By Teresa Killeen
WCBA
David Blanchard is an employment law attorney who co-founded Blanchard & Walker PLLC with Angela Walker in 2015. Blanchard and Walker have worked together since 2004, providing employment rights advice and litigation representation.
Blanchard's practice focuses on fighting wage theft abuses, protecting public benefits rights, and other class action or impact litigation.
His cases address wage and hour violations, discrimination, retaliation and wrongful termination, and whistleblower protection. He is also always curious to investigate new areas where the law can reshape corporate and government policy, which sometimes takes him beyond employment rights. With a background in journalism and degree in political science, Blanchard uses his skills to advance worker protections and increase awareness around civil rights.
What brought you to Ann Arbor?
I was born in a house on the corner of Ann and Thayer streets on or about June 1974. With a few short exceptions, I have mostly lived, studied, and worked within a two-mile radius ever since. There were brief stints exploring things in Mexico City, Barcelona, Munich, Geneva, and Philadelphia. I returned home to Ann Arbor in 2004 with my dear wife and partner, Carrie, and our first child Anabelle. Since then, we raised a family and built a law practice in my hometown. My boy, Sonny, was born in 2008 and will graduate high school next year.
What jobs did you have before you became an attorney?
I’ve been working around town since the age of 12 (or maybe 7 or 8 years old if you count the newspaper routes around Allmendinger Park). In high school and college, I held jobs at old Ann Arbor haunts like Dave’s Comics, Village Corner, the original Cottage Inn Pizza on William Street, and Dominick’s.
While still in high school, I got involved at WCBN, the student-run and community-based radio station. After graduating with a BA in Political Science and with my background in radio, I sought to combine those skills to create a path in broadcast journalism. I did a stint at WAAM 1600, where I produced the afternoon show and ran the control board for the morning Ted Heusel show. I went to WEMU 87.1, where I covered city council, school board, and other local news and community events, and received a couple statewide awards for news coverage.
What inspired you to pursue a career in law?
As much as I enjoyed journalism, I was pushed to the edge of the line between being an observer and being an actor. The more I reported on issues, the more I wanted to be involved in shaping policies or outcomes. While working at Dominick’s, I regularly interacted with law students and professors, which sparked my curiosity. When I came across some secondhand LSAT prep books, I decided to give the test a try. That decision ultimately led me to law school.
Where did you get your law degree?
I attended the University of Michigan Law School. I went to law school for the fun of returning to academics and with the intention of pursuing a career in public policy. I was most interested in public policy, international law, and constitutional law. I never expected to chart a path in litigation, but I guess it makes sense that my endeavors have leaned towards a focus on policy reform.
During law school, I worked in Geneva at the United Nations International Law Commission. For a different perspective, in my second summer, I worked at a large law firm in Philadelphia handling business and mass tort litigation (actually, a little bit was on the plaintiff side). I realized how closely the litigation skill set aligns with my journalistic leanings—investigating facts, conducting research, and crafting compelling narratives. I really like the opportunity to shape legal claims into narratives a court or a jury can relate to–and to move the law in a direction that can better protect people or provide relief.
What area of the law do you like the best and why?
The core at Blanchard & Walker has always been about employment rights protections. My primary goal has always been to protect people in my community, so that goal can lead us to branch out into fighting other injustices, like government overreach, excessive force, and oppression. It sometimes (or often) goes beyond simple wrongful discharge issues.
I am especially drawn to employment law because of its range and its direct impact on people’s lives. As a young lawyer, I was looking for mission-driven work to fight oppression. People’s relationship with work affects everything—security, dignity, relationships, and community involvement—so when workplace rights are violated, it touches every part of the individual, the family, and the community. It’s been rewarding to have a role where I can shape those outcomes.
What was one of the most challenging cases you’ve worked on, and what did you learn from it?
Over the past 15 years, I’ve worked on a series of cases focused on reforming Michigan’s unemployment insurance system and exploring the constitutional implications of automated decision-making for public benefits. These cases were complex and demanding, requiring work across employment, civil rights, and constitutional law, as well as managing large-scale class action litigation against the state. They pushed me to use all of my skills, legal or otherwise, but they were also incredibly rewarding.
What is the biggest challenge facing you as an attorney today?
Two of the biggest challenges I see are (1) the use of artificial intelligence tools to replace human interaction, and (2) shifting generational expectations about the role of professional work as a tie to identity and community. Both are rapidly reshaping the legal profession and the workplace. I’m particularly challenged by how AI will affect legal practice—its potential benefits, its limitations, overdependence by clients and courts, and the ethical responsibilities that come with it.
Did you always know you wanted to be an attorney?
No—I’m still not entirely sure. It seems to be working out for now and I am grateful for the opportunity to have a positive impact in this complicated world. Ask me again after the AI fully takes over.
Reprinted from the Res Ipsa Loquitur newsletter with permission from the Washtenaw County Bar Association.
