Grand Rapids, Michigan, March 24, 2025 – Warner Norcross + Judd LLP partners Charles N. Ash and Madelaine C. Lane have been selected as two of Crain’s Grand Rapids Business Notable Litigators and Trial Attorneys.
Notable Litigators and Trial Attorneys are individuals who have had significant influence in West Michigan’s business community. They serve in a senior leadership role at their company or organization and in their industry or community organizations, have at least a decade of experience in their field and have demonstrated significant accomplishments within their industry or community. Honorees will be recognized in a special section of the March 24 print edition of Crain’s Grand Rapids Business and online at crainsgrandrapids.com.
A trial lawyer with extensive experience in complex litigation, Ash regularly leads trial teams in “bet-the-company” cases for businesses. He routinely handles high-profile matters, including representing Rick Snyder, Michigan’s former governor, in Flint water litigation during and after his second term. Ash also represented two national banks who were at the center of Detroit’s historic bankruptcy case.
Additionally, Ash has developed a specialized practice guiding multi-generational family-owned businesses through disputes involving ownership and control of the business. In this capacity, he has worked with many of the marquee family-owned businesses in Michigan. These are often highly contentious cases that require his specialized skills to successfully bring to a resolution, either inside or outside the courtroom.
Ash has been recognized for his work in commercial litigation by Best Lawyers in America© every year since 2017 and by Michigan Super Lawyers since 2011. He was named a Notable West Michigan Lawyer in 2023.
Ash is a trustee for the Michigan Colleges Alliance and served on the board directors for the Grand Rapids Public Schools Foundation for seven years, three as president. He also served on the Alumni Board for Calvin University.. He was a member of the Leadership Grand Rapids class of 2014 and Leadership West Michigan class of 2011.
He is a member of the State Bar of Michigan and the State Bar of California. Ash holds a bachelor’s degree from Calvin University and a law degree from Stanford Law School.
As a white-collar criminal defense attorney with significant trial experience, Lane provides guidance to clients facing complex criminal and civil investigations involving high-risk publicity and high-volume documents. She leads discovery responses, internal investigations and the development of litigation strategies, leading effective criminal defenses in court. Notably, she has represented corporate clients, including religious institutions, on sexual abuse prevention and regularly creates programs focused on abuse prevention and detection training.
She was recognized for her white collar criminal defense work by Best Lawyers in America© in 2025 and by Michigan Super Lawyers since 2012. In 2024, Lane was honored as one of the Influential Women of Law in Michigan Lawyers Weekly and Notable Women of Law in Crain’s Grand Rapids Business. She received the Warrior Award by Sacred Beginnings in 2024 for her pro bono legal work.
In the community, Lane serves on the boards of the Dominican Sisters of Grand Rapids Foundation and Sacred Beginnings Transitional Program. She previously served as a board member for Opera Grand Rapids and Grand Rapids Public Schools Foundation, where she served three years as president.
Lane is a member of the American Bar Association, West Michigan Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, State Bar of Michigan and Grand Rapids Bar Association. She serves on the faculty for the National Institute for Trial Advocacy and Hillman Advocacy Program. She is also a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys, National Diocesan Attorneys Association, and the Holy Cross Lawyers Association.
Lane holds a bachelor’s degree cum laude from the College of the Holy Cross and a law degree magna cum laude from Wayne State University Law School.
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