James M. Alexander, Retired Judge, Oakland County (Michigan) Circuit Court joins JAMS in Southeast Michigan after nearly 20 years of service to the Oakland County judiciary, including a nine-year tenure on the Family Court, where he served a term as presiding judge. Judge Alexander is one of only five Oakland County jurists to have served on each of the court’s branches in his time on the bench.
Judge Alexander is perhaps best known for his service on the Oakland County’s Business Court, serving on that docket since its inception in 2013. A model for business courts throughout Michigan and the nation, the court strives to enhance party access and the efficiency of dispute resolution mechanisms, working with community stakeholders to refine process improvements.
ADR Experience and Qualifications
- Seven years on the Business Court, averaging 500 cases a year and resolving most short of trial
- Past Chairman, Alternative Dispute Resolution Section, State Bar of Michigan
- Past Chairman, Detroit Commercial/Construction Advisory Committee and National Trainer, Arbitration and Mediation, American Arbitration Association
Representative Matters
In his time on the Family Court bench, Judge Alexander heard thousands of matters, including those involving the following:
- Prenuptial and postnuptial agreements
- Property divisions
- Child custody and parenting time
- Categorization of assets
- Business valuation
On the Business Court, Judge Alexander handled a wide array of litigation, settling most matters short of trial, including the following:
- Partnership and business dissolutions
- Shareholder oppression
- Breach of contract
- Noncompetition and nonsolicitation agreements
- Commercial real estate, including a (family) business breakup of the largest apartment landlords in Michigan
- Resolved the breakup of one of the largest accounting/turnaround firms in Michigan
- Mediated and settled a matter involving a purchase dispute between two of the largest national shopping mall owners where pre-pandemic valuation/changed circumstances were in issue
