About Laurie
Laurie Schmitt built a practice out of one abiding interest: how people resolve family disputes when legal issues are at stake. She earned her Juris Doctor in 2012 from Western Michigan University Cooley Law School and joined the Michigan bar the same year. Early training in mediation and collaborative practice has shaped how she approaches cases since those first years in practice.
After law school Schmitt established her practice at Schmitt Law, PLLC, where she is listed as a lawyer, mediator and collaborative lawyer. She began practicing there in 2012 and has run a solo practice that blends traditional family law representation with alternative dispute resolution techniques. Her work stretches from courtroom filings to structured settlement discussions and off‑court collaborative meetings.
Her credentials include a Family Law Certificate from the Institute of Continuing Legal Education and specific training that informs her day‑to‑day practice. She completed Basic Interdisciplinary Collaborative Training through the Collaborative Practice Institute of Michigan. She also holds a General Civil Mediator Training certificate from The Dispute Resolution Center of West Michigan. Those programs underpin the mediation and collaborative options she offers clients.
Colleagues and clients will note that Schmitt is active in professional circles that concentrate on collaborative and family law practice. She joined the State Bar of Michigan and the Grand Rapids Bar Association in 2012. In 2014 she became a member of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals, the Collaborative Divorce Professionals of West Michigan, and the Collaborative Practice Institute of Michigan. Those memberships reflect steady engagement with peer groups that emphasize out‑of‑court resolution and interdisciplinary coordination.
Court records and public listings show a mix of contested and negotiated matters in her experience. She has represented clients through petitions, settlements and mediated agreements. In collaborative cases she typically works alongside mental health professionals and financial neutrals, following the multidisciplinary model the training programs advocate. That approach changes the shape of many family law matters, steering them toward structured negotiation rather than prolonged litigation.
Schmitt balances legal advocacy with active dispute resolution. She handles family law filings when litigation is necessary. She also conducts mediations and serves as a collaborative lawyer when parties select that route. Her practice model emphasizes process options so clients can choose contested litigation, mediated settlement, or collaborative negotiation.
She currently practices family law, mediation, and collaborative divorce at Schmitt Law, PLLC.
