Many recognize Takura by his trademark bowtie, but his real trademark is the passion and skill that he brings to fight every case for every person he represents. He truly believes that defending people’s rights in the courtroom is his life’s calling. He is an experienced criminal defense litigator who has enjoyed a number of successes in the courtroom. He has fought diligently to earn "not guilty" verdicts in multiple jury trials. Those "not guilty" verdicts include an attempted murder trial, numerous cases involving multiple counts of criminal sexual conduct, and the retrial of a man who had been wrongfully imprisoned for nine years. Takura also played in integral role in helping to exonerate three clients who had served a total of 52 years in prison for various crimes that he and the team at Chartier & Nyamfukudza, P.L.C. were able to prove the clients did not commit.
Takura practices in state and federal courts throughout Michigan, including handling appellate cases at the Michigan Supreme Court and the Michigan Court of Appeals. Before serving his clients as a criminal defense litigator, Takura proudly served his country in the United States Army for twelve years.
In 2015, Takura was selected to receive the State Bar of Michigan’s Regeana Myrick Outstanding Young Lawyer Award. This award is given to one attorney in the state and recognizes attorneys making outstanding contributions to the bar and the community. Other recognitions Takura has received include the Rising Star Award from the Davis-Dunnings Bar Association and the “Top 5 Under 35” Award from the Ingham County Bar Association. The Rising Star Award recognizes an outstanding young lawyer in the Greater Lansing community whose career demonstrates leadership, exemplary character, integrity, judgment, legal scholarship, and service to the profession and community through community-based organizations that strive to improve the lives of the people in the Lansing community so as to make him a role model for others. The “Top 5 Under 35” Award is given annually to five members of the Ingham County Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Section, recognized for their talents, skills, professionalism, and civility in the practice of law.
Takura is active in numerous professional organizations, and he has presented on issues related to criminal defense throughout the state, including at the Michigan Judicial Institute and conferences held by the Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan and the Michigan Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. He has also been appointed to the State Bar of Michigan’s Board of Commissioners.
Takura served on the Michigan Joint Taskforce on Jail and Pretrial Incarceration, as faculty for the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission’s trial skills program, and as the defense attorney who tried the case for the Supreme Court Administrative Office’s remote jury trial project. The State Appellate Defender Office has tapped him to lecture on the topic of remote jury trials. Takura is a recurring speaker at the People’s Law School, where he typically educates those in attendance on issues related to the Fourth Amendment.
Takura is also active in the community, volunteering his time at the Dream Warriors Project and the Michigan Supreme Court Learning Center. Takura’s commitment to serving the community extends to pro bono work, and he has also volunteered his legal services with Service to Soldiers. He is a longstanding mentor with the Ingham County Veterans Treatment Court. Takura is a leading criminal defense litigator, and he brings his passion for the law and commitment to excellence to every case.
Professional Activities/Community Involvement
- Chair, State Bar of Michigan's Criminal Law Council, 2024-2025
- Exploring Careers in the Law, Michigan Supreme Court Learning Center "High School Moot Court" Program, June 2024
- Dream Warriors, Guest Speaker, December 2023
- Rotary Club of Lansing, Keynote Presentation, December 2023
- Chair-Elect, State Bar of Michigan's Criminal Law Council, 2023-2024
- Treasurer, Davis Dunnings Bar Association 2023-2024
- Attorney Mentor, MentorJet Networking Event, WMU-Cooley Law School, November 2023
- Dream Warriors, Guest Speaker, August 2022
