Summary of Experience
Owen J. Cummings founded the Firm in 1965. Since that time, the impact his accomplishments have made on the legal field is nothing short of astonishing. One of the greatest qualities Mr. Cummings has as an attorney, and as a human being in general, is his willingness and to help others. His closest friends and family members may even be surprised to hear just how much pro bono work he does. Mr. Cummings does not do the work for the recognition; he does it because he likes helping people. He has received countless congratulatory awards and thank you plaques from different courts, businesses, organizations and individuals that he has assisted.

It is not uncommon for several members of the same family to have Mr. Cummings as their attorney. The daughter of one of his clients from several years prior contacted Mr. Cummings about handling her divorce, which he did. This single mother worked very hard as a salesperson for a local furniture company. When Mr. and Mrs. Cummings wanted to purchase new furniture for their home, you can bet which furniture store they went to and which salesperson received the commission. Once their new furniture came in, Mr. Cummings hand-delivered his slightly-used furniture set to another client who did not have any family in Michigan and was struggling to make ends meet.

Once you meet Mr. Cummings and experience his calm demeanor and kind heart, he will most likely be your attorney for life. This past summer Mr. Cummings received a call from a woman who needed a change made to her estate plan. After pulling her file, it was realized this was a client of his from 29 years ago. That says a lot about Mr. Cummings that after 29 years, this client would automatically think of calling him to assist her.

Marie Jones who has been with the Firm for 20 years and has worked directly as Mr. Cummings secretary for the past seven years explains, “Mr. Cummings gives to his clients as a person, as well as an attorney. He goes out of his way for his clients and they adore him for it. He always makes time for his clients, and for the staff at CMDA, as well. They don’t come any better than Mr. C.”

One of Mr. Cummings greatest professional accomplishments is his assistance in the formation of Michigan Municipal Risk Management Authority (MMRMA). In 1980, he and Bernard McClorey (a co-founder of our Firm) created an organization that joined governmental entities together to secure insurance coverage that promised stability of premium and far-reaching protection.

MMRMA was started with just three local municipalities. One of those municipalities was a township for which Mr. Cummings was township attorney. They had a vision of getting more municipalities involved. During the hard insurance market of the mid-1980s, governmental entities saw insurance premiums skyrocket as their coverage plunged. The advantages offered by MMRMA to local governments became apparent. In 1985 alone, 133 new Members joined MMRMA, 1986 brought an additional 53 Members. Today, more than 300 governmental entities are Members.

Mr. Cummings worked countless hours to get legislation passed to allow this type of insurance coverage since nothing like it had ever been done before. The hours he put into organizing the structure of MMRMA has helped it grow into what it is today. This year MMRMA is celebrating its 30th anniversary, and we are proud of our role in its formation and also to have served as their Defense Counsel since its creation.

Mr. Cummings lives in Redford Township with his wife. Together they have six children and eight grandchildren.