Our attorneys thank you. We could not have done this without our clients
Here’s our annual update of what’s been happening at our law firm and some of the accomplishments our attorneys had in 2016 protecting people and pushing back against insurance company abuses, whether it be cutting off No Fault PIP benefits to people who are seriously injured in automobile accidents or refusing to pay the full measure of a person’s harms and losses after a crash.
Most of all, we could not have done this without you, our clients. As a law firm, we’ve chosen a different path. Our attorneys made the decision to avoid television lawyer commercials, billboards and bus advertisements so we can keep our caseloads lower and have excellent service and communication with our clients. We believe this commitment is then reflected in the settlement and verdict results we’re able to achieve for the people we are entrusted with protecting each year.
Here’s an update from 2016:
- Steven Gursten was named a “Lawyer of the Year” in Metro Detroit by Best Lawyers in America. This recognition is for one individual attorney with the highest overall peer-feedback for a specific practice area. Steven was listed in the personal injury litigation section for Metro Detroit. Steven has also been named a Michigan Lawyers Weekly “Lawyer of the Year.”
- Steven recovered a record trucking settlement for an out-of-state case that has received national media attention.
- In 2016, Steven served as President of the Motor Vehicle Trial Lawyers Association, as Parliamentarian for the Melvin M. Belli Society and on the Board of Regents for the Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys, representing the state of Michigan. He’s also the incoming President-Elect of the American Association for Justice Traumatic Brain Injury Litigation Group.
- Kevin Seiferheld and Jordan Jones recovered a $3.325 million settlement for a wrongful death case that involved a wheel dislodging from a commercial vehicle while on the highway. Kevin also recently obtained a $1 million settlement for a case involving a distracted driver who lost control of her car, crossed the highway median and crashed head-on into his unsuspecting client and a $2 million settlement for a 70-year-old woman with a badly broken leg that settled on the day of trial.
- Leonard Koltonow and Jeffrey Feldman received a $2 million settlement on behalf of a car accident victim who was rear-ended and sustained back and head injuries in Bay County.
- Robert Raitt and Alison Duffy’s $4.6 million jury verdict for an accident victim with a brain injury was listed as the highest brain injury verdict in the state, according to Michigan Lawyers Weekly.
- Attorney at Law Magazine has called our law firm’s settlements and verdicts a “remarkable record (that) eclipses every other law firm in Michigan.” That’s a nice compliment for our lawyers, but I like to think that it’s a truer reflection of the commitment and communication we provide to our clients.
- Speaking of our commitment to client service and communication, Michigan Auto Law has received the “Client’s Choice” award from Avvo for extraordinary client service.
- All four Michigan Auto Law partners – Steven and Lawrence Gursten, Leonard Koltonow and Robert Raitt – are also listed by Avvo with “Superb” 10/10 legal ratings, the highest ratings possible for any attorney to achieve.
- Five of our auto accident attorneys are now listed in Best Lawyers in America, an honor limited to the top 2.4% of all attorneys in the nation.
- 11 of our attorneys are Michigan Super Lawyers, a distinction limited to the top 5% of all Michigan lawyers. We’re proud to say we have more lawyers who have been awarded Super Lawyer designations than any other personal injury law firm in Michigan.
- Robert Raitt, a Michigan Association for Justice past-President, is an Executive Board member of the Negligence Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan.
- 2016 was a busy year, with our attorneys speaking at many legal seminars and conferences throughout the U.S. (See below for a full list of legal seminars).
At Michigan Auto Law, we take great pride in protecting people who’ve been seriously injured in car, truck and motorcycle accidents. We wish everyone Happy Holidays.
Our 2016 Legal Seminars
- Speaker, “Keys to an 8-Figure Trucking Settlement or Trial Verdict,” American Association for Justice, national Webinar; December 2016
- Speaker, “Cutting Edge Law Firms and Cutting Edge Results,” TAOS Injury Lawyers; Sedona, AZ; October 2016
- Speaker, “Demo: Closing Argument – Asking for the Money,” Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys Annual Symposium; Nashville, TN; September 2016
- Speaker, “Protecting your TBI Client from Defense Tactics,” Tennessee Association for Justice Music City Symposium; Nashville, TN; September 2016
- Speaker, “On-Demand Basics of No Fault,” ICLE, national Webinar; September 2016
- Speaker, “Better Settlements for Truck Accident Cases,” American Association for Justice 2016 Annual Convention; Los Angeles, CA; July 2016
- Speaker, “Truck accident litigation for the car crash lawyer,” American Association for Justice 2016 Annual Convention; Los Angeles, CA; July 2016
- Speaker, “Legal Blogging for Business: Ethical and Compassionate Blogging by Real Lawyers,” Injury Board; Clearwater, FL; June 2016
- Speaker, “How to Protect an Auto Accident Victim from an IME,” Brain Injury Association of Michigan Annual Legal Conference; Plymouth, MI; June 2016
- Speaker, “Getting a Great Plaintiff’s Verdict,” Michigan Association for Justice 71st Annual Seminar; Detroit, MI; April 2016
- Speaker, “Bulletproofing the TBI Plaintiff from Defense Attacks,” 13th Annual Conference, North American Brain Injury Society (NABIS); Tampa Bay, FL; April 2016
- Moderator, Speaker, “Settlement and Negotiation Strategies in Auto Accident Cases,” Auto Crash Litigation 3.1 Conference, 360 Advocacy; Las Vegas, NV; April 2016
- Speaker, “Making Small Auto Accident Cases into Big Auto Accident Cases,” American Association for Justice Jazz Fest; New Orleans, LA; April 2016
- Speaker, “Securing MI PIP Benefits for the Catastrophically Injured,” ICLE Annual No Fault Summit; Plymouth, MI; April 2016
- Speaker, “Proving Damages in Motor Vehicle Cases,” American Association for Justice, national Webinar; March 2016
- Moderator, “No Fault Panel Discussion,” Michigan Association of Defense Trial Counsel; Southfield, MI; March 2016
- Moderator, “Auto No Fault Legislation Symposium,” Negligence Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan; Detroit, MI, March 2016
