Connie Thacker
Connie Thacker, Attorney and shareholder at Thacker Sleight, is known as both a tenacious litigator and an accomplished mediator. Having gained much of her 20 years of legal experience at large firms, Connie, along with her law partner Allison Sleight, started her own firm in order to provide better service and results, without the bureaucracy and cost inherent in large firms.
Connie was named “Lawyer of the Year” by Best Lawyer in 2016 for Grand Rapids in the area of Collaborative Divorce Practice, as well as “Lawyer of the Year” in 2011, 2015 and 2017 in the area of Family Law. She is named by the organization “The Best Lawyers in America” for family law, collaborative practice, and family law mediation in Grand Rapids.
Connie is a Fellow in the prestigious American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML). Only 1,600 Attorneys across the entire country are members of this prestigious organization. To become a member, Ms. Thacker completed the intensive interview, anonymous peer review both by judges and other attorneys as well as successfully completed a four-hour exam-related entirely to family law. She has received formal training and certification from the AAML Matrimonial Arbitration Training Institute and is only one of few Attorneys in Western Michigan certified by the AALM as an arbitrator.
Ms. Thacker is the only Attorney in Western Michigan who is designated as a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst (CDFA) by the Institute for Divorce Financial Analysts, (IDFA). To obtain the designation, Ms. Thacker was required to complete a series of exams testing her understanding and proficiency in complex financial, tax, and business valuation issues related to Divorce. The IDFA is the most established and recognized organization in the country related to the financial aspects of the divorce process.
Education
J.D. cum laude Western Michigan University Cooley Law School 1993
B.A. University of Baltimore
Bar Admissions
Connie has been licensed to practice law in Michigan since 1994; she is active and in good standing. Connie also successfully passed the Bar Exams in Colorado, Maryland, and the District of Columbia; however, she is inactive in these states.
Connie is also a Michigan real estate Broker. She and Allison are the owners of Esquire Realty LLC. Connie also practices in the area of estate planning, business, and real estate.