He still considers himself “a kid from Bridgman,” but the life and times of Attorney Scott Dienes continue to soar. It was less than two years ago that I told you about Scott’s move to the team at Barnes & Thornburg in their Grand Rapids office, and now Grand Rapids Magazine has named him and nine of his Barnes & Thornburg colleagues to their Top Lawyers list for 2019. 
Professional Research Services (PRS) conducted an online peer-review survey, asking certified attorneys in the Grand Rapids area to nominate their peers who excel in particular practice areas. Dienes soared to the top for his work in Land Use & Zoning as well as both Public Finance Law and Real Estate Law.
He focuses his practice on local government matters, finance and land use, having previously served as general counsel to municipal clients throughout Michigan for more than 20 years before joining Barnes & Thornburg. Active in the regional legal and business community, Dienes is a member of the board of directors of Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School, where he chairs its Audit Committee and is a member of its Executive and Investment committees. He is also a former member of the board of trustees of Siena Heights University. Dienes earned his B.A. from Siena Heights University in 1990 and his J.D. from Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School in 1995. He still carries his Bridgman pride as a 1986 graduate of Bridgman HS.
He is one of ten Barnes & Thornburg attorneys on the Top Lawyers list. These are those who made the list, along with their areas of practice:
- Keith J. Brodie – Labor and Employment Law
- Michael Campbell – Banking & Financial Service Law; Corporate Law
- Charles M. Denton – Environmental Law
- Scott A. Dienes – Land Use & Zoning; Public Finance Law; Real Estate Law
- Tammy L. Helminski – Environmental Law
- David C. Hill – Real Estate Law
- David A. Malson – Trusts and Estates
- Jeffrey A. Michael – Intellectual Property and Patent Law
- Scott R. Murphy – Construction Law; Litigation – Commercial
- Robert R. Stead – Corporate Law; Mergers & Acquisitions Law; Tax Law
Barnes & Thornburg opened its Grand Rapids office in 2004. It is a full-service firm, offering clients counsel in a number of practice areas including administrative regulatory law, aviation, construction litigation, governmental services and federal lobbying, insurance recovery, labor union negotiations, municipal finance, Native American law, private client services, white collar defense, toxic torts and trademarks.
With more than 600 attorneys and other legal professionals, Barnes & Thornburg is one of the largest law firms in the country. The firm serves clients worldwide from offices in Atlanta, California, Chicago, Delaware, Indiana, Michigan, Minneapolis, Ohio, Raleigh, Salt Lake City, Texas and Washington, D.C. For more information, you can visit online at www.btlaw.com or on Twitter @BTLawNews.
