Best Lawyers in Michigan, United States for Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs
Practice Area Overview
To meet the legal definitions of malpractice, the poor care must be more than a mere mistake by a doctor or more than a health care provider’s simply “being human.” Malpractice occurs when the care or treatment falls below accepted community standards. Such substandard care is commonly referred to as “negligent” care.
Although medical malpractice most commonly is associated with inattention or carelessness on the part of doctors and other health care professionals, the term also includes reckless or intentional misconduct, ranging from discharging a patient prematurely for financial reasons to performing surgery for which the patient has not consented to sexual assault on unconscious patients.
If the victims of such conduct or inaction are able to prove that the provider’s wrongdoing caused their injuries, they will be entitled to a money award to compensate them for what they have lost as a result. Many attorneys will accept such cases on a “contingency fee basis,” that is, taking fees only out of the money they win for you.
This area of law is complex and difficult for injured patients because of numerous technical advantages held by the providers (and their insurance companies). It is therefore particularly important in medical malpractice cases to find an excellent attorney to represent you. It is also important to do so promptly because there are severe (and often arbitrary) time limits on when you may bring your case (“you snooze, you lose”).
There are many questions you should ask when selecting a medical malpractice attorney. Have they handled cases like yours in the past? Do they have a medical background or other medical resources to enable them to compete effectively against the vast resources possessed by the other side? How are they rated by their colleagues and peer organizations? What honors, awards, or other objective ratings of success have they received? Superior qualifications and successful track records are far more important to the outcome of your case than are flashy advertisements.
Injury & Malpractice Legal Guide 2025
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Daniel L. Buckfire earned his undergraduate degree in accounting from the University of Michigan Business School in 1989.Mr. Buckfire was Phi Beta Kappa and graduated in the top 10% of his class. He graduated cum laude from the prestigious University of Michigan Law School in 1991 and has been engaged in the private practice of law since his successful completion of the bar exam. Daniel L. Buckfire specializes in Michigan car accident cases, no-fault insurance claims, dram shop liability, and...
Lawrence (Larry) J. Buckfire is the managing partner and lead trial attorney at Buckfire & Buckfire, P.C. The Michigan personal injury law firm has six attorneys who specialize in serious injury, accident, and medical malpractice cases. The firm represents clients throughout the State of Michigan, and has offices in both Southfield and Ann Arbor. Lawrence earned his undergraduate degree in economics from the University of Michigan in 1986 and his juris doctor degree from Wayne State Unive...
A third-generation plaintiff attorney, Kimberly Steinberg Goodman has provided injured persons incomparable assistance since her admission to the State Bar of Michigan. From the initial interview through the appellate process, Kimberly devotes the utmost care and attention to every case in order to get the most favorable result for her clients. Kimberly earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in History of Art from the University of Michigan in 1992 and entered the workforce for several years befo...
Robert Lantzy is a graduate of the Central Michigan University and graduated cum laude from the Detroit College of Law at Michigan State University in 1997. Robert is an experienced trial attorney and concentrates his practice in many areas of civil litigation, including truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, motor vehicle accidents, dog attacks, lead paint exposure and child lead poisoning, mold exposure and cases involving other general environmental contamination. He is a member of the Ame...
Before joining the team at ABC Law Centers (Reiter & Walsh, P.C.) in 2018, Anne spent over 30 years representing healthcare institutions and professionals in medical malpractice cases. Anne is now a partner at ABC Law Centers and utilizes her mastery of complex medical-legal matters, a deep understanding of health care entities, and an exhaustive defense background. “I always had a lot of empathy for the patients,” says Anne, “and when the opportunity came to join Jesse ...
Jesse Reiter has focused on birth injury cases since the inception of his legal career in 1987. Reiter is admitted to practice in Michigan, Washington, D.C., Ohio and the U.S. Supreme Court, and he represents children and their parents in cases involving infant brain damage, hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), cerebral palsy, and a number of other pregnancy, delivery and newborn complications. Jesse Reiter is referred to in a 2008 Michigan Lawyer's Weekly article as one of three "medical m...
Honored as one of The Best Lawyers in America by the oldest and most respected peer-review publication in the legal profession, Gerald Thurswell is a highly regarded expert in medical malpractice, birth injury, auto accident litigation and police misconduct. Mr. Thurswell has obtained numerous multi-million dollar jury verdicts and settlements for injured people in courts throughout Michigan and other states. He is a past president of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America – Metrop...
An attorney since 1991, Rebecca Walsh’s extensive legal experience includes many verdicts and settlements in excess of $1 million for personal injury and medical malpractice cases. Rebecca Walsh joined Reiter & Walsh ABC Law Centers in 2011 to focus on her skills in medical malpractice, specifically in birth trauma litigation. As a partner and senior attorney at Reiter & Walsh, her work has significantly contributed to the firm's consistent award-winning presence. Not only is Wa...
Our Methodology
Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. Our methodology is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.
The Process
Best Lawyers employs a sophisticated, conscientious, rational, and transparent survey process designed to elicit meaningful and substantive evaluations of the quality of legal services. Our belief has always been that the quality of a peer review survey is directly related to the quality of the voters.