About Liisa R.
Liisa R. Speaker earned a J.D. from the University of Texas at Austin in 1999 after completing a B.A. in Political Science and Spanish at Trinity University in 1994. Her academic path combined law study with a background in liberal arts and languages, providing a foundation for work that often intersects courtroom procedure and client communication.
She has been active in Michigan’s bar circles since the early 2000s. Her membership in the State Bar of Michigan began in 2003, and she holds licensure in both Michigan and Texas. Early in her career she worked as a senior associate at Hicks, Mullett & Gregg PLLC in 2005. Two years later she opened her own practice. Since 2007 she has been the owner and principal lawyer at Speaker Law Office, running a small firm that handles trial and appellate work.
Appellate practice has been a steady thread through Speaker’s career. She has belonged to the State Bar of Michigan’s Appellate Practice Section since 2004 and served on its council, including a term as secretary and treasurer from 2005 to 2015. Colleagues elected her chair of the section for 2012–2013. Those roles coincided with repeated invitations to present at appellate-focused programs and bench-bar events.
Family law and defense work also figure prominently. She joined the Family Defense Lawyers of Michigan in 2013 and has been a board member since 2016. Her membership in the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers dates from 2020. Within the State Bar she has served on the Family Law Section’s Amicus Committee since 2007 and spent time on the section’s council. Locally, she was active in the Ingham County Bar Association, serving as an officer and board member and later as chair of the association’s family law section.
Her professional service extends beyond association leadership. She was a lawyer representative on the Court Reporting and Recording Board of Review from 2010 to 2018, and she served on the executive board of the American Inns of Court’s Mid-Michigan chapter. Over the years she has presented at programs on preserving issues for appeal, appellate emergencies, briefing and research, and advising domestic relations clients about appellate rights.
Speaker’s practice blends trial work and appellate strategy. She handles family law matters and related appeals, counsels clients about preservation of record and appellate timing, and manages a boutique practice in Michigan. Her current practice concentrates on family law and appellate litigation.
