Smith Haughey Rice & Roegge announced today that Eugene Franks, an attorney and shareholder in the firm’s Muskegon office, will be leaving the firm to join Smith Haughey client Family Farm & Home as its Vice President of Real Estate.
“While we’re sad to see Eugene go, his new role is a testament to the strong partnership that we have with our clients,” said Smith Haughey Muskegon Managing Partner Kevin Even. “Eugene has represented Family Farm & Home since its inception and Eugene’s decision to transition to its Vice President of Real Estate given the company’s continuing growth in the agricultural retail sector just made sense for him and Family Farm & Home.”
Eugene was a founding partner of the Muskegon-based law firm Even & Franks, whose attorneys and staff began operating under Smith Haughey Rice & Roegge in October of 2013. As Co-Chair of the firm’s Business and Real Estate practice group, Eugene represents closely held business enterprises, health care providers, and real estate developers with an emphasis on transactional tax planning.
As Eugene transitions into his new role at Family Farm & Home, Smith Haughey is excited to also announce the addition of attorneys Brian Pearson and Angela Kaku to the Muskegon office.
“Although there is much change on the horizon, we look forward to the addition of Brian and Angela to our Muskegon office,” said Bill Jack, shareholder and CEO of Smith Haughey. “There is already a great deal of synergy between our Grand Rapids and Muskegon offices, and the skillsets and experience that they bring will make this transition seamless and add more capability as well.”
Attorney Brian Pearson, who has been a shareholder in Smith Haughey’s Grand Rapids office since early 2014, is also Co-Chair of the firm’s Business and Real Estate practice group, practicing in the areas of business, real estate and construction law. Previously in-house counsel for a publicly-traded manufacturing company, Brian gained valuable experience managing matters pertaining to business law, real estate law, commercial litigation and employment law.
Brian received a B.S. in International Relations from the United States Military Academy at West Point and a J.D. from Indiana University.
Angela Kaku joins Smith Haughey as an associate attorney in the firm’s Litigation practice group. Angela earned her BS in Political Science from Grand Valley State University and her J.D. from Western Michigan University Cooley Law School. Before obtaining her law degree, she worked as a law clerk and paralegal for 10 years. Angela specializes in transactional and litigation work.