Melissa E. Graves
Melissa E. Graves
248-351-5448
Summary
Melissa Graves is a partner at Collins Einhorn Farrell PC and has devoted her entire career of almost two decades to civil defense litigation. Her practice focuses on the defense of professional liability, general liability, and automobile/trucking claims. Over the years, Melissa has successfully defended a wide range of professionals, including attorneys, judges, accountants, real estate agents, insurance agents, architects, and health care professionals. Melissa’s automobile defense practice includes high-exposure third-party bodily injury claims arising out of auto and trucking accidents. She is also regularly consulted by clients regarding auto-defense related issues and assists in providing a rapid response to Michigan trucking accidents. Melissa’s experience includes representing clients from the pre-suit phase through trial as well as during facilitation/mediation, and she has trial experience in circuit court, probate court, and before the Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission.
Practice Areas
General and Automotive Liability
Medical Malpractice
Grievance Defense
Trucking and Transportation Liability
Judicial Disciplinary Matters
Credentials
Education
- Wayne State University Law School (J.D. cum laude, 2002)
- Wayne State University (B.S. magna cum laude, 1999)
Admissions
- State Bar of Michigan
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan
- U.S. District Court, Western District of Michigan
Professional Activities
- State Bar of Michigan – Representative Assembly Member
- Defense Research Institute (DRI)
- Oakland County Bar Foundation (Fellow)
- Oakland County Bar Association
- Oakland | Women’s Bar Association
- Past President (2013-2014)
Accomplishments
- Best Lawyers of America®
- Professional Malpractice Law – Defendants (2018-2023)
- Super Lawyers™
- Professional Liability – Defendants (2013-2022)
- Top 25 Women Business Michigan (2016-2018)
- Top 50 Women Michigan (2016-2019)
- Top 50 Michigan Business (2017)
- Top 100 Michigan (2017)
- Rising Star (2010, 2012)
- DBusiness® Top Lawyer
- Legal Malpractice Law (2012, 2016-2018)
- Professional Malpractice Law (2020, 2022, 2023)
- Women Leaders in the Law, Michigan Lawyers Weekly (2016)
- Recipient of the Boaz Siegel Award for Outstanding Performance in the Fields of Pension, Health and Welfare, Employment or Labor Law
- Served as Member of the National Moot Court Team
Prominent Outcomes
Obtained a no-cause verdict for an attorney client after a 20-day bench trial in a probate court case involving a $4.2 million estate, and then followed up on the trial victory by obtaining an $800,000 case evaluation sanction award.
Won summary disposition of accounting malpractice claim due to plaintiff’s failure to establish that the accountant’s actions caused her claimed damages, with the dismissal being affirmed on appeal due to an additional ground of plaintiff’s lack of an expert witness. Copeland v. Accountant (2021 WL 137256)
Won summary disposition of premises liability claim against a restaurant due to plaintiff’s failure to establish that the restaurant did anything to cause a speaker to fall on her at a private party, with the court rejecting plaintiff’s attempt to add a claim of res ipsa loquitur. Salmo v. Restaurant (2020 WL 862619)
Won summary disposition of legal malpractice claim based on argument that plaintiff couldn’t prove his case-within-a-case because it was his own dire financial condition rather than the underlying attorney’s alleged negligence in failing to advise him of a potential easement conflict which caused him to lose his property. Miller v. Attorney (2016 WL 8094520)
Won summary disposition in a contentious multi-million dollar legal malpractice claim in which the opposing parties tried to inject entirely new theories into the case after extensive discovery, including over 30 days of deposition testimony from key witnesses. Osprey SA LTD v. Lawyer (2015 WL 8540970)
Publications & Speaking Engagements
Presenter, “CAUTION – Avoiding and Navigating Legal Malpractice Claims and Grievances”, Oakland County Bar Association
Social Media and Word-of-Mouse Discovery Tips 4 Litig8tors, DRI Riding the E&O Line, Vol. 3 Issue 1 (March 15, 2011)
In Supervising Other Health Care Providers, The Duties and Liabilities are Many, Michigan Medical Law Report, Vol. 7, No. 3 (Fall 2011)
Voodoo Economics? Loss of Parental Training and Guidance: The New Battleground in Medical Malpractice Damages, Michigan Defense Quarterly, Vol. 27, No. 1 (July 2010)
Presented to a prominent certified public accounting firm in a seminar entitled “Emerging Ethics & Cyber Risks” (May 2018)
Melissa regularly lectures on professional matters as a part of CPE accreditation, covering topics such as risk management and ethics techniques to avoid ethical lapses, privacy and data security issues, and client confidentiality ethics.
News & Insights
Collins Einhorn Farrell PC is pleased to announce that 27 lawyers have been included in the 2023 editions of The Best Lawyers in America, including four receiving “Lawyer of the Year” distinction. Eleven of the 27 lawyers have been included in the Ones to Watch edition, which recognizes attorneys who are early in their careers…
Collins Einhorn Farrell PC is pleased to announce that 22 of our firm’s lawyers have been included in the 2022 editions of Super Lawyers. Four of the 22 recognized lawyers have been included in the Rising Stars edition, which recognizes attorneys who are early in their careers for their outstanding professional excellence in private practice….
