Warner Norcross + Judd LLP partner Richard A. “Ric” Roane has been selected for the 2023 class of Senior Neighbors 16 Over 60.
Now in its sixth year, Senior Neighbors annually selects 16 Kent County residents older than 60 who have inspired others and positively impacted the community through business excellence and other extraordinary efforts. Roane and other recipients will be honored during a gala and awards ceremony Nov. 15 at Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park.
Roane concentrates his practice on family law and domestic relations litigation. He has more than 35 years of experience in divorce and family law matters, complex business valuation and asset distribution, non-marital domestic relationships, domestic relations mediation, arbitration and collaborative law, spousal support, child custody and support, prenuptial agreements and LGBTQIA+ family issues. Roane is recognized as a trusted advisor on family law matters who is sought for his insight and problem-solving abilities by his peers, opponents, judges and clients.
His nomination read in part: “Through his work as an attorney, Ric is regularly making an impact in the lives of those he serves. His compassion, calm demeanor and genuine care and concern for those he serves makes him an exceptional example for younger attorneys to follow and emulate. Ric is, at his core, one of the most genuine, giving, caring individuals you could ever meet.”
Roane shares: “My personal background and experiences inform and drive what I do today. It’s these engagements that drive my passion for what I do every day. And I love this community. I’ve spent more than half my life here, and it is easily the best move I have ever made to establish my legal career here after law school.”
Active professionally and within the community, Roane serves on the boards of the Grand Rapids Symphony and Bach Festival, as a trustee of the Grand Rapids Community Foundation and as a trustee of First United Methodist Church.
He has held numerous leadership roles with the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, International Academy of Family Lawyers and Institute of Continuing Legal Education. Roane is a member of the American Bar Association, Grand Rapids Bar Association and State Bar of Michigan, where he serves as chair of the LGBTQA Section. Roane was selected by his peers as a Diplomate of the American College of Family Trial Lawyers, the top 100 among family law attorneys in the country.
Roane has received numerous awards throughout his legal career, including recognition by Best Lawyers® since 2009 and Michigan Super Lawyers Magazine since 2007 for his work in family law. Best Lawyers also named him Grand Rapids Family Law Lawyer of the Year two times. Grand Rapids Magazine named him a Top Lawyer in Family Law three times. Roane has also been recognized by Leading Lawyers for the past five years. Roane has also been honored as a distinguished practitioner in family law by Chambers High Net Worth since 2021.
Roane’s volunteer legal work has been recognized with the Michael Barnes Pro Bono Service Award and inclusion on the State Bar of Michigan’s Pro Bono Honor Roll. He teaches and lectures regularly on a wide variety of family law issues at the local, state, national and international levels.
About Warner
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