CMDA
CMDA is a Michigan-founded law firm (est. 1965) with 8 offices across 5 states providing 23+ practice areas, primarily serving governmental entities, municipal risk pools, and individuals in municipal law, insurance defense, and estate planning.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1965
- HeadquartersLivonia, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What CMDA does
CMDA is a full-service law firm founded in 1965 and headquartered in Livonia, Michigan. The firm operates across 8 office locations spanning 5 states (Michigan, Missouri, New York, California, and Illinois), with 51-100 attorneys and staff providing legal counsel through approximately 23 practice groups. Its core service areas include Municipal Law, Insurance Defense, Employment and Labor Law, Estate Planning and Elder Law, Family Law, Community Association and Real Estate Law, Civil Rights Defense, and Law Enforcement Defense and Litigation. The firm serves a primary client base of governmental entities — counties, cities, townships, villages, public school systems, and community colleges — and is designated defense counsel to the Michigan Municipal Risk Management Authority (MMRMA), the state's largest municipal self-insurance pool with over 300 member municipalities.
CMDA generates revenue through professional legal fees, structured as hourly rates, flat fees, or contingency arrangements depending on the practice area and matter. The firm operates on a traditional sales-led GTM motion, relying on its 60-year reputation, attorney-to-client direct engagement, content marketing through its website and blog, seminars for municipal clients, and relationships with professional associations such as the Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police and Michigan Township Association. There is no proprietary technology platform, no public API, no app, and no disclosed AI capabilities — the firm is a traditional professional services business organized around attorney expertise rather than technology-driven delivery. The firm is privately held as a Professional Limited Liability Company with no disclosed parent company, private equity sponsorship, or institutional investors.
Distribution is conducted through direct attorney engagement across its 8 offices, supplemented by website contact forms, online payment portals for existing clients, and educational seminars. Marketing channels include the firm's website, blog and legal updates, Facebook page, email newsletters/RSS feeds, client seminars, and articles in professional association publications. CMDA maintains partnerships with MMRMA, MIPRIMA, the Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police, the Michigan Township Association, the Michigan County Road Association, and Dignity Memorial for joint estate planning seminars. The firm has expanded its footprint through new office openings in Kansas City, New York, Riverside, and Chicago, alongside recent partner promotions and lateral attorney hires in its Traverse City, Clinton Township, and Grand Rapids offices.
CMDA firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CMDA
- Legal name
- Cummings, McClorey, Davis & Acho, P.L.C.
- Website
- https://cmda-law.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1965
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- CMDA is a Michigan-founded law firm (est. 1965) with 8 offices across 5 states providing 23+ practice areas, primarily serving governmental entities, municipal risk pools, and individuals in municipal law, insurance defense, and estate planning.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
CMDA industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Legal Services
- NAICS
- Legal Services (5411), Offices of Lawyers (541110), Other Legal Services (54119)
- SIC
- Services-Legal Services (8111)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Legal Practice Management & Case Management (BPAEAPAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Employment & Labor Law (BPAHAAAD)
Keywords
Where CMDA is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Livonia
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices8 records
Markets served
CMDA business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Legal Services - Professional Fees: CMDA provides legal representation and counsel across multiple practice areas including municipal law, insurance defense, family law, estate planning, and real estate law. Revenue is generated through professional legal fees, which may be structured as hourly rates, flat fees for specific services, or contingency arrangements depending on the practice area and client type.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Other | Legal services with rates determined by practice area and attorney time |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
CMDA product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CMDA is a full-service law firm providing legal representation and counsel across approximately 23 practice areas including municipal law, insurance defense, employment and labor law, estate planning, family law, community association and real estate law, civil rights defense, and law enforcement defense. The firm primarily serves governmental entities (counties, cities, townships, school districts), insurance companies, employers, and individuals seeking specialized legal services across Michigan and four other states.
Product overview
Cummings, McClorey, Davis & Acho, P.L.C. (CMDA) is a full-service law firm offering legal services through multiple practice groups. The firm operates as a unified legal practice rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. Services are organized into practice area specialties including Municipal Law, Family Law, Estate Planning and Elder Law, Employment and Labor Law, Insurance Defense, and Community Association and Real Estate Law, among approximately 23 total practice groups. The firm has been providing innovative legal advice and practical solutions since 1965, with attorneys specializing in litigation, corporate matters, real estate, and public entity defense across multiple office locations in Michigan, Missouri, New York, California, and Illinois.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Municipal Law Legal representation of municipalities including counties, cities, townships, villages, and their employees with counsel on governance, liability, regulatory compliance, FOIA/OMA, employment, zoning, and litigation defense. Serves as defense counsel to MMRMA, the largest municipal self-insurance pool in Michigan with 300+ member municipalities.
