Saturday, April 11, 2015
Story contributed by Michael H. Whiting
At 42 years, Stark Reagan is the city’s oldest continuously operating law firm[1], and we’d like to think that we contributed in some measure to the city’s growth and prosperity during those years.
Harry Stark and Bill Reagan moved their established law practice from Detroit to 1650 W. Big Beaver Road (then the Burton Abstract and Title building) in the summer of 1973. They launched a new law firm with three associate attorneys and seven staff employees. Most of the new firm’s business clients were located in Detroit at that time.
Stark Reagan grew and prospered, primarily representing business clients in organization, acquisition, planning, and taxation matters. Trust and estate planning were also major concentrations, together with commercial and construction litigation. By 1987, Stark Reagan outgrew its offices on Big Beaver and moved two miles north, to its present location at 1111 W. Long Lake. Eventually, Harry Stark and Bill Reagan retired (the goat disappeared long before that- see yesterday’s story for that), but the firm’s core of senior attorneys has remained in place for most of its 42 years.
Many of Stark Reagan’s attorneys live in Troy and are active in the Troy Rotary and Chamber of Commerce. Stark Reagan is also proud to have represented many of Troy’s leading businesses, including Gallagher-Kaiser Corporation, Sennett Steel Company, GE Supply Company, Valenti Trobec Chandler, Inc., Gordon Advisors, MJR Theaters, Koltanbar Engineering, Dimmitt & Owens Financial, Inc., Samuel, Son & Co. Inc., and Sylvan Learning Centers, to name but a few. Stark Reagan is very optimistic about Troy’s future, and we plan to remain part of it for a long time to come.
[1] I must give a nod here to Mike Hutson and Tom Sawyer, who were practicing in Troy prior to 1973. Their practice affiliations have changed a number of times since then, however.To commemorate the City of Troy’s 60th Anniversary in 2015, we will publish a different story each day that highlights a person, discovery, or event that occurred locally, regionally, nationally, or even globally between 1955 and 2015 and that helped shape our lives and our community. We will try to post stories on important anniversary dates, but we also realize that dates are less critical than content and context. We will include the facts related to controversial stories, allowing our readers to form their own opinions. We invite you to read and comment on the stories. Your suggestions for topics are also welcome and can be posted on our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/TroyHistoricVillage. You can also email stories or ideas to the 365 Story Editor at ed@thvmail.org.
