Media Contact: Barbara Fornasiero; EAFocus Communications; barbara@eafocus.com; 248.260.8466

Detroit —July 28, 2025 —-John Stoddard, a partner with Detroit-based business and land use law firm Dalton & Tomich, has been named to the Michigan Lawyers Weekly 2025 list of Go To Business Litigation Lawyers. Stoddard and other honorees are featured in the publication’s July 28, 2025, edition.

According to Michigan Lawyers Weekly, a ’Go To Lawyer’ is:

  • A lawyer who is an expert in their field, well-versed in the nuances of the case law, statutes and regulations clients will encounter.
  • A lawyer who is experienced and enjoys a record of success, with many cases that give testimony to the quality advice the lawyer can provide.
  • A lawyer to whom other lawyers make referrals because of their experience and accomplishments.
  • A lawyer who can think creatively and identify all options for a client.
  • A lawyer you would name when a friend from another state calls because they have a client who needs legal help in Michigan. 

With extensive experience managing the legal challenges faced by banks, credit unions, and other lenders, Stoddard capably litigates cases for clients in matters involving commercial disputes, workouts, collections, and creditor bankruptcy. In an April 2025 bankruptcy court decision (In re Top Shelv Worldwide, LLC, 2025 WL 887262), Stoddard prevailed in excepting a client’s commercial interest rate from Michigan’s usury laws.  The case caught the interest of the legal world and has sparked many conversations about Michigan’s occasionally contradictory usury laws.

Beyond financial services, Stoddard’s practice includes negotiating and litigating the successful resolution of disputes for commercial landlords, sellers of specialty products and equipment, and other businesses. Prior to joining Dalton & Tomich as a partner in 2021, Stoddard’s experience included serving as a litigation manager for a publicly traded finance company and working in a leadership role for firms throughout Michigan that represent financial institutions, court-appointed receivers, and bankruptcy trustees.

Active in legal and civic organizations, Stoddard is a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute, State Bar of Michigan, Indiana State Bar Association and American Bar Association, and is an associate member of the Michigan Bankers Association. He holds a Juris Doctor from Notre Dame Law School and a Bachelor of Arts from Albion College.

About Dalton & Tomich

Detroit-based Dalton & Tomich PLC is a versatile law firm representing property owners in site plan approvals, zoning appeals and land use disputes involving zoning, easements, boundary line disputes and access to water. The firm also works with lending institutions and privately held businesses and nonprofits, often in a general counsel capacity. Further, serving as a partner to religious organizations, Dalton & Tomich is a national leader in religious property law land use, notably with cases related to the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) and denominational splits. Learn more about our services for businesses and religious organizations at https://www.daltontomich.com/.

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