Jake D. Putala

  Back to top

Jake Putala is an Associate in the firm’s Litigation practice group. He focuses his practice on civil, appellate, and general litigation matters, leveraging his judicial clerkship experience to effectively advocate for firm clients.

Professional Experience

Jake maintains a broad litigation and legal research practice. As a former judicial law clerk at Michigan’s highest court, he has applied state and federal law across a variety of matters, including contract claims, civil-procedure disputes, and criminal cases. Jake has also evaluated applications for leave to appeal and drafted detailed memoranda and opinions on a wide range of Michigan law.

Education, Bar and Court Admissions, Clerkships

Before joining Miller Johnson, Jake served as a judicial law clerk for two chief justices of the Michigan Supreme Court: Chief Justice Megan K. Cavanagh and former Chief Justice Elizabeth T. Clement.

Jake earned his J.D. summa cum laude from Michigan State University College of Law. During law school, he received Jurisprudence Achievement Awards for the top grade in eight courses: Research, Writing, and Analysis; Michigan Civil Procedure; Pretrial I; Pretrial II; Trial I; Professional Responsibility; Government Relations & Lobbying Law; and Constitutional Litigation.  Jake also served as the president of the MSU College of Law Board for Advocates from 2023-2024 and was active in moot court, twice finishing as a national finalist and winning several best brief awards.

Jake earned his B.S. in Political Science, summa cum laude, with a Minor in Criminal Justice from Northern Michigan University.

Jake is admitted to practice in Michigan.

Professional Affiliations, Activities and Honors

Jake is a Coach for the Michigan State University College of Law Appellate Moot Court Program, where he helps law students hone their written and oral advocacy skills.

Personal

Outside of the office, Jake enjoys hunting, fishing, hiking, and camping in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. He also enjoys traveling with his wife, Sarah, and two dogs, Beesly and Bruno.

Practice Areas

Education

  • J.D., Michigan State University College of Law, summa cum laude and Order of the Coif, 2024
  • B.S., Political Science, Northern Michigan University, summa cum laude, 2021

Bar Admissions

  • Michigan, 2024

Court Admissions

  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
  • U.S Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
  • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
  • U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan

Honors

  • Jurisprudence Achievement Awards for Research, Writing, and Analysis; Michigan Civil Procedure; Pretrial I; Pretrial II; Trial I; Professional Responsibility; Government Relations & Lobbying Law; and Constitutional Litigation.
  • Moot Court recognitions include MSU Best Brief and Best Oral Argument Team (2022); Zehmer National Finalist (2023), Kurth National Finalist (2024), and Wechsler-Buffalo Best Brief (2024)
  • Order of the Coif

Professional Affiliations

  • State Bar of Michigan

Clerkships

  • The Honorable Elizabeth T. Clement, Michigan Supreme Court
  • The Honorable Megan K. Cavanagh, Michigan Supreme Court