- Employment and Labor Law
Quantifiable outcome
- Successfully defended municipal clients in numerous cases involving governmental immunity, civil rights, and complex litigation matters
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use CMDA
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
CMDA technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
CMDA partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Michigan Municipal Risk Management Authority (MMRMA)coreCMDA serves as defense counsel to MMRMA, the largest municipal self-insurance pool in Michigan with membership of more than 300 municipalities. This partnership is integral to CMDA's municipal law practice.
- Michigan Public Risk Management Authority (MIPRIMA)minorCMDA maintains professional relationship with MIPRIMA for municipal risk management resources and publications.
- Michigan Association of Chiefs of PoliceminorCMDA attorneys contribute articles and provide presentations to MACP on law enforcement liability topics.
- Michigan Township AssociationminorProfessional association for Michigan townships with potential for referrals and educational collaboration.
- Michigan County Road AssociationminorProfessional association supporting county road commissions that may utilize CMDA's county road law services.
- Dignity MemorialminorCMDA partnered with Dignity Memorial to present a free online estate planning/elder law seminar series.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights3 records
CMDA competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Dykema Gossett PLLC: Major Michigan-founded national firm with extensive municipal, insurance, and litigation practices. Competes for the same governmental and insurance carrier clients as CMDA but with substantially broader resources.
- Miller, Canfield, Paddock & Stone, P.L.C. Larger Michigan-founded full-service firm with deeper specialty coverage and broader geographic reach. Serves overlapping client segments (municipalities, insurers, businesses) but at significantly greater scale.
- Dickinson Wright PLLC: Major Michigan-founded full-service firm with national and international offices. Competes with CMDA for municipal and insurance defense engagements but at substantially greater scale and resources.
- Honigman LLP: Large Michigan-based law firm serving business, real estate, and litigation clients with significant Midwest footprint. Overlaps with CMDA in real estate, employment, and litigation practices but at a higher market tier.
Direct peers
- Bodman PLC: Michigan-based full-service firm with comparable practice areas including municipal law, real estate, business litigation, and employment law serving overlapping mid-market and governmental clients.
- Foster, Swift, Collins & Smith, P.C. Michigan-based full-service law firm with comparable multi-office presence and similar practice area mix spanning business law, municipal law, insurance defense, employment, and family law. Closest direct peer given overlapping practice groups and regional positioning.
- Plunkett Cooney: Michigan-headquartered full-service firm with strong insurance defense, municipal, and litigation practices operating across multiple Midwest and East Coast offices. Directly comparable in client base (insurers, municipalities) and practice mix.
- Secrest, Wardle, Lynch: Michigan municipal and insurance defense specialist firm; one of CMDA's closest direct competitors in governmental liability and insurance defense matters in Michigan courts.
- Butzel Long: Historic Detroit-based full-service law firm with comparable multi-state footprint and broad practice mix including municipal, employment, real estate, and litigation that overlaps significantly with CMDA.
Regional players
- Reminger Co., LPA: Cleveland-based full-service firm with strong insurance defense, municipal, and litigation practices plus Michigan office presence. Comparable in practice mix, primarily competing in adjacent regional markets.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
CMDA social profiles
Digital presenceCMDA financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CMDA leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
CMDA funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CMDA M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about CMDA
What does CMDA do?
CMDA is a full-service law firm providing legal representation and counsel across approximately 23 practice areas including municipal law, insurance defense, employment and labor law, estate planning, family law, community association and real estate law, civil rights defense, and law enforcement defense. The firm primarily serves governmental entities (counties, cities, townships, school districts), insurance companies, employers, and individuals seeking specialized legal services across Michigan and four other states.
Is CMDA a public or private company?
CMDA is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was CMDA founded?
CMDA was founded in 1965. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is CMDA based?
CMDA is headquartered in Livonia, United States, in the North America region.
How does CMDA make money?
One revenue line is on record: legal Services - Professional Fees.
Who are CMDA's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Dykema Gossett PLLC, Miller, Canfield, Paddock & Stone, P.L.C., Dickinson Wright PLLC and Honigman LLP. Direct peers are Bodman PLC, Foster, Swift, Collins & Smith, P.C., Plunkett Cooney, Secrest, Wardle, Lynch and Butzel Long. Reminger Co., LPA is listed as a regional player.
Does CMDA have an API?
No public API is recorded for CMDA.
What industry is CMDA in?
CMDA's product category is Legal Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAEAPAC, Legal Practice Management & Case Management, with a secondary code of BPAHAAAD, Employment & Labor Law. Its NAICS code is 5411 and its SIC code is 8111.