Law firm Goodman Acker levels up with new office space
March 13, 2025
Crain’s Detroit Business
By Kurt Nagl
Goodman Acker PC is leaving its longtime Southfield office in a bid to grow and recruit talent, but the personal injury law firm isn’t going far.
The firm is moving to an 11,200-square-foot suite of Class A office space at the REDICO-owned Two Towne Square, where it will have 25% more space than its office at 17000 W. 10 Mile Road.
Goodman said the move, expected to take place Friday, is about breathing new life into the firm.
“The move was primarily to allow our attorneys to engage with each other in a more collaborative way to get a better outcome for our clients,” Goodman told Crain’s.
So, the law firm signed a 10-year lease at the office complex down the road, where a $1 million build-out is designed for the firm’s 11 attorneys and 20 staff members to be more comfortable and work better together.
The new space features a cafe, communal area and newer computers and technology to handle virtual legal proceedings. Also, the office is spread across one floor, making it less disjointed than the previous two-floor setup.
Goodman Acker's home of 30 years, a 9,000-square-foot building on 10 Mile Road, is being listed for sale by the firm for about $1.4 million.
Goodman Acker is the latest in a flurry of law firm moves around town, many of which have been footprint consolidations. Dykema, Ven Johnson, Maddin Hauser, Dinsmore & Shohl and Miller Johnson are just a few recent examples.
Goodman Acker was founded in 1993 when Barry Goodman, a New York native, joined with friend and fellow attorney Gerald Acker, who retired from the firm in 2022 before being federally appointed to the International Joint Commission as U.S. Commissioner and Chair.
Acker’s son Jordan, who is also on the University of Michigan board of regents, joined the firm in 2013. He and Goodman are equity partners in the firm, along with attorneys Tim Sulolli and Bradley Peri.Goodman has fond memories of the office his firm is departing, with one stark exception. In June, vandals spray-painted the building with pro-Palestine/anti-Israel graffiti aimed at Acker, whose home was also vandalized in December.
That low point, however, turned into a big reason why the firm wanted to stay in Southfield. After discovering the graffiti on the office, the community rallied around the firm, bringing food to attorneys and staff, while nearby contractors came out to help clean it up before the day was over, Goodman said.
“At the end of the day, we wanted to stay in Southfield,” he said. “We didn’t want to leave our neighbors and family.”
Goodman Acker has been on a steady growth trajectory since it formed, Goodman said. Revenue has increased 5%-10% annually for many years, and the firm is looking to bring on another attorney. Personal injury accounts for most of its cases, though it also does some political work.
Todd Hawley and Steven Silverman of Friedman Real Estate represented the firm in its new lease. Friedman is also listing the firm's old office for sale.
Goodman believes the firm’s new digs will help in recruiting top attorneys to take on competitors and grow its client rolls.
“We just keep, thankfully, growing,” he said. “People seem to like what we do.”