- Exploring Careers in the Law, Michigan Supreme Court Learning Center "High School Moot Court" Program, July 2022
- Judge, National Bar Association (NBA) Region VI Martin Luther King, Jr. Drum Major for Justice Advocacy Competition, May 2022
- Attorney Mentor, MentorJet Networking Event, National Association of Women Judges, 2021
- Councilperson, Michigan Jail Reform Advisory Council, 2021 - 2023
- Commissioner-at-Large, State Bar of Michigan Board of Commissioners, 2020-2022
- Member, Michigan Indigent Defense Commission, 2016-2021
- Volunteer, Greater Lansing Food Bank, Empty Plate 2019 Fundraiser
- Mentor, Ingham County Veterans Treatment Court 2019
- Member, Criminal Jurisprudence and Practice Committee 2019
- Member; Michigan Court Forms Committee, March 2019
- Fellow, Ingham County Bar Foundation 2019
- Member, United States District Court 2019 Merit Selection Panel for Magistrate Judge in Michigan’s Western District
- Board Member, Oak Park YMCA Advisory Board of Directors, 2019
- Member of Governor Whitmer's Joint Task Force on Jail and Pretrial Incarceration, 2019 -
- Exploring Careers in the Law, Michigan Supreme Court Learning Center "High School Moot Court" Program, July 2019
- Chairperson, State Bar of Michigan Marijuana Law Section's Warm a Veteran Coat Drive, October 2018
- President - Second Term, Davis Dunnings Bar Association
- Co-Chair, Education Committee, Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan
- Board Member, Oak Park YMCA Advisory Board of Directors, 2018
- Board Member, Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan
- Exploring Careers in the Law, Michigan Supreme Court Learning Center "High School Moot Court" Program, July 2018
- Team Leader, Ingham County Bar Foundation 14th Annual Memorial Golf Classic, June 2018
- Board of Tellers Member, 2018 State Bar of Michigan Elections Covering: the Judicial Tenure Commission, the State Board of Commissioners, and the Representative Assembly, June 2018
- Panel Member, Western Michigan University Cooley Student Bar Association, Legislation and the Law Panel, June 2018
- Volunteer, Greater Lansing Food Bank’s 12th Annual Empty Plate Dinner
- Committee Member, State Bar of Michigan Professional Standards Steering Committee
- Panel Member, WMU-Cooley Law School’s Lansing Black Law Students Association & Davis-Dunnings Bar Association, Know Your Rights, March 2018
- Committee Member, The Fifth Annual The Paper Chase 5K Walk-Run Committee, 2018
- Committee Member, The Fourth Annual The Paper Chase 5K Walk-Run Committee, 2017
- Chairperson, State Bar of Michigan Marijuana Law Section's Warm a Veteran Coat Drive, October 2017
- Volunteer & Panel Member, Ingham County Bar Association Ask a Lawyer Event, October 2017
- Panel Member, Michigan State University Chapter of the Black Law Students Association, Hate Crimes Panel, October 2017
- Team Leader, Ingham County Bar Foundation 13th Annual Memorial Golf Classic, June 2017
- Defense Attorney Representative, Michigan Supreme Court Learning Center Planning Committee, 2017
- Hillman Advocacy Federal Training Program, Advanced Criminal Trial Practice, January 2017
- Chairperson, Ingham County Bar Association's Horn of Plenty Clothing and Food Drive, November 2016
- Attorney Mentor, MentorJet Networking Event, Michigan State University College of Law, November 2016
- Volunteer Server, Lunch with League 2016, Junior League of Lansing, November 2016
- Volunteer & Panel Member, Michigan Supreme Court Learning Center "Face of Justice" Program, October 2016
- Chairperson, State Bar of Michigan Marijuana Law Section's Warm a Veteran Coat Drive, October 2016
- Hosted, with the Davis-Dunnings Bar Association, a Town Hall debate between the 2016 Ingham County Prosecutorial candidates
- Volunteer & Panel Member, Ingham County Bar Association Ask a Lawyer Event, October 2016
- Committee Member, The Third Annual The Paper Chase 5K Walk-Run Committee 2016
- President - First Term, Davis-Dunnings Bar Association
- Board of Directors, Ingham County Bar Association Young Lawyer’s Board
- National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan
- Michigan Association of OWI Attorneys
- Exploring Careers in the Law, Michigan Supreme Court Learning Center "High School Moot Court" Program, July 2016
- Presided over Prosecutorial Candidate Forum, July 2016
