Attorney Will Furtado - Experienced Legal Counsel with a Personal Touch

Furtado Law, PLLC is a Grand Rapids, Michigan based law firm owned and managed by Will Furtado. Will was admitted to practice law in Michigan in 2013, and has broad experience assisting individuals, start ups and small businesses, as well as those operating in the regulated cannabis space. 

Will has successfully represented individuals and businesses throughout Michigan: 

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• Working extensively with independent and vertically integrated cannabis companies on all aspects of MRA Step I and II licensure and municipal approvals.

  
  

• Worked extensively with vertically integrated cannabis company to secure first recreational cannabis establishment license in Three Rivers, Michigan, including approval of provisioning center as special use exemption by Three Rivers municipal planning commission. 

  
  

• Successfully appealed wrongful denial of medical cannabis pre-qualification application by Michigan Marihuana Regulatory Agency

  
  

• Negotiated buyout of start-up product developer and manufacturer in Holland, Michigan

  
  

• $341,000 trial judgment, as well as $81,000 attorney fee award, for manufacturer client in breach of contract action (Kent County Circuit Court) (affirmed on appeal)

  
  

• Two-day jury trial before Federal District Court for the Western District of Michigan asserting 1st Amendment and 5th Amendment claims (pro bono).

  
  

• Quiet Title judgment in client's favor and dismissal of counterclaims, as well as recovery of treble (3X) damages for intentional trespass and waste to land (Kent County District and Circuit Courts). 

  
  

• Summary dismissal and award of attorney’s fees for defendant client in action alleging breach of professional services agreement (Kent County Circuit Court).

  
  

• Negotiated $450,000 settlement on behalf of plaintiff in Florida arbitration action alleging defamation, false light, and invasion of privacy 

  
  

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Will received his undergraduate degree from Duke University in 2005, his Juris Doctorate from Indiana University in 2013, and a Certificate of Cannabis Business from Northern Michigan University in 2022. During law school, Will served as a clerk for Senior District Court Judge Frank Zapata (U.S. Dis. Ct. Ariz.) and Indiana Solicitor General Tom Fisher, as well as a research and writing assistant to Administrative Law Professor Alfred Aman, Jr. Before forming Furtado Law, PLLC, Will served as a non-equity partner at Rhoades McKee, PC, in Grand Rapids, where he oversaw all aspects of a busy litigation and dispute resolution practice and obtained numerous settlement, trial and appellate victories. Before becoming an attorney, Will worked for five years as a civic educator, legislative assistant and public policy advocate in Washington, DC. 

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Will is admitted to practice in Michigan, the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan, and the United States Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. Will is a member of the State Bar of Michigan and Grand Rapids Bar Association (Justice Foundation Committee), as well as the West Michigan Cannabis Guild (Policy & Endorsements Committee).

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Will lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with his wife, son, and dog, Hershey. In his spare time, Will enjoys seeing live music, spending time outdoors, and cooking.