Erie Civil Rights Lawyers

Co-Counsel on the largest police misconduct verdict in Michigan history and the largest verdict in Michigan this year! On November 3, 2016, a jury in the United States District Court in the Eastern District of Michigan returned a $36,600,000 against Genesee County Deputies for using excessive force against a man arrested for drunken driving. Click the link below for details. This is one of many seven figure verdicts and settlements that I have obtained for my clients in civil rights and personal injury cases. http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2016/11/06/jury-awards-36m-verdict-genesee-county-police-brutality-case/93287248/ In addition to civil...

Joseph Dedvukaj Founding Attorney – The Joseph Dedvukaj Firm, P.C. Bloomfield Hills, Michigan | Serving Injury Victims Statewide Website: www.1866HIREJOE.com | Phone: 866-HIRE-JOE For over 30 years, I’ve dedicated my legal career to helping injury victims and families devastated by serious car, truck, and motorcycle accidents across Michigan. As the founder of The Joseph Dedvukaj Firm, P.C., I’ve built a reputation as a fierce, client-first trial lawyer—recovering hundreds of millions of dollars for people harmed by negligence, reckless driving, and corporate wrongdoing. Whether you’re dealing with a catastrophic freeway crash, wrongful death, insurance denial, or commercial truck accident, my team and I prepare...

Highly acclaimed and award-winning Attorney Muneeb M. Ahmad offers 15 years of diverse career experience representing individual clients and businesses in immigration, active litigation and transaction law. He serves as Managing Partner with Detroit, Michigan-based Just Right Law, specializing in numerous disciplines, including immigration, contracts, employment, real estate, business and insurance law representing both plaintiffs and defendants, from the process of intake through trial and resolution. Adding to his comprehensive experience in the field, Ahmad has a long-enduring relationship with Hussain Akbar, his partner at the firm. The pair previously collaborated as associates at a local firm where Ahmad specialized in immigration...

Attorney Michael “Micky” Smith earned his Juris Doctor cum laude from the University of Toledo College of Law, where he was recognized for academic excellence and named to the Dean’s List. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from the University of Toledo. Michael is a dedicated personal injury attorney who passionately advocates for individuals injured due to the negligence of others. Licensed to practice in both Michigan and Ohio, he provides skilled legal representation in a wide range of personal injury cases, including but not limited to automobile negligence, slip and fall incidents, dog bites, premises liability, and...

James T. Haadsma has practiced with the McCroskey Law since August, 1987. He specializes in representing injured workers in workers’ disability compensation disputes before the Michigan Workers’ Compensation Agency, and in representing injured workers before the Social Security Administration’s Office of Disability Adjudication and Review. Mr. Haadsma also occasionally represents a partially disabled employee in controversies with employers under the Americans with Disabilities Act/Michigan Persons with Disabilities Civil Rights Act. He represents clients from Washtenaw to Berrien Counties, but predominantly in Calhoun County.

Before joining the McCroskey firm in August, 1987, Mr. Haadsma practiced with the Muskegon office of Legal Aid...

Growing up in Genesee County during the 1980's and 1990's really shaped my desire to work for the middle class and blue color sections of society for it was these sections that I most frequently saw receiving unfair treatment. As far back as a Freshman in high school, I remember being forced to play on substantially inferior softball fields, with uniforms that were riddled with holes, while the male students had new uniforms, pristine fields and the most up to date equipment. This unfair and illegal disparity in treatment between the genders has carried on into my adult...

Sam Morgan's practice focuses on advising and representing non-union employees in employment-related legal disputes. The vast majority of his work involves litigation, including lawsuits alleging wrongful termination, all forms of illegal employment discrimination (especially age, race, gender and disability discrimination), sexual harassment, "Whistleblowers" and other unlawful retaliation, breach of employment contract (retention agreements, bonuses, commissions) non-payment of wages and overtime pay, non-competition and non-solicitation agreements, disputes over the misappropriation, use and/or disclosure of proprietary information and/or trade secrets. Sam has particular expertise in executive compensation disputes, and disputes involving minority equity owners and shareholder oppression, as well as public...

As The Marcel Benavides Law Office’s founder, Birmingham Attorney Marcel Benavides advocates for the criminally accused and persons whose civil rights were violated. He has been practicing law since 1999. Prior to opening his practice in Michigan, he was the Chicago Police Department’s in-house trial counsel. Mr. Benavides attended The University of Michigan and received his law degree from the John Marshall Law School in Chicago, Illinois. He is one of the premier criminal defense attorneys in the area and one of the most successful civil rights litigators in Federal Court.To receive more information, please contact his firm today and...

