Daniel J. Hatch

Dan helps clients address complex disputes and business challenges with practical, industry-informed counsel. He regularly represents owners, general contractors, subcontractors, design professionals, suppliers, and others doing business in the construction industry in matters involving contract disputes, real property disputes, tort and professional liability claims, lien and bond claims, collections, and related litigation in state and federal courts.

Clients benefit from Dan’s experience across a wide range of private, local, state, and federal projects because he understands the legal, operational, and financial pressures that can affect construction and development work. He has handled arbitrations and litigation involving hospitals, professional sports stadiums, schools, college and university facilities, airport terminals, parking structures, military bases, bridges, water and sewage treatment facilities, office towers, mixed-use developments, residential projects, industrial manufacturing facilities, restaurants, retail facilities, hotels, casino design and construction, churches, retirement and congregate living facilities, condominium developments, and other construction-related projects. Dan is adept at identifying project-specific risks, developing practical strategies, and guiding clients through disputes with an eye toward protecting their business objectives. He also handles matters for construction industry trade associations, experience that provides him with insight into broader industry concerns that can affect clients’ day-to-day operations.

In construction-related disputes, Dan advises clients with issues involving contract scope, time of performance, delays, schedule compression and acceleration, warranties, indemnity, insurance procurement and coverage, site access, design specifications, design errors and omissions, the Spearin Doctrine, Builders’ Trust Fund Acts, Prompt Pay Acts, Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) citations, submittals and substitutions, change orders, payment disputes, contract interpretation, default, wrongful termination, and termination for convenience claims.

Beyond construction matters, Dan’s litigation and appellate experience includes takings, ordinance validity, zoning, building codes, permit and inspection procedures, code enforcement, riparian rights, development contracts, Open Meetings Acts, equal protection, and due process. This broad perspective allows him to help clients evaluate legal risk, protect project and business interests, and pursue practical paths forward when disputes arise.

Committed to involvement in the legal community and the industries he serves, Dan is active in several professional organizations, including the American Bar Association; 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. He has been recognized consistently by national and regional legal publications for his experience in construction law, construction litigation, and tax law.

Dan earned his juris doctor, summa cum laude, from Michigan State University College of Law, where he served as an Associate Editor of the Michigan State Law Review and as a teaching assistant at the Michigan State University College of Law Housing Clinic. He also earned a Bachelor of Arts 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. A native of Southeast Michigan, 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 –  Character and Fitness District C Committee 
• Grand Rapids Bar Association
• Construction Financial Management Association – Heavy/Highway Subcommittee; Programming Subcommittee
• American Subcontractors Association – National Attorneys’ Council 
• Associated Builders and Contractors
• Associated General Contractors
• Home Builders Association

Awards & Recognitions

The Best Lawyers in America®, Commercial Litigation, Litigation - Construction, 2025–2027; Tax Law, 2026, 2027; Litigation - Municipal, 2027; Construction Law, 2027

Michigan Super Lawyers, Rising Stars—Construction Litigation, 2019–2025

Grand Rapids Magazine Top Lawyers—Construction Law, 2023; Litigation—Construction, 2025 

Crain’s Grand Rapids Business—40 Under 40, Class of 2023 

Community & Professional

Notes Editor, Michigan State University Law Review