WCBA
David Blanchard is an employment law attorney who co-founded Blanchard & Walker PLLC with Angela Walker in 2015. Blanchard and Walker have worked together since 2004, providing employment rights advice and litigation representation.
Blanchard's practice focuses on fighting wage theft abuses, protecting public benefits rights, and other class action or impact litigation.
His cases address wage and hour violations, discrimination, retaliation and wrongful termination, and whistleblower protection. He is also always curious to investigate new areas where the law can reshape corporate and government policy, which sometimes takes him beyond employment rights. With a background in journalism and degree in political science, Blanchard uses his skills to advance worker protections and increase awareness around civil rights.
What brought you to Ann Arbor?
I was born in a house on the corner of Ann and Thayer streets on or about June 1974. With a few short exceptions, I have mostly lived, studied, and worked within a two-mile radius ever since. There were brief stints exploring things in Mexico City, Barcelona, Munich, Geneva, and Philadelphia. I returned home to Ann Arbor in 2004 with my dear wife and partner, Carrie, and our first child Anabelle. Since then, we raised a family and built a law practice in my hometown. My boy, Sonny, was born in 2008 and will graduate high school next year.
What jobs did you have before you became an attorney?
I’ve been working around town since the age of 12 (or maybe 7 or 8 years old if you count the newspaper routes around Allmendinger Park). In high school and college, I held jobs at old Ann Arbor haunts like Dave’s Comics, Village Corner, the original Cottage Inn Pizza on William Street, and Dominick’s.
While still in high school, I got involved at WCBN, the student-run and community-based radio station. After graduating with a BA in Political Science and with my background in radio, I sought to combine those skills to create a path in broadcast journalism. I did a stint at WAAM 1600, where I produced the afternoon show and ran the control board for the morning Ted Heusel show. I went to WEMU 87.1, where I covered city council, school board, and other local news and community events, and received a couple statewide awards for news coverage.
What inspired you to pursue a career in law?
As much as I enjoyed journalism, I was pushed to the edge of the line between being an observer and being an actor. The more I reported on issues, the more I wanted to be involved in shaping policies or outcomes. While working at Dominick’s, I regularly interacted with law students and professors, which sparked my curiosity. When I came across some secondhand LSAT prep books, I decided to give the test a try. That decision ultimately led me to law school.
Where did you get your law degree?
I attended the University of Michigan Law School. I went to law school for the fun of returning to academics and with the intention of pursuing a career in public policy. I was most interested in public policy, international law, and constitutional law. I never expected to chart a path in litigation, but I guess it makes sense that my endeavors have leaned towards a focus on policy reform.
During law school, I worked in Geneva at the United Nations International Law Commission. For a different perspective, in my second summer, I worked at a large law firm in Philadelphia handling business and mass tort litigation (actually, a little bit was on the plaintiff side). I realized how closely the litigation skill set aligns with my journalistic leanings—investigating facts, conducting research, and crafting compelling narratives. I really like the opportunity to shape legal claims into narratives a court or a jury can relate to–and to move the law in a direction that can better protect people or provide relief.
What area of the law do you like the best and why?
The core at Blanchard & Walker has always been about employment rights protections. My primary goal has always been to protect people in my community, so that goal can lead us to branch out into fighting other injustices, like government overreach, excessive force, and oppression. It sometimes (or often) goes beyond simple wrongful discharge issues.
I am especially drawn to employment law because of its range and its direct impact on people’s lives. As a young lawyer, I was looking for mission-driven work to fight oppression. People’s relationship with work affects everything—security, dignity, relationships, and community involvement—so when workplace rights are violated, it touches every part of the individual, the family, and the community. It’s been rewarding to have a role where I can shape those outcomes.
What was one of the most challenging cases you’ve worked on, and what did you learn from it?
Over the past 15 years, I’ve worked on a series of cases focused on reforming Michigan’s unemployment insurance system and exploring the constitutional implications of automated decision-making for public benefits. These cases were complex and demanding, requiring work across employment, civil rights, and constitutional law, as well as managing large-scale class action litigation against the state. They pushed me to use all of my skills, legal or otherwise, but they were also incredibly rewarding.
What is the biggest challenge facing you as an attorney today?
Two of the biggest challenges I see are (1) the use of artificial intelligence tools to replace human interaction, and (2) shifting generational expectations about the role of professional work as a tie to identity and community. Both are rapidly reshaping the legal profession and the workplace. I’m particularly challenged by how AI will affect legal practice—its potential benefits, its limitations, overdependence by clients and courts, and the ethical responsibilities that come with it.
Did you always know you wanted to be an attorney?
No—I’m still not entirely sure. It seems to be working out for now and I am grateful for the opportunity to have a positive impact in this complicated world. Ask me again after the AI fully takes over.
Reprinted from the Res Ipsa Loquitur newsletter with permission from the Washtenaw County Bar Association.
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