Prominent Brighton attorney Neal D. Nielsen dies

Neal D. Nielsen

Officials are confirming the Dec. 11, 2020, death of well-known Brighton attorney and former U-M regent Neal D. Nielsen.

No other details are known.

Nielsen, who got his start in the Livingston County Prosecutor’s Office, went into private practice, established his own legal firm, and became one of the highest-profile attorneys in the community.

He served on the University of Michigan Board of Regents from 1984-1992, after being elected when he was in his early 30s. Nielsen said he well understood the financial hardship of paying for college after working two jobs while pursuing his bachelor’s degree at U-M, so in 1985 he established an annual $1,000 scholarship to the university for Livingston County students based on their grades, community service and educational activities.

Nielsen graduated from the University of Michigan in 1971, and earned his law degree at the Detroit College of Law.

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The Livingston Post is the only locally owned, all-digital information and opinion site in Livingston County, Mich. It was launched by award-winning journalists who were laid off from the Livingston County Daily Press & Argus by Gannett Co. Inc. in 2009.