32 | MAY 4 • 2023
OUR COMMUNITY
A
ndrew Doctoroff isn’t sure if
he pursued law because he was
being “uncreative” or to follow in
his father’s footsteps, but he imagines it’s a
combination of both.
The late Judge Martin Doctoroff was
a prominent Metro Detroit attorney and
litigator who gained his reputation in town
as being one of a few divorce attorneys who
also specialized in mediation.
“I think either consciously or subcon-
sciously, I modeled myself after my dad,
”
Doctoroff, 60, of Huntington Woods,
explains. “I very much admired him in
terms of what he was doing profession-
ally. He was able to work in an area that’s
fraught with bad disputes.
”
Doctoroff, a commercial litigator and
consultant to governmental and pri-
vate-sector entities in infrastructure and
other development projects, decided to
follow suit.
Since March 2013, Doctoroff has led
Michigan’s participation in the multi-bil-
lion-dollar Gordie Howe International
Bridge Project, an important trade crossing
that will connect Detroit and Windsor.
He’s served in this role on both sides of
the aisle, first as a senior adviser to for-
mer Gov. Rick Snyder, a Republican, and
then as a private-sector consultant to Gov.
Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat. In this
role, he’s handled a wide range of regula-
tory, transactional, litigation, diplomatic,
political and communication matters.
Now, Doctoroff, who serves on the
boards of Hebrew Free Loan and the Isaac
Agree Downtown Synagogue, where he
is a member, will receive the JCRC/AJC
Detroit Community Bridge Builders Award
on May 18 at Temple Israel. The award
ceremony will include a candid discussion
on overcoming differences moderated by
Doctoroff.
PURSUING A VISION
Literally and metaphorically, Doctoroff is
no stranger to building bridges.
Throughout his career as a commercial
litigator, Doctoroff, who gravitated toward
litigation because “each new case had a new
set of facts” and was “always something
new,
” says there was one element of the
work that was the most rewarding of all:
building rewarding relationships, or bridg-
es, with clients and colleagues.
He began his early career as a judicial
law clerk for the late Judge Avern Cohn in
1990, a job he still calls “his favorite.
”
Then, he worked at several law firms
before joining Honigman as an equity
partner. Doctoroff served as lead counsel in
cases involving large corporate clients.
“My vision of the law was engaging in
the court system,
” he says. “That, to me,
was always my vision of how I wanted to be
a lawyer.
”
Big firm life had its pros and cons,
Doctoroff says, but he loved being able
to collaborate with others, which is why
he never wanted to open his own private
practice.
“I like working with people too much,
”
he laughs. “Being part of a team and having
people to gain strength and success from,
that was always really important to me.
”
Late in his law career, Doctoroff also
began teaching law courses. He first taught
Andrew Doctorof
to receive
JCRC/AJC Detroit Community
Bridge Builders Award.
Andrew Doctorof
to receive
The
Bridge Guy
ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
DETAILS
The 2023 Bridge Builders Dinner takes
place Thursday, May 18, from 6-9 p.m.
at Temple Israel. A candid discussion
on overcoming differences, moderated
by Andy Doctoroff, will feature former
Michigan Gov. James Blanchard and
Former U.S. Rep. Peter Meijer with remarks
from former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder
and Consul General of Canada in Detroit
Colin Bird. Evening includes a strolling
dinner and open bar. Dietary laws will
be observed. Register and get tickets at
https://jlive.app/events/4179.
Doctoroff
at work in
the field.