- Team Member, Ingham County Bar Foundation 12th Annual Memorial Golf Classic, June 2016
- Chairperson, Veterans Committee of the State Bar of Michigan Marijuana Law Section
- Volunteer, Greater Lansing Food Bank’s 10th Annual Empty Plate Dinner
- Volunteer, Haven House
- Service to Soldiers Program
- Interviewer, Lansing Community College Paralegal Program Mock Interview Program
- Volunteered, Building Child and Family Initiatives Magic of Reading Program
- Chairperson, Ingham County Bar Association's Horn of Plenty Clothing and Food Drive, November 2015
- Exploring Careers in the Law, Michigan Supreme Court Learning Center "High School Moot Court" Program, July 2015
- Treasurer, Davis-Dunnings Bar Association, July 2014
- Executive Board, Davis-Dunnings Bar Association, July 2013
- Co-Chairperson, Davis-Dunnings Bar Association Mentorship Committee, 2013
Awards and Recognitions
- Top of the Town Finalist, Lansing City Pulse, 2022
- Inaugural Guest of Honor Award, Black Law Student Association, 23rd Annual Charles H Houston Black Tie Gala, 2019
- The President's Award, Davis-Dunnings Bar Association, 2018
- Certificate of Appreciation for Being a Community Support Provider, MasterCard Foundation Scholars Program at Michigan State University, 2017
- Super Lawyer, 2016 - 2022
- Up and Coming Lawyers, Michigan Lawyers Weekly, 2015
- Regeana Myrick Outstanding Young Lawyer, State Bar of Michigan, Young Lawyer’s Section, 2015
- Top 5 Under 35, Ingham County Bar Association Young Lawyers Section, 2015
- Rising Star Award, Davis-Dunnings Bar Association, 2015
Presentations
- Instructor, Michigan Indigent Defense Commission's Comprehensive Trial Skills Course, June 2024
- Instructor, Michigan Indigent Defense Commission's Trial Skills Simulation Program, May 2024
- Guest Speaker, Career Exploration, Western Michigan University Cooley Law School, January 2024
- Panelist, American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division, December 2023
- Interview on Fox 47 News on Wrongful Identification, August 2023
- Guest Speaker, "Face of Justice" Program, Michigan Supreme Court Learning Center , July 2023
- Trial and Tribulations, Thomas M. Cooley Law School’s Criminal Law Society, March 2023
- Guest Speaker, Ingham County Bar Association Family Law Section Lunch and Learn Session, February 2023
- Guest Lecturer, Transition to Practice, Western Michigan University Cooley Law School, February 2023
- Instructor, Michigan Indigent Defense Commission’s Trial Skills Simulation Program, November 2022
- Moving Through the Motions, Ingham County Bar Association Criminal Defense Section, October 2022
- Guest Lecturer, Transition to Practice, Western Michigan University Cooley Law School, October 2022
- Professionalism in Action, Western Michigan University Cooley Law School, August 2022
- Criminal Law Basics, Board of Law Examiners and the Institute of Continuing Legal Education, August 2022
- "Specialty Courts: What's So Special?" Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan Summer Conference, July 2022
- Panelist, "Criminal Law 101," State Bar of Michigan's Young Lawyers Section and Criminal Law Council
- Michigan Radio, "180 Day Rule," Guide to Understanding Due Process Rights in Wayne County Jails
- Recent Developments in Criminal Law, Upper Michigan Legal Institute - State Bar of Michigan and the Institute for Continuing Legal Education, June 2022
- Guest Lecturer, Transition to Practice, Western Michigan University Cooley Law School, June 2022
- Killer Motions, Wayne County Criminal Advocacy Program, December 2021
- Professionalism in Action, Western Michigan University Cooley Law School, September 2021
- Michigan Joint Task Force on Jail and Pretrial Incarceration: The Nuts and Bolts of What You Need to Know, Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan Summer Conference, July 2021
- What's Your Honest Assessment, Ingham County Bar Association Criminal Defense Section, June 2021
- How to Grow New Programs, Michigan Indigent Defense Commission Leadership Conference, April 2021
- Criminal Law Legislative Update, Studio Seminar Series, Institute for Continuing Legal Education, March 2021
- Guest Speaker, Careers in Court Series, Michigan Supreme Court Learning Center, March 2021
- Guest Speaker, Know Your Rights, The Turning Point of Lansing, March 2021
