Honorable Judge William M. Doherty

Hon. William Doherty is both Probate Judge and Chief Judge for the Barry County Trial Court.  Judge Doherty attended Michigan State University, graduating in 1985 with a degree in Business, and then Wayne State University Law School in 1988 before working for Ford Motor Company and clerking for former Judge Richard Shuster.  He then entered private practice with the Hastings firm of Dimmers, McPhillips and Doherty, where he spent 15 years as a partner focusing on representing clients in matters of probate, family law, criminal, property and business practice.

Judge Doherty has served as President of the Southwest Michigan Probate Judges Assn, with the Executive Committee of Michigan Probate Judges Assn, and was appointed to the State Courts Technology Implementation Committee.  He has been a member of the Barry County Chamber of Commerce since 1990, serving as its President from 1996-1997, and the Hastings Rotary Club since 1995, again serving as its President 1999-2000.

Judge Doherty was elected to the Probate bench and has been serving Barry County for almost 7 years now.  Judge Doherty was appointed Chief Judge for BarryCountyby the Michigan Supreme Court effective May 1, 2011.   Judge Doherty and Hastings Dr. Laura Doherty have been married for 25 years, and have 2 daughters –their eldest, a junior at MSU and their youngest, in middle school.          

Trial Court Administrator

Robert F. Nida

Page Last Modified: March 30, 2012 at 7:07 am