Matthew W. Schlegel

Mr. Schlegel is a trial lawyer specializing in civil litigation.  He has substantial experience in both state and federal court, with an emphasis on contract and business tort disputes.  He has represented businesses, municipalities and individuals in resolving a broad range of civil disputes, including commercial, employment, construction, real estate, franchise, securities, and personal injury claims.  Mr. Schlegel also is active in attempts to resolve disputes outside of court through alternative dispute resolution methodologies and serves as an arbitrator, facilitative mediator and case evaluator through various courts and organizations.

Mr. Schlegel holds the highest AV© Peer Review Rating from Martindale-Hubbell for ethics and legal ability.  He was honored with recognition in the Michigan 2009 edition of Super Lawyers magazine in the area of Civil Litigation Defense, in  the Top Lawyers in Metro Detroit 2010 edition of dbusiness magazine in the area of Litigation, and again in the Corporate Counsel 2010 edition of Super Lawyers magazine in the area of Alternative Dispute Resolution.  Mr. Schlegel currently serves as a Master in the Oakland County Bar Association’s Inns of Court program.

Areas of Practice:

• Alternative Dispute Resolution
• Business and Commercial Litigation
• Employment and Labor Law
• Insurance Defense
• Litigation, including:
  -Personal Injury Defense
  -Asbestos / Mass Tort Defense
  -Wrongful Termination

Bar Admissions:

• Michigan, 1984
• U.S. Court of Appeals 6th Circuit, 1986
• U.S. District Court Eastern District of Michigan, 1984
• U.S. District Court Western District of Michigan, 1995
• U.S. District Court Central District of Illinois, 1995
• U.S. Court of Appeals 4th Circuit, 2003

Education:

• Wayne State University Law School, Detroit, Michigan, 1984
  Honors: Cum Laude
• St. Lawrence University, 1976
  B.A.
  Honors: English Honors

Published Works:

• Mediation:  When, Not If, Laches, May, 2009
• Colorado River Doctrine, Laches, April, 1996
• Co-author, Litigating Tortious Interference Claims, The Brief, Summer, 1988
• Co-author, Strategies for Litigating Tortious Interference Claims in Employer/Employee Context, Laches, August, 1988

Representative Cases:

• Trak Auto Corp. v. West Town Center, 367 F.2nd 237 (4th Cir. 2004)
• Farmington Casualty Co. v. Cyberlogic Technologies, Inc., 996 F.Supp. 695 (E.D. Mich. 1998)
• Advance Watch Co. Ltd. v. Kemper National Life Ins. Co., 878 F.Supp. 1034 (E.D. Mich. 1995)
• Barber v. SMH (US), Inc., 202 Mich. App. 366 ( 1993)
• Admiral Merchants Motor Freight, Inc. v. Mich. Dept. of Labor, 149 Mich. App. 344 ( 1986)

Professional Associations and Memberships:

• The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA)
  -Arbitrator
• American Arbitration Association
  -Arbitrator and Mediator
• Oakland County Circuit Court
  -Case Evaluator and Mediator
• Wayne County Circuit Court
  -Case Evaluator
• American Bar Association
• State Bar of Michigan
• Defense Research Institute
• Michigan Defense Trial Counsel, Inc.
• Oakland County Bar Association
  -Federal Court Committee, 1990-1992 (Chairman)
  -Inns of Court (Master)
• Professional Resolution Experts of Michigan LLC (“PREMi”)