Legal Services & Lawyers

Janet M. Mistele, J.D. is a member of the State Bar of Michigan
(1989), the United States District Court for the Western District of
Michigan (1991), and the North Carolina State Bar (2003). Ms.
Mistele earned her Juris Doctor degree, Magna Cum Laude, from the
Thomas M. Cooley Law School, where she was a member of the
National Trial Team, and earned American Jurisprudence Awards for
top honors in seven of her law school courses.

Upon graduation from law school in 1989, Ms. Mistele accepted a
position with the Michigan Court of Appeals in Lansing, Michigan as a
Prehearing Attorney, reviewing trial court records for errors and
preparing recommendations for appeals court judges.

Ms. Mistele has practiced law in Traverse City and its surrounding
counties since 1991, with an emphasis on family, juvenile and criminal
law, as well as estate planning and administration. She has spent her
career as an aggressive advocate for the underdog, representing
adults and juveniles charged with criminal offenses, spouses in the
midst of divorce and custody disputes, and animals who have been
subjected to abuse or neglect. Ms. Mistele is the Domestic Violence
Attorney for the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa & Chippewa Indians.

For those of you from the Detroit-area, you will probably recognize
the Mistele name from the legendary 100-year old Mistele Coal &
Oil Company, founded by her great-grandfather in 1896. Her family
purchased a summer home in Traverse City in 1969, and has been
proud to call Traverse City home on a year-round basis since 1974.