The Grand Rapids law firm of Gruel Mills is very proud to share that partner, Thomas R. Behm, has received two top honors for attorneys in the state of Michigan. He has been named to both the Top 5 Personal Injury Plaintiff Michigan Super Lawyers list and the Top 100 Michigan Super Lawyers list for 2026.
Only five percent of attorneys in each state earn a place on a Super Lawyers list. The Top 100 list for Michigan narrows that field even further, recognizing the highest-rated attorneys across all practice areas in the state. The Top 5 Personal Injury Plaintiff designation goes further still, placing Tom among only five attorneys in the entire state considered the most accomplished in plaintiff-side injury work.
Why Recognition Matters to Personal Injury Clients
Tom Behm has spent over 35 years representing seriously injured individuals in areas including personal injury, medical malpractice, product liability, and construction site negligence. Tom has spent decades building relationships and a reputation for integrity and talent in West Michigan courtrooms and communities, from Grand Rapids and throughout the surrounding counties. Clients trust him and rely on him to help them through the most difficult times of their lives.
Tom’s recognition goes well beyond these recent honors. Tom has been named “Lawyer of the Year” for Plaintiff Personal Injury by Best Lawyers in America multiple times, most recently in 2025. He has also earned that same recognition in Plaintiff Medical Malpractice. He carries the “AV Preeminent” rating through Martindale-Hubbell, which reflects the highest marks available for both legal ability and professional ethics. He has been recognized in Leading Lawyers, a list that is also limited to roughly five percent of licensed Michigan attorneys. And he serves as a facilitative mediator in personal injury, medical malpractice, and complex commercial disputes, which means attorneys on both sides of cases trust him enough to bring him in when they need someone to help resolve complex cases.
The Rigorous Super Lawyers Selection Process
Super Lawyers uses a patented, multi-phase selection process that combines peer nominations with independent research and a formal peer evaluation across twelve separate indicators covering professional achievement and peer recognition. The whole process is designed to identify attorneys who have earned the respect of other lawyers who have watched them work, whether as co-counsel or across the table in litigation.
What These Honors Mean If You Are Facing a Serious Injury Claim
Most people who are researching attorneys after a serious accident are not thinking about award lists. They are thinking about medical bills stacking up, about whether they can still work, about what happens to their family if this injury turns out to be permanent. Those are the right things to be thinking about.
When you retain an attorney who has been recognized at this level by his peers, you are working with someone who other lawyers in Michigan consider among the best at navigating the kind of situation you are in. That matters in settlement negotiations. It matters when the other side is evaluating whether to fight a case or resolve it. And it matters if your case goes to trial, because Tom has the courtroom experience to back up everything that comes before it.
We encourage anyone dealing with the aftermath of a serious accident to contact us and learn about your rights and your options as an accident victim. Our experienced personal injury lawyers will work together to preserve details of the event before key witnesses and evidence is lost.
Congratulations, Tom!
Landing on both the Top 5 Personal Injury Plaintiff list and the Top 100 Michigan Super Lawyers list in the same year reflects the kind of sustained, consistent performance that does not happen by accident. It is the result of decades of showing up for clients, earning the trust of peers across the state, and doing the work at a level that other attorneys recognize and respect.
We are proud to have Tom as a partner at Gruel Mills. And for anyone in Grand Rapids, Kent County, or across West Michigan who is trying to figure out where to turn after a serious injury, we are here. Contact us when you are ready to schedule a free consultation. Personal injury claims are handled on a contingency basis, which means you pay no attorney fees unless we win your case for you.