NHMB Law Firm History

Nunneley, Hirt & MacArthur, PLLC
is Macomb County’s oldest continuous law firm.

The firm was founded in the summer of 1903, shortly after Bert V. Nunneley graduated from the University of Michigan Law School. Bert attended the University of Michigan after graduating from Mount Clemens High School in 1899. Mr. Nunneley played football at the University of Michigan and later played on the law school team. The original law office of the firm was only blocks from its present location in downtown Mount Clemens, the County Seat. In 2003, the Historical Society of Michigan recognized the firm as a Michigan Centennial Business.

Bert Nunneley was later joined in the practice by his sons – John H. Nunneley and William H. Nunneley. John Nunneley attended the University of Michigan Law School, and William Nunneley attended the Detroit College of Law. After World War II, when William Nunneley returned from the European Theater, John Nunneley left the firm to specialize in municipal finance at the Detroit firm of Miller Canfield. Stanley Hirt joined Bert and William Nunneley in 1960 after he graduated from the University of Michigan Law School. Stanley Hirt’s father, Paul, was also a well-known local attorney. Mr. Hirt attended Cranbrook School and received his bachelor’s degree from Amherst College in Massachusetts.

The firm continued to operate with additional attorneys added, and in 1990, John F. MacArthur joined the office. John is the great-grandson of founder Bert Nunneley. After graduating from Mount Clemens High School, Mr. MacArthur attended Kalamazoo College and received his Bachelor of Arts degree. Mr. MacArthur then attended the University of Detroit School of Law and received his Juris Doctor degree. Mr. MacArthur also received a Master of Laws in Taxation from Wayne State University. The firm has been in its current location since December 2021.

Olivia Rowe assists the attorneys and handles all day-to-day operational duties and scheduling.