Justia Legal Services & Lawyers Directory

My full name is William Paul Slough, but I go by my middle name, Paul. My wife and I reside in Gaylord with our young son and daughter where I practice bankruptcy and consumer law.

My wife and I are both natives of Northern michigan. I grew up on a farm in Ellsworth and graduated from East Jordan High School; my wife was raised in Gaylord. We both attended North Central Michigan College in Petoskey before going to Michigan State University. I received my bachelors of science degree from the Lyman Briggs School of Science at MSU before obtaining my law degree at Thomas M. Cooley Law School. I graduated in the top five percent of my class with an emphasis on small firm and solo practice.

I then worked as a law clerk for the 46th Circuit Trial Court in Gaylord, researching complicated legal issues and writing judicial memorandum for the judges and magistrates. I have been actively practicing law since the fall of 2007. Additionally, I serve as a volunteer mediator to aid in the fast and effective resolution of legal conflicts. I am also an officer in the local 46th Circuit Bar Association.

I am admitted to the State Bar of Michigan and may practice in all state courts, as well as the United States District Court for the Eastern and Western District of Michigan.

I focus exclusively on bankruptcy and consumer law because I believe it is necessary to provide my clients with competent representation in such a complex area of the law. I am a member of the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys and the American Bankruptcy Institute. Each year I spend days attending conferences covering the most recent changes in the laws of bankruptcy, as well as lending acts, credit reporting, debt collection and mortgage regulation.

It is extremely rewarding to be able to help clients through situations including job loss, divorce, litigation, and illness. Whether it's fighting a creditor's unfair collection practices, getting a client a fresh financial start, or protecting a client's consumer rights, I find this area of the law to be as rewarding as it is challenging.

Janet M. Mistele, J.D. is a member of the State Bar of Michigan
(1989), the United States District Court for the Western District of
Michigan (1991), and the North Carolina State Bar (2003). Ms.
Mistele earned her Juris Doctor degree, Magna Cum Laude, from the
Thomas M. Cooley Law School, where she was a member of the
National Trial Team, and earned American Jurisprudence Awards for
top honors in seven of her law school courses.

Upon graduation from law school in 1989, Ms. Mistele accepted a
position with the Michigan Court of Appeals in Lansing, Michigan as a
Prehearing Attorney, reviewing trial court records for errors and
preparing recommendations for appeals court judges.

Ms. Mistele has practiced law in Traverse City and its surrounding
counties since 1991, with an emphasis on family, juvenile and criminal
law, as well as estate planning and administration. She has spent her
career as an aggressive advocate for the underdog, representing
adults and juveniles charged with criminal offenses, spouses in the
midst of divorce and custody disputes, and animals who have been
subjected to abuse or neglect. Ms. Mistele is the Domestic Violence
Attorney for the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa & Chippewa Indians.

For those of you from the Detroit-area, you will probably recognize
the Mistele name from the legendary 100-year old Mistele Coal &
Oil Company, founded by her great-grandfather in 1896. Her family
purchased a summer home in Traverse City in 1969, and has been
proud to call Traverse City home on a year-round basis since 1974.