cases before and after he received SCAO mediation training in 2002. He has served as a case evaluator on commercial, negligence, and employment panels for over thirty years. He has served as an AAA arbitrator.

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Stephen is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin Law School. He also served as a law clerk to the Chief U.S. District Court Judge in the E.D. of Michigan.