- Guest Speaker, Community Conversation Series, Western Michigan University Cooley Law School, February 2021
- Inequities in Medicine, Michigan State University Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department, February 2021
- Know Your Rights, Michigan State University Black Undergraduate Law Association, February 2021
- Guest Speaker, Know Your Rights, The Turning Point of Lansing, February 2021
- Guest Speaker, Martin Luther King Jr. Day Luncheon Address, Ingham County Bar Foundation, January 2021
- Guest Lecturer, Transition to Practice, Western Michigan University Cooley Law School, October 2020
- Defending CSC Cases, Ingham County Bar Association Criminal Defense Section, July 2020
- Guest Lecturer, Transition to Practice, Western Michigan University Cooley Law School, June 2020
- Michigan Law Update: You Can't Win if You Don’t Know the Law, Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan Fall Conference, November 2019
- Going Through the Motions, Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan Fall Conference, November 2019
- Guest Lecturer, Transition to Practice, Western Michigan University Cooley Law School, October 2019
- Panelist, Truman Lecture Series 2019: Pretrial Detention Issues and Solutions, October 2019
- Presenter, People’s Law School, Close Encounters of the 4th Kind, September 2019
- Presenter, Thomas M. Cooley Law School, Orientation, September 2019
- Faculty, Michigan Indigent Defense Commission Trial Skills Training Program, 2019 - 2021
- Presenter and Conference Planner, CDAM Summer Conference, Anatomy of a Motion, July 2019
- Presenter, Upper Michigan Legal Institute, Criminal Law Case Update, June 2019
- The Anatomy of an Exoneration, Legal Assistant Association of Macomb Community College, April 2019
- Know Your Rights, Michigan State University Chapter of the Black Law Students Association, November 2018
- Michigan Law Update, Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan Fall Conference, November 2018
- Nuts and Bolts of Eyewitness Identification, Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan Autumn Conference, November 2017
- Nuts and Bolts of Eyewitness Identification, Wayne County Criminal Advocacy Program, September 2016
- Nuts and Bolts of Eyewitness Identification, Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan Summer Conference, July 2016
- Featured Speaker, Medical Marijuana Law Update and Criminal Defense Practice, Michigan Judicial Institute’s Judicial Symposium, April 2016
- Calculation and Application of the Michigan Sentencing Guidelines, Ingham County Bar Association, March 2016
- Fourth Amendment Searches and Seizures, People’s Law School, October 2015
- The Intersection Between Criminal Law and Immigration Law, Michigan Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, March 2014
- Guest Lecturer, Criminal Law Class, Baker College, November 2013
Publications and Media
- Expungements: Setting Aside the Confusion, Michigan Bar Journal, December 2023
- Guest on Once Upon a Boot Podcast, October 2020
- Seeds of Change, Tribute to Judge Damon Keith, Detroit Legal News, June 2019
- Representative Sarah Anthony Brings a "Fresh Perspective" to the Michigan Legislature, Ingham County Bar Association Briefs, February 2019
- Nyamfukudza: True justice is protected by diversity in justice system, Lansing State Journal, February 2019
- Situation Report: The Ingham County Veterans Treatment Court, Ingham County Bar Association Briefs, November 2018
- Guest to discuss The Tomasik Exoneration, State Bar of Michigan’s On Balance Podcast, Legal Talk Network, January 2018
- Veterans Treatment Courts, Ingham County Bar Association Briefs, September 2014 and October 2014
- Immigration Consequences of Criminal Convictions, Ingham County Bar Association Briefs, November 2013
Military Service
Honorable Discharge from United States Army after 12 years of service; 6 as an enlisted infantryman, 6 as a commissioned officer, and two deployments.
Legal Education
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration/International Association of Chiefs of Police Standardized Field Sobriety Testing Practitioner Course Certification, January 2016
Thomas M. Cooley Law School
Indiana University Purdue University
- Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice, May 2010