Handling employment and civil rights cases under (1) the Family & Medical Leave Act; (2) Title VII of the Civil Rights Act involving race discrimination, sex discrimination, sexual harassment, religious discrimination, pregnancy discrimination, etc. (3) the Age Discrimination in Employment Act; (4) the Michigan Whistleblower Protection Act; (5) the Fair Labor Standards Act; (6) Americans with Disabilities Act; (7) USERRA actions on behalf of the men and women of the U.S. military (active and reserves); (8) worker's compensation retaliation claims; and (9) much more.

Pratheep Sevanthinathan is the award-winning founder of the Seva Law Firm. He has been practicing an insurance litigation attorney for the past several decades - first as an an insurance defense attorney and later as a plaintiff's attorney. Mr. Sevanthinathan is a No-Fault insurance guru who has lectured on the topic at numerous seminars, published articles on insurance issues, and has sat on many insurance litigation committees.

Mr. Sevanthinathan is a fierce advocate for his clients who has taken many cases to trial victories. He has been recognized for his work with the following awards: SuperLawyers,...

I was a Michigan State Police Trooper for 10 years before attaining my Law Degree. I commenced my law practice working for the Law Firm that represented the Detroit Police Officer's Association. I represent corporate entities and individuals in State Courts and the United States Federal Courts.

28 years of practice in the State and Federal Courts of the United States. Several years as an associate, then partner, in a boutique defense firm in Birmingham, MI, then a sole-practitioner in Detroit, Birmingham and Royal Oak, MI. Currently involved in several high-profile matters; one wherein the claimed injured party seeks $99,000,000.00 dollars in future damages; three Racketeering Criminal cases (R.I.C.O.) involving drug/gun/violence conspiracies brought bu the United States Attorney's Office; and many other various litigated matters of criminal and civil disputes. In addition to being licensed through the States of MI and OH, admitted to practice in the...

Barbara is a veteran litigator and appellate attorney with extensive experience in state and federal courts and tribunals. She has developed a specialized civil litigation and appellate practice through twelve years of legal practice representing individuals, sole proprietors, corporations, limited liability companies, Fortune 500 companies, municipalities, hospitals, nursing homes, non-profit entities, state universities, public schools, manufacturers, insurance companies, law firms, construction companies, retail chains, restaurants, closely held corporations and professional employer organizations. Barbara appears in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, St. Clair, Bay, Ingham and Wasthenaw County trial courts, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Michigan Department of Civil Rights (MDTC)...

Keeley Blanchard is a top criminal defense attorney in Michigan. She focuses her practice in the areas of defending those wrongfully accused of criminal sexual conduct, child abuse, domestic violence, assault, child pornography, and drug crimes. Her trial experience is significant, she has an excellent reputation for being aggressive, and will out-prepare any of the prosecutors she faces in court.

Over three decades ago, Douglas E. Fierberg expanded his commercial trial practice in Washington D.C. to establish the only national legal practice focused on representing school violence victims and survivors nationwide. The work began on behalf of a high school student who survived brutal sexual assaults in Washington, D.C. by two assailants, and a college student hospitalized after being hazed at Omega Psi Phi Fraternity at the University of Maryland. From there, the practice went to Texas on behalf of 4 college students killed outside a fraternity house whose chapter president ignored a direct warning from the police the night...

Julie A. Gafkay graduated from Michigan State University in 1992 with a dual major in criminal justice and political theory. She graduated from Whittier Law School in 1995 with honors. Her first position was in Flint, Michigan focusing on civil rights and employment discrimination. In 2003, Attorney Gafkay opened her own statewide practice in Frankenmuth, Michigan. The practice's attorneys provide a general practice to the local area providing legal services in Wills, Trusts, Estate Planning, Elder Law, Business Planning, contract review, landlord/tenant issues, real estate, employment issues and other general practice areas. Attorney Gafkay has...

Anne Buckleitner puts her more than 30 years in government and law to work for clients in the areas of civil rights, employment law, criminal defense, facilitative mediation and neutral workplace investigations. She litigates in both federal and state courts. Anne is an accomplished litigator and counselor, an experienced problem solver, and a strong advocate. Through negotiation, litigation, and mediation, Anne identifies and obtains the best possible results for her clients. Anne makes good communication with her clients a priority.

Anne was born and raised in St. Joseph, Michigan. She spent the first chapter of her career working for the federal...

T.J. was born and raised in Central Michigan, where he lives with his wife and three children. He is a proud Michigander, who was raised in a blue collar family and taught from the beginning the importance of hard work and giving back to the community. T.J. is a life member of the VFW, Military Order of Purple Heart and sits on the board of directors of a local non-profit organization. Shortly after graduating high school, T.J. enlisted in the Army where he would serve for nearly 11 years, retiring as a Staff Sergeant. Some of the more notable highlights...