Courtney Kissel’s practice primarily focuses on government policy, including state constitutional law, election law, insurance law, Indian law, public finance, and public utility law.  Ms. Kissel is also significantly involved in Dykema’s appellate practice.

In her government policy practice, Ms. Kissel has represented a number of universities in relation to a variety of constitutional issues, including issues related to university funding, constitutional autonomy, and academic freedom. Ms. Kissel has also represented a variety of clients in analyzing issues under the Open Meetings Act and the Freedom of Information Act, including applicability and compliance issues.  Ms. Kissel has also been hired to advise state executive officials on a variety of issues.  In Michigan, Ms. Kissel has been appointed as a Special Assistant Attorney General on a number of regulatory issues.  And, in addition, the State of Wisconsin and the State of Indiana both hired Ms. Kissel to advise their respective Governors on various issues related to tribal gaming and the complicated jurisdictional issues that relate to tribal sovereignty for state governments.  Finally, Ms. Kissel has represented a number of energy companies, including electric cooperatives and independent transmission companies, on a wide range of regulatory and compliance issues.  Ms. Kissel has handled everything from routine regulatory filings with the Michigan Public Service Commission to managing complex cross-jurisdictional discovery dockets for an electric transmission company that sought numerous local, state, and federal approvals of a merger transaction, which included coordination of multiple outside legal counsel, in-house legal counsel, in-house technical specialists, and regulators.

Ms. Kissel has also represented a variety of clients, including insurance companies, energy companies, and nonprofit organizations, before the Michigan Court of Appeals and Michigan Supreme Court on dozens of appeals.

In her public finance practice, Ms. Kissel has served as bond counsel and underwriter’s counsel to numerous state and local issuers. Some of the public finance transactions which Ms. Kissel has recently completed include:

• Counsel to the Michigan Public Service Commission in connection with the approval of the issuance by the Detroit Edison Company of $1.75 billion of securitization bonds to recover certain costs in connection with the State's utility deregulation legislation.
• Bond Counsel to the State of Michigan on two separate $900 million cash flow borrowings
• Underwriter's Counsel in connection with a $493 million advance refunding bond issue for the State of Michigan Building Authority

Ms. Kissel graduated in the top ten of her law school class and served as a Note and Comment Editor for the Wisconsin Law Review. While attending law school, she also was an extern for the Wisconsin Supreme Court and an intern for the General Counsel of the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics. Ms. Kissel received awards for Academic Excellence in Substantive Criminal Law, Secured Transactions, and Constitutional Law II.

Bar Admissions

Michigan, 2010

Wisconsin, 2010

Education
University of Wisconsin Law School, J.D., magna cum laude

• Law Review, Note & Comment Editor

University of Michigan, A.B.

• with highest distinction

Significant Accomplishments
While in law school, Ms. Kissel was an extern for Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Annette Ziegler, and she also interned for the General Counsel of University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics.

Professional Associations

• State Bar of Michigan
• Ingham County Bar Association
• State Bar of Wisconsin
• Federal Bar Association

• Michigan Open Meetings Act Compliance: (Nearly) Back to Business as Usual

  By Courtney Kissel |March 2021

• New Michigan Amendments Allow Public Bodies to Continue Remote Meetings

  By Courtney Kissel |January 2021

• “Of No Continuing Legal Effect”—What to Consider as Your Business Moves Forward After the Michigan Supreme Court’s Decision on Executive Orders

  By Courtney Kissel |October 2020