Meet Judge Doherty

The Honorable William M. Doherty

Judge Doherty currently serves as Chief Judge and Probate Judge for Barry County. He was elected to the Probate bench and has been serving Barry County for fourteen years. Judge Doherty was appointed Chief Judge for the Barry County Unified Trial Court by the Michigan Supreme Court after Judge Fisher and Judge Holman retired.

In 1985, Judge Doherty graduated from Michigan State University with a bachelor’s degree in Business. He then attended Wayne State University Law School and earned his law degree in 1988. Judge Doherty worked for Ford Motor Company and clerked for former Judge Richard Shuster after law school before entering private practice with the Hastings firm: Dimmers, McPhillips, and Doherty. This is where he spent sixteen years as a partner, focusing on representing clients in matters such as: probate, family law, criminal, property, and business practice.

Judge Doherty is also involved in the community in many other ways. He has been a member of the Barry County Chamber of Commerce since 1990, serving as its President from 1996 to 1997. He has also been a member of the Hastings Rotary club since 1995, serving as its President from 1999 to 2000. Along with his community involvement, Judge Doherty is also a member of several professional organizations. He has served as the President of the Southwest Michigan Probate Judges Association, been a member of the Executive Committee of Michigan Probate Judges Association, and was appointed to the State Courts Technology Implementation Committee.

In his free time, Judge Doherty enjoys participating in almost any sport and spending time with his family. He and his wife, Dr. Laura Doherty, have been married for 32 years and have two daughters. Also, Judge Doherty and some friends are currently working on restoring a 1963 Century Clipper twenty-seven-foot cabin cruiser, which is a wooden boat.

In addition, Judge Doherty was born in England. He holds dual citizenships in Ireland as well as the United States.