Keefe Brooks is a celebrated trial attorney who concentrates his practice in business and commercial litigation and professional responsibility matters. A Fellow of the prestigious American College of Trial Lawyers, his diverse experience includes: commercial contract matters, director and officer liability, business tort litigation, insurance coverage disputes, securities litigation, professional liability defense, and financial institution matters. He has also served as an expert witness, mediator and arbitrator in his fields of expertise. In both 2011 and 2012, he was selected by his peers in Michigan Super Lawyers as one of the top 10 attorneys in Michigan.
Mr. Brooks has tried several high-stakes, high-profile cases in state and federal courts, in Michigan and in various jurisdictions around the country. Some highlights of his trial practice include:
- Successfully defended hospital system in $280M six-week jury trial case
- Successfully defended software development firm in $14M jury trial case
- Successfully defended health care insurer in $25M seven-week jury trial case
- Successfully tried a breach of contract claim against an international shipper, obtaining judgment in excess of 4M. Read full article
- Successfully defended officers and directors in cases following failure of financial institutions
- Recovered multi-million dollar settlement for vendor against national retailer
- Successfully defended multiple law firms in legal malpractice cases
- Represented several insured parties in coverage cases against their insurers, resulting in millions of dollars in recoveries
- Successfully represented owner in multi-party construction litigation against general contractor, resulting in multi-million dollar settlement for owner
- Successfully defended class action against local law school in four-week bench trial
Mr. Brooks is admitted to practice in all Michigan Courts, the Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan, the Northern District of Illinois, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court. Prior to Mr. Brooks becoming a founding member of Brooks Wilkins Sharkey & Turco, he was a shareholder at Butzel Long in Detroit where he served five two-year terms on the Board of Directors and three two-year terms on the Executive/Compensation Committee.
Education
- The University of Michigan School of Law (J.D. magna cum laude, Order of the Coif, 1980)
- The University of Michigan (B.A. with high distinction, 1977)
Professional Associations
- Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers
- "Top 10 Michigan Lawyer," Michigan Super Lawyers, 2011 and 2012
- Named “Detroit Area Ethics and Professional Responsibility Lawyer of the Year,” Best Lawyers in America.
- Best Lawyers in America-listed “Bet the Company Litigation”, “Commercial Litigation” and "Ethics and Professional Responsibility Law"
- Fellow, International Society of Barristers
- “Leading Lawyer for Business Litigation”, Chambers USA
- Elected Member, Oakland County Bar Association Board of Directors, 2011 to present
- Co-chair of 2013 Oakland County Circuit Court Bench/Bar Conference
- Master of the Bench, Oakland County Bar Association Inns of Court Program
- Diversity Champion Honor Roll, Birmingham/Bloomfield Race and Ethnic Diversity Task Force
- Member, State Bar of Michigan
- Former Chair, State Bar Committee on Professional and Judicial Ethics
- Hearing Officer for Attorney Discipline Board, 1998 to present
- Fellow, Michigan State Bar Foundation
- Life Fellow and Trustee, Oakland County Bar Foundation
- Member, Oakland County Bar Association
- Member, Association of Defense Trial Counsel
- Member, American Bar Association
- Member, Federal Bar Association
- Member, Detroit Bar Association
Speaking Engagements/Authored Works:
- Mr. Brooks is a frequently requested speaker and has coauthored a number of professional publications, including “Michigan Civil Procedure Before Trial”, published and distributed by Thomson-West.
