Donald C. Wheaton, Jr.

Top rated Family Law attorney in St. Clair Shores, Michigan

Wheaton Law
Donald C. Wheaton, Jr.
Wheaton Law

Practice Areas: Family Law, Criminal Defense, Estate Planning & Probate; view more

Licensed in Michigan since: 1989

Education: The University of Michigan Law School

Selected to Super Lawyers: 2017 - 2024
Free Consultation

Wheaton Law

21610 E Eleven Mile Rd
Suite 4
St. Clair Shores, MI 48081 Visit website

Details

Donald C. Wheaton, Jr. is a litigator in St. Clair Shores, Michigan. Don represents clients throughout the metropolitan Detroit area, handling matters in family law (divorce, custody, parenting time, support, guardianships, and conservatorships), civil litigation (contract and other disputes that end up in Court), criminal law, DUI/DWI, driver’s license restoration, and probate. 

Don has 35 years' experience representing plaintiffs and defendants in both civil and criminal law. He is trained in collaborative divorce practice and is a trained domestic relations, civil litigation, and elder care mediator. An established attorney within his region, he has received awards and acknowledgments from the Macomb County Bar Association, Avvo.com, the Lawyers of Distinction, Marquis Who’s Who, and Pinnacle Who's Who, in addition to his selection to SuperLawyers.

Outside his law practice, Don stays involved in his local and legal communities and is committed to professional development. He is a Council Member and current Treasurer of the State Bar of Michigan Family Law Section, and he presented at the Section's Midsummer Conferences in 2020 and 2021. At the Institute of Continuing Legal Education's 2021 and 2022 Family Law Institutes, Don presented with sitting Judges on cannabis and family law, and on hot-button issues in high-conflict divorce and custody matters. Don also is a past Chair of the LGBTQ+ Section of the State Bar of Michigan and is currently a member of the LGBTQ+ Section Council. He was a practicing contributor to Black’s Law Dictionary (9th Ed.), and has contributed articles to the Michigan Family Law Journal, the Macomb County Bar Association's Bar Briefs, and the Michigan Defense Trial Council. Don also contributed a section to an amicus curiae brief submitted to the Michigan Supreme Court in the Rouch World LLC v Michigan Dept of Civil Rights case, where the Michigan Supreme Court agreed with the Section's position when it held that the word "sex" in Michigan's Civil Rights Act protected people from discrimination based on their sexual orientation and gender identification.

Active in his local community, Don volunteers with the St. Clair Shores Goodfellows ("No kiddie without a Christmas") and served on the Lakeview Public Schools Board of Education for 29 years. Over the last 27 years, he has volunteered and held various leadership positions with the Boy Scouts of America and has received the Silver Beaver Award, the Bronze Pelican Award, and the Vigil Honor Order of the Arrow. An active Scout trainer, he also has served on five Wood Badge Staffs, including as a Course Director in 2018.

Don earned his bachelor’s degree in religious studies and sociology from Alma College, graduating summa cum laude with honors in both majors, and Phi Beta Kappa. He received his Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan Law School and holds a license to practice law before all state and federal courts in Michigan. He also is a minister authorized to perform marriages in Michigan.

Don has established a reputation as pragmatic and resolution-oriented, yet he is also a lawyer not afraid to try a case when circumstances require it. He works tirelessly with real people who have real problems -- and Don helps to solve them.

Practice areas

Family Law, Criminal Defense, Estate Planning & Probate, General Litigation

Focus areas

Alimony & Spousal Support, Arrest & Arraignment, Assault & Battery, Child Support, Criminal Domestic Violence, Criminal Law, Custody & Visitation, Debt, Divorce, Domestic Violence, Drug & Alcohol Violations, Estate Planning, Failure to Pay Child Support, Father's Rights, Litigation, Marital Property, Misdemeanor, Motor Vehicle Offenses, Name Change, Probate & Estate Administration, Probation, Same Sex Family Law, Theft, Traffic Violations, Trusts

  • 60% Family Law
  • 20% Criminal Defense
  • 10% Estate Planning & Probate
  • 10% General Litigation

