Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

REX A. BURGESS
IN MEMORIAM // MANAGING PARTNER 2001-2018

Read Rex's Obituary

Friends and Family of BS&G, on June 27, 2018, our fearless founder, Rex A. Burgess passed away. It is extremely difficult to sum up his great life, but we have tried to here –

Rex A. Burgess, a Viet Nam veteran who set out later in life to become an attorney, going to college and then law school at night while working a full time job at a factory in Detroit over a period of 17 years, died on June 27, 2018. Rex is preceded in death by his son, Sgt. Bryan K. Burgess, KIA in Iraq in 2006 and survived by his loving wife, Anne E. Burgess (nee Heafy) and sister Kathie Poske (Alex). A true American Badass who was an avid boater and fisherman on Lake St. Clair, Rex was a well-respected attorney who revered our judicial system. He met each day with a well-tailored suit and civility, with an inimitable ability to see everyone as equal. He always believed in second chances and the Constitution – taking a copy to every jury trial and using it during closing arguments. You were a better person for having known him. He wasn’t just one of the good guys, he was the best. He will be dearly missed. 

He has served as a director and officer for Comprehensive Youth Services for over 20 years. Rex chaired the Law Day Committee for the Macomb County Bar Association for many years earning a Distinguished Service Award from the Bar for those services. In 2016 he was awarded the Kimberly Cahill Civility Award by the Macomb Bar. Rex was a trustee for the Macomb County Bar Foundation. He has supported the High School Mock Trial Competition for over 20 years in a variety of roles. Rex is a member of the Michigan Municipal Attorneys Association, Macomb County Bar Association, the Michigan and National Employment Lawyers Associations, and the Michigan Association of Justice.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Homes for our Troops or the National Employment Lawyers AssociationViewing will be Friday, July 6, 2018 from 3:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. and 10 a.m. on Saturday July 7, 2018 with a service to follow at 11 a.m. at Gendernalik Funeral Home in New Baltimore.

Please join us to honor him next week and feel free to share your thoughts here.

The United States Constitution provides the legal framework for the rights and obligations of citizens and government entities in America. While all attorneys take an oath to uphold the Constitution, defending those rights and enforcing those obligations has been the cornerstone of Rex Burgess’s career. Rex began his legal career as a municipal attorney prosecuting misdemeanors. That experience brought to light glaring inequities in the justice system. While continuing to represent municipal clients, Rex began representing clients whose civil rights had been violated by other government agencies. This practice expanded to encompass litigation on behalf of employees whose civil rights had been violated by both private and public employers.

Rex began his own firm in 2001 and partnered with Heidi Sharp a few years later. Together, they have built one of the preeminent employment civil rights firms in Macomb County while still represent several municipal clients. The firm’s extensive experience with litigation has lead to providing services in many areas other than employment and civil rights, such as probate and estate planning, real estate matters, and landlord/tenant issues, to name a few. In every situation, the firm looks to represent every client ethically and zealously and to enforce the rights and obligations under the Constitution and laws of our great country. Rex has represented clients in numerous State District Courts, numerous State Circuit Courts, the Michigan Court of Appeals, the Michigan Supreme Court, the Federal District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, and the United States 6th Circuit Court of Appeals. He has also practiced extensively in state and federal administrative agencies including the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency, the Michigan Employment Relations Commission, the Michigan Civil Rights Commission, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Rex has also served as an arbitrator, mediator, facilitator and case evaluator as well as having represented clients in each of those venues.

Rex is an avid boater and fisherman on Lake St. Clair. He has served as a director and officer for Comprehensive Youth Services for over 20 years. Rex chaired the Law Day Committee for the Macomb County Bar Association for many years earning a Distinguished Service Award from the Bar for those services. In 2016 he was awarded the Kimberly Cahill Civility Award by the Macomb Bar. Rex is currently a trustee for the Macomb County Bar Foundation. He has supported the High School Mock Trial Competition for over 20 years in a variety of roles. Rex is a member of the Michigan Municipal Attorneys Association, Macomb County Bar Association, the Michigan and National Employment Lawyers Associations, and the Michigan Association of Justice. Rex served honorably in the US Army in Viet Nam in 1968-69.

EDUCATION

Wayne State University (1984)
Detroit College of Law, cum laude (1989)

AREAS OF PRACTICE

Labor & Employment Law
Municipal Law
Litigation
Wills, Trusts & Probate

HONORS & ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Macomb County Bar Association Civility Award 2015-2016
Martindale Hubbell “AV” rating
Selected to “Super Lawyers” (2010-2017)
Macomb County Bar Association Special Service Award 2005-2006

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS & ACTIVITIES

Macomb County Bar Association
Michigan Association of Justice
National Employment Lawyers Association
State Bar of Michigan