Jerome Crawford

Jerome Crawford serves as Of Counsel with Detroit Legal Group PLLC. He possesses a myriad of skills and brings a resolution-minded and results-driven approach to any issue his clients face. This trailblazing young attorney is the first Black in-house counsel of a major cannabis manufacturer in the state of Michigan, operating in a unique hybrid role as Chief Legal Officer for Pleasantrees. There, he is responsible for the gamut of legal needs and spearheads social equity initiatives to ensure the company makes positive, genuine, and lasting impact within local communities as it grows. His goal for the work he performs in that arena is to eliminate the historic cultural stigma around the cannabis industry.

A native Detroiter, he was educated in the Detroit Public School System before becoming a “Super Spartan.” Crawford was a prelaw student at MSU, graduating Magna Cum Laude in 2009 with a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies in Social Science, then obtained his Juris Doctor from the MSU  College of Law in 2012, with a focus on Entertainment & Sports Law and Litigation. There he served in numerous leadership roles including, notably, as Vice President of the Black Law Student Association for two consecutive terms. Crawford started his legal career at Dickinson Wright PLLC before going on to represent brands as in-house counsel including MAHLE Industries and Horizon Global Corporation. 

But he is a man of many talents — a leading man, at that. For over 20 years, Crawford has successfully pursued his gifts as an actor, model, and comedian. Indeed, his charismatic personality and love of entertaining people make him the ideal uniter, someone well equipped to build bridges. 

Crawford’s notable skills as a performer are matched only by his passion for giving back. An Adjunct Professor at the Wayne State University College of Law, he is cultivating a generation of legal talent right in his hometown. And notably, during its 100th year in operation, Crawford was President of the Wolverine Bar Association (the preeminent organization for Michigan’s black lawyers, judges, and law students, founded in 1919).

On a national level, he most recently served the American Bar Association as Co-Chair for the “Men of Color Project,” an initiative within the Young Lawyers Division that aims to address the lack of diversity and advancement of men of color in the legal profession. 

Along with being an esteemed member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.,

Crawford is committed to making the world a more equitable place. He lives by the mantra: “Remember the Why, and the How Will Come.”