The Fleming & Fleming law firm includes married couple James and Anne Fleming, their assistant, Kris Foote, and Zoey, their "comfort dog". Mixed breed Zoey is more than a pretty face - she greets everyone who enters the firm, in a welcoming former 1920s-era home.

"When people see Zoey, it kind of takes the edge off, and they relax," Jim Fleming said. In addition, Anne Fleming said, "she seems to sense when someone needs comfort".

Anne focuses on family law at the duo's 32-year-old firm, including divorce, custody, child support, paternity, and adoptions. Jim primarily concentrates on probate and estate planning, litigation, and corporate law.

“When I started out, some attorneys had a reputation for not returning phone calls and being hard to get in touch with,” Jim said. “I thought that was terrible. If you hire an attorney, they should be available to you. We make ourselves available to our clients. We go above and beyond trying to help them.

“I knew this area would be a good place to start out on my own,” the Jackson County native said. “I wanted to be my own boss and help people directly instead of being in a large law firm where you might not do hands on work for clients.”

“Jim has been doing this for 33 years and I'm at 28,” Ann said. “We have the experience, but we're still hands-on. We now represent the 3rd generation of some families, the grand kids of some of Jim’s original clients. We know the local practice and we're familiar with the local judges. We know what their procedures are, how they're going to handle a certain type of trial, or how quickly you might get a hearing. That's a good service for our clients.”

The Flemings work closely with legal services of South Central Michigan, which refers clients who have financial challenges that limit their opportunities for legal representation.

“There always has been a need for the service, and the pro bono work is very fulfilling,” Jim Fleming said.

Many of their largely south-central Michigan clients have become long-time friends. Most notably, Harriet Cornett, who said, “more than 25 years ago I was new in Jackson and needed legal advice. I met with Anne, and felt she had honesty, compassion, kindness, and knowledge. I have recommended the firm to many friends.” The octogenarian regularly visits the Flemings at home, and recently joined them in celebrating a family member’s 85th birthday.