First Admitted: 1989, Michigan

Professional Webpage: http://lawyerhousecalls.com/

Bar/Professional Activity:
  • Named a Pinnacle Professional Member of Continental Who's Who, 2020
  • Named a Top-Rated Lawyer by Avvo.com, 2017
  • Named in Who's Who In America / recognized by The Marquis Who's Who Publication Board, 2020
  • Named a Top-Rated Lawyer by Avvo.com, 2020
  • Named a Top-Rated Lawyer by Avvo.com, 2019
  • Named a Top-Rated Lawyer by Avvo.com, 2018
  • Named to America's Top 100 Criminal Defense Attorneys - Michigan, 2020
  • Named to Lawyers of Distinction, recognizing excellence in the area of Family and Divorce Law, 2018
  • Named to America's Top 100 Criminal Defense Attorneys - Michigan, 2019
  • Named to Lawyers of Distinction, recognizing excellence in the area of Family and Divorce Law, 2020
  • Named the "Member of the Month" of the Macomb County Bar Association, May 2019, 2019
  • Named to Lawyers of Distinction, recognizing excellence in the area of Family and Divorce Law, 2019
  • Elected to the Council of the Family Law Section, State Bar of Michigan, 2018
  • Elected to the State Bar of Michigan, LGBTQA Section Council, 2017
  • Named to the Executive Board of the LGBTQA Section Council of the State Bar of Michigan, 2018
Representative Clients:
  • Bra-Vo Intimates: sued for Accountant Malpractice and successfully resolved the matter after one day of trial, 2020
Special Licenses/Certifications:
  • Trained in Collaborative Divorce Practice, 2020
  • Certified in Domestic Relations Mediation/Mediator, 2020
Pro bono/Community Service:
  • Represented a woman in her divorce case, and spent nearly 40 hours of time getting to a consent judgment of divorce.
  • Serving continuously with the St. Clair Shores Goodfellows ("No Kiddie Without a Christmas") since 2003, 2020
  • Served as the Course Director for Wood Badge C2-784-18-2, 2018
  • Serving as a Trustee of the Lakeview Public Schools Board of Education, 2020
  • Serving as the Scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 1490, St. Clair Shores, Michigan, since June 2014, 2014
  • Serving as the Scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 1490, St. Clair Shores, Michigan, since June 2014, 2020
  • Served as the District Chair of the Sunrise District, and on the Executive Board of the Great Lakes Field Service Council, Michigan Crossroads Council, Boy Scouts of America, 2015
  • Served as the District Chair of the Sunrise District, and on the Executive Board of the Great Lakes Field Service Council, Michigan Crossroads Council, Boy Scouts of America, 2016
  • Serving as the Scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 1490, St. Clair Shores, Michigan, since June 2014, 2019
  • Served as a Trustee of the Lakeview Public Schools Board of Education, 2015
  • Serving as the Scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 1490, St. Clair Shores, Michigan, since June 2014, 2018
  • Serving as the Scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 1490, St. Clair Shores, Michigan, since June 2014, 2017
  • Served as the Scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 1490, St. Clair Shores, Michigan, 2016
  • Serving as the Scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 1490, St. Clair Shores, Michigan, since June 2014, 2015
  • Served and was Re-Elected as a Trustee of the Lakeview Public Schools Board of Education, 2016
  • Served as a Trustee of the Lakeview Public Schools Board of Education, 2017
  • Served as a Trustee of the Lakeview Public Schools Board of Education, 2018
  • Serving as a Trustee of the Lakeview Public Schools Board of Education, 2019
Honors/Awards:
  • Selected by the youth of the Lodge for this prestigious honor as a recognition not of the service already performed, but for the service expected from you in the future, Vigil Honor Order of the Arrow, Noquet Lodge of the Great Lakes Field Service Council, Boy Scouts of America, 2012
  • Awarded for Distinguished Service to Youth, Silver Beaver Award, Great Lakes Council, Boy Scouts of America, 2011
  • District Award of Merit, Boy Scouts of America, 2010
Educational Background:
  • Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies and in Sociology, Alma College, Alma, Michigan, 1986
Scholarly Lectures/Writings:
Industry Groups:
  • Regular People and Small Business

Office location for Donald C. Wheaton, Jr.

21610 E Eleven Mile Rd
Suite 4
St. Clair Shores, MI 48081

Phone: 586-551-7685

Selections

8 Years Super Lawyers
  • Super Lawyers: 2017 - 2024

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