Spring 2026 issue of The Southwester profiles attorney’s journey from IT technician to consumer-protection lawyer
Portage, MI – May 7, 2026 Joshua Goodrich, principal attorney and founder of Lighthouse Litigation, PLLC, is featured in the Spring 2026 issue of The Southwester, the alumni magazine of Southwestern Michigan College (SMC). The two-page profile, titled “Practicing law with technology,” traces Goodrich’s path from a Cass County technology student to a practicing consumer-protection attorney whose work centers on the intersection of law and technology.
The article highlights Goodrich’s 2004 graduation from SMC with Associate of Applied Science degrees in microcomputer programming and Local Area Network (LAN)/hardware support, and follows his career through technology roles at SMC, Cornell University, and Miami University before he pursued his Juris Doctor at Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego. He later earned an LL.M. in intellectual property and technology law as a capstone degree.
“It is a genuine honor to be featured by my alma mater,” Goodrich said. “SMC gave me the technical fluency and problem-solving mindset I use every day — in court, in the classroom, and with clients. The practical, student-centered education I received there is the foundation everything else has been built on.”
The Southwester feature also notes two recent professional distinctions: Goodrich’s selection to the 2025 Super Lawyers Rising Stars list for excellence in consumer law, and his induction as a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation (ABF), an honorary society recognizing outstanding dedication to the legal profession and the community. ABF Fellowship is limited to less than one percent of attorneys licensed to practice in each jurisdiction. Selection to the Super Lawyers Rising Stars list recognizes only 2.5 percent of attorneys in Michigan each year.
Goodrich’s Rising Stars recognition specifically noted his litigation work under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) — the federal law designed to protect consumers from unwanted robocalls, spam texts, and autodialed communications — a focal area of his practice at Lighthouse Litigation.
Founded in 2019, Lighthouse Litigation, PLLC concentrates on consumer-protection and civil-rights litigation with a technology focus. Goodrich practices throughout Michigan, primarily in the corridor connecting Battle Creek, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, and Lansing. The article notes his cybersecurity background, which includes industry certifications from (ISC)² and CompTIA, training as a Certified Ethical Hacker, and prior “red team” penetration-testing experience — a technical foundation he brings to complex consumer cases.
The piece also recounts notable matters Goodrich has handled, including the defense of a drone operator investigated for alleged violations of state, federal, and FAA regulations after flying a drone over a Green Day concert at Comerica Park. Goodrich is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court and currently has a petition pending before the Michigan Supreme Court.
The complete profile appears on pages 10–11 of the Spring 2026 issue of The Southwester, available online at swmich.edu and at the following link: https://swmich.edu/media/website/content-assets/documents/Southwester-Spring-2026_Compressed.pdf
