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.

