Miller Johnson has launched a Government Solutions practice, designed to help Michigan businesses navigate state and local government matters affecting their operations, investments, and growth.
The practice will be led by longtime Michigan public service veteran Melanie Brown, who joins Miller Johnson as managing director of government solutions, after most recently serving as the state’s executive ombudsman helmed at the Michigan Economic Development Corp. She will be based in the firm’s Detroit office.
Brown’s career in Michigan public affairs spans more than 30 years, giving her decades of firsthand knowledge of how to cut through red tape and solve problems across multiple levels of government. She has a network extending from the Michigan State Capitol, where she served in three administrations, to state agencies, mayors, and county leaders.
Government solutions is intended to combine Brown’s government experience and relationships with Miller Johnson’s practical, outcomes-focused approach to help businesses navigate a shifting economic and policy landscape — and address matters that affect how they operate, invest, and compete.
“Our Government Solutions team offers Michigan businesses Fortune 500-level strategy that pairs legal counsel with a deep understanding of how state government operates,” says Jeffrey G. Muth, managing member of Miller Johnson. “Mel is the ideal partner to lead this essential offering. Michigan moves forward when business leaders and state leaders solve problems together. Mel knows how to build that bridge — aligning client goals with state priorities and turning complex public-policy issues into solutions.”
Brown is expected to work closely with lawyers across Miller Johnson to help clients navigate matters involving state and local agencies, move stalled matters forward, secure regulatory approvals and licensing, respond to investigations and enforcement actions, and pursue economic development incentives, grants, tax credits, and public financing. The practice also will help clients monitor proposed legislation and rulemaking, address government procurement matters, and coordinate complex projects involving multiple agencies or public stakeholders.
“Miller Johnson’s practical, relationship-based approach to serving clients aligns closely with how I’ve worked throughout my career,” Brown says. “Administrations change every two to four years — relationships honed over decades don’t. This is an opportunity to build something new by combining the firm’s trusted business counsel with the government experience and practical know-how needed to help clients solve difficult problems and move important matters forward.”
