After the trials and tribulations from cutting his teeth under the tutelage of others the past nine years, Dowagiac’s Daniel J. French has set out to make his own mark on the local legal scene.

French recently opened his own private law practice right in the heart of downtown Dowagiac, at 103 Commercial St., located next to John Scott Insurance. Joined by his longtime assistant, Shannon Jurgenson, the attorney is currently accepting clients, handling cases ranging from answering questions about real estate sales to serving as defense counsel for criminal proceedings.

“I’ve represented old classmates, longtime friends — it is what you would expect from a small-town practice like mine,” he said.

First opening the doors of his new practice in April, French, a native of Cassopolis, said the new office marks the next chapter in his nearly decade long career as an attorney, which has taken him from the big cities of Lansing and Grand Rapids back to the county where he grew up.

“I just the love the convenience of being downtown,” French said of his new office. “I’m within walking distance of so many different shops, restaurants, barbershops…even my computer guy [at Dowagiac IT3] is right around the corner. I love being downtown.”

A second-generation lawyer (French’s father, Daniel H. French, still practices law from his office in Waterviliet at 78), French initially pursued his interests in reading and writing after graduating from Ross Beatty High School in 1993. He graduated from Southwestern Michigan College in 1995, transferring to Indiana University in Bloomington, where he received his bachelor’s degree in English in 1997.

Shortly thereafter, he moved around the Midwest and East Coast, working at various jobs in banking, real estate and internet sales before deciding to follow in his father’s footsteps, enrolling at Cooley Law School in 2004.

In addition to his father, French’s uncle and cousins also work in the legal profession, giving him an endless supply of advice and guidance he said.

“It is in our blood,” French said.

After joining the Michigan Bar in 2007, French practiced law in Grand Rapids and Lansing for several years before moving to Dowagiac in 2011.

For the last several years, French worked in the office of another local attorney. In 2013, he began serving as a court-appointed attorney with Cass County, where he has represented an entire gamut of local men and women facing criminal charges — all while still handling cases for privately hired clients, French said.

“It felt a lot like trial by fire at times, in terms of the pace and work flow,” he said.

In order to focus more on his budding private practice, the Dowagiac attorney is stepping down as a public defender later this year in October, he said.

On top of his years of experience with criminal law, French is well versed in legal topics pertaining to real estate, estate planning, family law and other subjects, he said.

While he loves the challenges presented by each of his cases, what really drives French’s passion for law is how it allows him to interact with friends and strangers alike, giving him a chance to help solve their problems and improve their lives, he said.

“This is not a job where you can close the doors at 5 p.m. every day and not think about your work after getting home,” French said. “My clients, their cases, are always on my mind.”

French’s office is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information or legal advice, people can contact his office at (269) 783-4222.