Three attorneys at Gruel Mills Nims & Pylman PLLC have been selected to the 2026 Michigan Super Lawyers list. Thomas R. Behm, J. Paul Janes, and Benjamin W. Mills have each spent years building a reputation that carries real weight in the legal community in Grand Rapids and throughout the state.
This honor signals that the attorneys handling your case are highly regarded by their peers, not just by marketing materials. Our work in personal injury law spans decades of complex, high-stakes litigation across Kent County, Ottawa County, and communities throughout West Michigan, and this recognition reflects the depth of that commitment.
About the Super Lawyers Selection Process
Some legal awards are simply pay-to-play. Super Lawyers is not one of them.
Super Lawyers uses a patented, multi-phase selection process that combines peer nominations and evaluations with independent research, evaluating each candidate across twelve distinct indicators of professional achievement and peer recognition. These distinctions are not based on applications or self-promotion. They are earned through a rigorous evaluation designed to identify attorneys who demonstrate high levels of professional achievement and peer recognition.
Five percent of Michigan attorneys are selected annually. In a state with tens of thousands of licensed lawyers, getting onto this list is not a participation trophy. It reflects years of results, courtroom credibility, and the kind of professional reputation that other attorneys notice and remember.
Repeated selections to the Super Lawyers list, as several of our attorneys have been, reflects a pattern of professional achievement over time, not a one-time result.
Which Gruel Mills Attorneys Were Recognized?
Thomas R. Behm has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America across multiple practice areas including personal injury, medical malpractice, and complex commercial litigation. He has received “Lawyer of the Year” recognition on multiple occasions and brings both trial experience and mediation skill to the cases he handles. He is the kind of attorney who prepares every case as though a jury will decide it, which tends to produce better outcomes at every stage, including settlement.
J. Paul Janes has built his practice around some of the most complex personal injury and medical malpractice cases in West Michigan. His work spans automobile no-fault law, product liability, class action litigation, and civil rights claims. Cases that involve overlapping legal theories, like a no-fault dispute that also raises product liability questions, require attorneys who can move fluidly between legal frameworks. Paul does that well.
Benjamin W. Mills, our managing partner, focuses on personal injury, medical malpractice, and product liability. Managing a firm while maintaining an active trial practice is not easy. Ben does both. His recognition on the Super Lawyers list reflects the kind of sustained performance that peer recognition is designed to capture.
What Super Lawyers Nominations Mean to our Clients
Most people do not have a way to evaluate legal talent directly. They cannot sit in on depositions or watch how an attorney handles a difficult expert witness. What they can do is look at how that attorney is regarded by other lawyers who see them work.
Established in 1985, the law firm of Gruel Mills has built a local, small firm feel alongside a national reputation, with lawyers who are highly regarded by the legal community for their integrity, proven experience, and successful outcomes.
Gruel Mills is one of only two Michigan law firms to have achieved both a Top 10 Verdict and a Top 10 Settlement in 2025, a distinction that highlights the strength of our attorneys across all stages of personal injury claims, from early investigation through trial preparation and resolution. Recognition like these Super Lawyers selections confirms that the attorneys here are among the best in Michigan at what they do.
A Reflection on What This Recognition Means to Our Firm
We believe that everyone, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, or socioeconomic background, is entitled to quality legal representation, and we dedicate ourselves to charitable contributions and pro bono work for our community. Our firm has consistently been recognized by the State Bar of Michigan for its outstanding pro bono service. That commitment runs alongside everything else we do.
Congratulations to Tom Behm, Paul Janes, and Ben Mills on this well-earned recognition. And to the clients who trust us with the cases that matter most in their lives.
If you have questions about a personal injury matter in Grand Rapids or anywhere in West Michigan, contact Gruel Mills in Grand Rapids to schedule a free initial consultation.