Daniel J. Hatch

Daniel J. Hatch is a Shareholder practicing in Butzel’s Grand Rapids office. Dan practices in the areas of construction law, business law, tax law, insurance recovery and advisory, and commercial litigation. Notably, he is experienced in civil and commercial litigation with an emphasis on construction law representing owners, general contractors, subcontractors, design professionals, and suppliers in various matters involving contract disputes, real property disputes, tort and professional liability claims, lien and bond claims, and collections in state and federal courts.

Dan’s construction practice includes experience in arbitration and litigation proceedings involving private, local, state, and federal projects including hospitals, professional sports stadiums, public high schools, college facilities, university dormitories and classroom buildings, airport terminal buildings, parking structures, military bases, bridges, water treatment facilities, water lift and pumping stations, sewage treatment plants, office tower complexes, mixed-use buildings, residential homes, office buildings, industrial manufacturing facilities, food processing and production facilities, restaurants, big box retail facilities, hotel construction, train station renovation, casino design and construction, church construction, adult congregate residential living and retirement facilities, condominium construction, and others including work for various construction industry related trade associations.

Dan has assisted clients in construction-related disputes involving issues such as contract scope, contract time of performance, delay, schedule compression and acceleration, warranty, indemnity, insurance procurement and coverage, site access, design specifications, design errors and omissions, the Spearin Doctrine, Builders’ Trust Fund Acts, Prompt Pay Acts, MIOSHA citations, submittals and substitutions, change order and payment disputes, contract interpretation, default, wrongful termination, and termination for convenience claims.

Dan also specializes in litigation and appeals in state and federal courts on subjects including takings, ordinance validity, zoning, building codes, permit and inspection procedures, code enforcement, riparian rights, development contracts, Open Meetings Acts, equal protection, and due process.

Dan has been named a Rising Star by Super Lawyers from 2019-present. He is a member of the American Bar Association, State Bar of Michigan, State Bar of Michigan Character and Fitness District C Committee, Grand Rapids Bar Association, Construction Financial Management Association, American Subcontractors Association National Attorneys’ Council, and Associated Builders and Contractors.  

Dan is a graduate of Michigan State University College of Law, summa cum laude, where he served as an Associate Editor of the Michigan State Law Review and a teaching assistant at the Michigan State University College of Law Housing Clinic. He earned a B.A., in Business, magna cum laude, from Grand Valley State University.

Outside of the office, Dan enjoys golf, sailing, photography, travel, and Frank Lloyd Wright architecture. Dan is a native of Southeast Michigan where he was the fifth generation to grow up on his family’s Centennial Farm.

All Related Practice Areas

Education

• Grand Valley State University, B.A., Business, magna cum laude
• Michigan State University, College of Law, J.D., summa cum laude

Admissions

Memberships

• American Bar Association
• State Bar of Michigan
• State Bar of Michigan, Character and Fitness District C Committee
• Grand Rapids Bar Association
• Construction Financial Management Association
• Construction Financial Management Association, Heavy/Highway Subcommittee
• Construction Financial Management Association, Programming Subcommittee
• American Subcontractors Association
• American Subcontractors Association, National Attorneys’ Council
• Associated Builders and Contractors
• Associated General Contractors
• Home Builders Association

Awards & Recognitions

Rising Star, Super Lawyers, 2019-present

Notes Editor, Michigan State University Law Review

Grand Rapids Magazine's 2023 Top Lawyers, Construction Law

• “Paid the Cost to be the Boss: The Standard Commercial General Liability Policy After Skanska USA Bldg. Inc. v. M.A.P. Mech. Contractors, Inc.,” Construction Financial Management Association, Graand Rapids, Michigan, May 2022
• “Captive Insurance Strategies to Decrease Risk and Increase the Bottom Line,” Construction Financial Management Association, Midwest Regional Conference, Lombard Illinois, September 2018
• “Captive Insurance Overview,” Construction Financial Management Association, Southwest Michigan Chapter, Kalamazoo, Michigan, April 2018
• “Liens, Bonds and Common Misunderstandings,” West Michigan Construction Industry Forum, Grand Rapids, Michigan, October 2017
• “Law of Engineering Malpractice,” Managing Engineering Liability and Risk, HalfMoon Education, Inc., Lansing, Michigan, June 2017
• “Sales and Use Tax & City Employee Withholding Tax in the Construction Industry,” West Michigan Construction Industry Forum, Grand Rapids, Michigan, October 2016