Peter C. Brown's Profile Image

Peter C. Brown

Phone: (517) 853-1518

Pete Brown’s primary areas of practice are litigation, real estate, and banking law. Mr. Brown frequently represents businesses, lenders, insurance companies, and individuals in a variety of civil litigation and transactional matters.

As an experienced litigator and trial attorney, Mr. Brown specializes in real estate litigation, commercial litigation, insurance defense, and creditors’ rights. Mr. Brown has regularly appeared in both federal and state trial courts, including over 40 state circuit courts throughout Michigan. Mr. Brown is also an experienced appellate attorney that frequently argues cases before the Michigan Court of Appeals.

Additionally, Mr. Brown frequently represents and advises clients on various transactional matters, including real estate, financing, and commercial transactions. Mr. Brown represents individual and corporate clients with the sale, leasing, and construction of both residential and commercial real estate. Mr. Brown also has significant experience representing financial institutions in all aspects of commercial lending transactions, including loan documentation, workouts, foreclosures, and collections.

Since 2012, Mr. Brown has annually been selected as a Rising Star in the Michigan edition of Super Lawyers®, an honor awarded to no more than 2.5% of lawyers in Michigan who have demonstrated excellence in the practice of law and are either 40 years old or younger or in practice less than 10 years.

Representative Experience

  • Reviewed, analyzed, and resolved hundreds of real estate title matters. Represented title insurance companies and their insureds in various real estate title disputes and curative actions, including mortgage priority disputes, reformation actions, adverse possession claims, boundary disputes, easement issues, fraud and forgery claims, and construction lien matters.
  • Represented businesses, financial institutions, insurance companies, and individuals in a variety of civil litigation matters in both federal and state trial courts throughout Michigan and in the Michigan Court of Appeals.
  • Represented financial institutions in all aspects of commercial lending transactions, including loan documentation, workouts, foreclosures, and collections.
  • Represented individual and corporate clients with the sale, leasing, and construction of both residential and commercial real estate. Represented numerous purchasers and tenants in medical office sale and lease transactions.
  • Represented structured settlement companies and obtained court approval of the transfer of structured settlements and annuities pursuant to the Revised Structured Settlement Protection Act
  • Represented creditor in Livingston County Circuit Court receivership action following borrower’s default on an $84.8 Million loan secured by nine manufactured housing communities located in nine different counties throughout Michigan.
  • Represented creditor in Isabella County Circuit Court receivership action following borrower’s default on $9.5 Million loan secured by a student housing complex near Central Michigan University.
  • Successfully defended a mortgage company against borrowers’ $7 Million tort action in Genesee County Circuit Court for alleged water contamination. Successfully handled subsequent appeal wherein the Michigan Court of Appeals affirmed the trial court’s dismissal of borrowers’ tort claims against the mortgage company.
  • Successfully defended creditor in $2.2 Million mortgage priority dispute in Ottawa County Circuit Court. Successfully handled subsequent appeal wherein the Michigan Court of Appeals affirmed the trial court’s dismissal of subsequent lender’s challenge to client’s superior mortgage priority.
  • Successfully defended lender in a Kalkaska County Circuit Court action challenging the validity of the foreclosure by advertisement of 200-acre parcel. Successfully handled subsequent appeal wherein the Michigan Court of Appeals affirmed the trial court’s dismissal of the challenge to the foreclosure based on the equitable doctrine of laches. The published per curium opinion in Knight v. Northpointe Bank, 300 Mich App 109; 832 NW2d 439 (2013), has become one of Michigan’s leading cases regarding the equitable doctrine of laches.

Areas of Practice

Education

  • Michigan State University College of Law, J.D.
  • Western Michigan University, B.A.

Professional Affiliations

State Bar of Michigan

  • Member, Real Property Law Section
    • Member, Titles & Conveyancing Committee
  • Member, Litigation Section
  • Member, Young Lawyers Section

Ingham County Bar Association

  • Member, Real Estate Section
  • Member, Young Lawyers Section
    • Board of Directors (2008 - 2013)

Institute of Continuing Legal Education

  • Member, Real Property Law Advisory Board

Grand River Connection

  • Board of Directors, Secretary

American Land Title Association (ALTA)

Michigan Land Title Association (MLTA)

Admissions

  • Michigan
  • U.S. District Court, Western District of Michigan
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan

Recognitions

  • Michigan Super Lawyers – Rising Star (2012 - 2016)