Nick is a Partner with the firm. His practice focuses on environmental, toxic tort, mass tort and products liability litigation, permitting and compliance with environmental regulations, and defending against alleged violations of environmental regulations. He also has experience in Real Property litigation, injury law and Default Servicing litigation.
Tatro began his career with a commercial litigation and insurance defense firm in Chicago, Illinois, where he managed a national corporate compliance and insurance defense team responsible for defending claims on behalf of large industrial clients in several states across the country. His experience there included the defense of workers’ compensation matters, litigating and trying cases involving industrial accidents and commercial matters, as well as collections, evictions and administrative law issues. His experience also includes extensive contract work including employment contracts, vendor agreements, commercial leases and settlement agreements. He has tried numerous cases before the Workers’ Compensation Commission, as well as in State Courts. In addition to his litigation duties, Nick oversaw the creation and maintenance of a national employment law compliance database for the benefit of his clients and advised said clients as they expanded into new states.
Since coming to Michigan, Nick has worked primarily in the fields of real property litigation and default servicing litigation, representing clients ranging from large multinational financial institutions to individuals. He has conducted trials in both Circuit and District Courts in Michigan and has appeared several times before the Michigan Court of Appeals. Immediately prior to joining the firm, Nicholas was a litigation manager for a boutique real property firm with a sizable litigation docket.
During Law School, Nick was a Judicial Intern for the Honorable Rosemary Aquilina of the Ingham County Circuit Court and the Honorable Thomas Boyd of the 55th District Court in Mason, Michigan. In addition, he received the Jurisprudence Award for Excellence in Mergers & Acquisitions.
Co-author, "Executive Order 2020-104 Authorizes Pharmacists, Physician Assistants, and Nurse Practitioners to Establish and Administer COVID-19 Testing Services With Proper Safety Protocols in Place" fbmjlaw.com (June 2020)
Co-author, "Executive Order 2020-86 Relaxes Restriction on Telemedicine for Physicians Certifying Medical Marihuana Patients" fbmjlaw.com (May 2020)
Co-author, "Executive Order 2020-77 Emphasizes the State’s Requirement for COVID-19 Specific Preparedness Plan to Protect In-Person Workers" fbmjlaw.com (May 2020)
Co-author, "Governor Whitmer’s New Stay-At-Home Order (Executive Order 2020-42) Has Legal Requirements for Business Owners to Fulfill Before Starting In-Person Operations" fbmjlaw.com (April 2020)
Co-author, "Executive Order 2020-21 (COVID-19) – What the Stay at Home Order Means for Michigan Citizens and Businesses" fbmjlaw.com (April 2020)
Co-author, "Maintaining MIOSHA Compliance in the Rapidly Changing COVID-19 Environment" fbmjlaw.com (April 2020)
"PFAS Litigation: An Overview of Cases, Claims, Defenses, Verdicts & Settlements" (2019)
Michigan Defense Quarterly, Volume 36, No. 2
"2020 Year in Review and Look Ahead to 2021 of Michigan’s Environmental Regulations" (December 2019)
Presented to the SBM Environmental Law Section
Outside of work, Nick’s main focus in life is spending time with his growing family. A father of two, with another on the way, he spends much of his time building train sets and coaching T-ball with his son and dancing with his daughter to her favorite Disney tunes.
When he’s not changing diapers, you can find Nick on the golf course, where he’s earned back-to-back local league championships (despite his high handicap). Nick learned to love the game of golf through a family tradition started by his grandfather in 1986 – the Annual Tatro Shark Weekend (held every year the first week in August). During this long weekend, the many Tatro men 21 years of age or older, gather in Onekama, MI (a village in Manistee County – population of 411) for the annual Tatro Golf Tournament and other friendly competitions. Once initiated a “Shark” the men receive a “Challenge Coin” inscribed with the words, “Family, Brotherhood, Whatever.” They carry this coin with them always . . . if they don’t, and another Shark challenges them to show their coin, they are penalized and must pay the price, literally, by paying the bill of whatever fine establishment they are frequenting. (Nick has learned the hard way, and always carries his “Challenge Coin!”)
Nick is also an avid Detroit Lions fan, never missing a game (but trust us, he’s not insane)!
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EDUCATION
Michigan State University College of Law, J.D., 2009
DePaul University, B.A. in History, 2005
PRACTICE AREAS
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A Great Read
“Chapterhouse: Dune,” by Frank Herbert
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Must Go-To Vacation Spot(s)
Anguilla
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All-Time Favorite Movie
Braveheart
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Culinary Favorite(s)
Pear and Gorgonzola Gnocchi – Ristorante Maccheroni, Rome, Italy
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Heroes
Todd Morgan Beamer Todd Beamer was an American passenger aboard United Airlines Flight 93, which was hijacked as part of the September 11 attacks in 2001. He was one of the passengers who attempted to regain control of the aircraft from the hijackers.