The USTA Boy’s Nationals May Be Attorney Ven Johnson’s Favorite Court.
Attorney, Ven Johnson achieved 2015’s largest personal injury verdict in Michigan with a $22 million award. But that’s not the only court he excels in.
DETROIT, July 29, 2015 /PRNewswire/ –– Trial attorney Ven Johnson is known for his winning ways. His recent $22 million jury verdict on behalf of an injured client was the largest award achieved in Michigan for 2015. His relentless dedication has resulted in a schedule that rivals that of a professional athlete (he’s tried 10 cases since 2014). Which makes sense, when you find out more about his history.
Visit the Kalamazoo College Athletic Hall of Fame and you’ll find Ven under Tennis for the Class of ’83. As a former six-time Conference Champion and MIAA MVP, he believes the sport was the basis for his future success.
“I hit my first tennis ball when I was about three years old,” he says. Ven was playing full-on tennis by age five and competing in tournaments by seven. He became so proficient that he won every Saginaw Junior Tennis Championship. Still a youngster, he competed in the Men’s Division. At 14, Ven won the Men’s Championship, which he repeated many years in a row.
By high school Ven was unstoppable, qualifying for State Championships – never losing a conference match. Renowned tennis coach, the late George Acker of Kalamazoo College, spent plenty of energy recruiting Johnson, which led to his next stop. Under Acker’s guidance, Ven never lost a Conference match for the college. By his senior year, he was Conference MVP, named Kalamazoo College’sSenior Athlete of the Year and received the Opie Davis Award.
Accepted by University of Detroit School of Law in 1983, Ven was also rated high enough to compete on the professional circuit overseas. “I hoped to take a year off and see how far I could go in tennis, but U of D didn’t offer a deferment program.” He decided to focus on his legal career. As it turns out, it was a pretty good decision. Today, he is one of the nation’s top trial lawyers. But his love of tennis, Kalamazoo College, and West Michigan is as strong as ever.
Johnson continues to play in competitions and avidly follows college and professional tennis. However, his largest commitment to the sport is his law firm’s annual sponsorship of the USTA Boys’ National Championships in Kalamazoo, which is run by tournament director Coach Mark Riley. Recalling his history in the sport, he shared, “I’ve carried the same competitive drive into every case I’ve ever tried. Whether I’m on the tennis court, or in the courtroom, I’m there to win.”
The USTA Boys’ National Championships run July 31–August 9, 2015 at Kalamazoo College. http://ustaboys.com/
SOURCE Johnson Law, PLC