Collins Einhorn Farrell PC is pleased to announce that twelve attorneys have been named to the 2022 “Top Lawyers” list by DBusiness magazine: David C. Anderson Legal Malpractice Law Professional Malpractice Law Joshua I. Arnkoff Legal Malpractice Law Theresa M. Asoklis Legal Malpractice Law Professional Malpractice Law Donald D. Campbell Legal Malpractice Law Professional Malpractice…
Collins Einhorn Farrell PC is pleased to announce that 28 lawyers have been included in the 2022 editions of The Best Lawyers in America, including four receiving “Lawyer of the Year” distinction. Eleven of the 28 lawyers have been included in the Ones to Watch edition, which recognizes attorneys who are early in their careers…
By Melissa E. Graves and Benjamin D. Wu A request for the file—whether from your client, your client’s agent, or your client’s new lawyer—will probably put you on high alert. Sure, the request could be harmless curiosity. But the request could also be a red flag—a tip-off that a malpractice suit is on the…
There’s no shortage of decisions addressing the requirement of expert testimony in legal and medical-malpractice cases. But decisions addressing the requirement of expert testimony in accounting-malpractice cases are few and far between, as we noted in a couple previous posts (which can be accessed here and here). CEF attorneys hope to change that and recently made some…
There’s no shortage of decisions addressing the requirement of expert testimony in legal and medical-malpractice cases. But decisions addressing the requirement of expert testimony in accounting-malpractice cases are few and far between, as we noted in a couple previous posts (which can be accessed here and here). CEF attorneys hope to change that and recently…
Collins Einhorn Farrell PC is pleased to announce that sixteen attorneys have been named to the 2021 “Top Lawyers” list by DBusiness magazine: David C. Anderson Legal Malpractice Law Professional Malpractice Law Product Liability Joshua I. Arnkoff Legal Malpractice Law Professional Malpractice Law Theresa M. Asoklis Legal Malpractice Law Professional Malpractice Law Donald D. Campbell…
Collins Einhorn Farrell PC is pleased to announce that 19 lawyers have been included in the 2021 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America, including 5 receiving “Lawyer of the Year” distinction. Four additional lawyers have also been included in the “Ones to Watch” edition, which recognizes associates and other lawyers who are earlier in…
With the world adjusting to the impact of COVID-19, many accountants have already found themselves, or will soon find themselves, hearing from current or past clients who want advice about the impact of COVID-19. Issues related to the CARES Act, the Paycheck Protection Program, or general accounting and tax advice arising out of economic pressures…
Collins Einhorn attorneys recently prevailed on behalf of client, a Detroit restaurant, who was the defendant in a premises liability case. Plaintiff was attending a private party at the restaurant when a speaker fell and struck plaintiff. In the trial court, attorneys Melissa E. Graves and Jeffrey R. Hicks argued that plaintiff’s premises-liability claim failed since there was no…
Late last year, the Court of Appeals issued a published decision in Broz v Plante & Moran, PLLC, which provided some much-needed clarity regarding the applicable standards for accountant-malpractice claims. (See our post about Broz here.) But that clarity was short-lived, as the Supreme Court recently issued an order vacating part of the decision. At…
Accountants, like other licensed professionals, can be sued for malpractice. But cases involving accounting malpractice are few and far between. Until recently, there’s been scarce guidance from Michigan appellate courts about the applicable standards for accountant-malpractice claims. The Court of Appeals recently issued a published decision in which it provided some much-needed guidance regarding accountant-malpractice…
We are proud to announce that 22 attorneys have been named to either the 2021 Super Lawyers list, or the 2021 Super Lawyers Rising Stars list. Congratulations! Super Lawyers, a Thomson Reuters business, is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition…
Collins Einhorn Farrell PC is proud to announce that 15 of its attorneys have been named to the 2020 Michigan Super Lawyers list, and an additional 8 attorneys were named to the 2020 Michigan Rising Stars list. Additionally, Melissa Graves was named to the Top 50: 2020 Women Michigan Super Lawyers list. Super Lawyers, a…
We are pleased to announce that our colleague Melissa E. Graves has been named a 2016 Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s “Women in the Law.” The selection criteria included commitment to excellence in the practice of law, inspiring and accomplished leadership in the profession, mentoring and significant contributions of time and effort to volunteer and pro bono activities. Graves is one of 30 distinguished lawyers who were chosen to receive this prestigious award.
Two Collins Einhorn attorneys will be assuming leadership roles in major bar associations this week. Kevin Moloughney will be installed as the president of the Association of Defense Trial Counsel on Tuesday, May 7, 2013. Kevin practices in the areas of general and automobile liability, insurance coverage, construction defect liability, and premises liability. Melissa Graves…
Collins Einhorn attorney, Melissa E. Graves, is the president-elect of the Women’s Bar Association (Oakland County Region of the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan).
CEFU Lawyers, Richard Joslin and Melissa Graves, co-authored an article in the Vol 7, No. 3, Fall 2011 issue of Michigan Medical Law Report. In the artice entitled “In Supervising other health care providers, the duties and liabilities are many,” Joslin and Graves explain that Michigan law requires that many non-physician health care provides be…
The March 15, 2011 edition of DRI Riding the E O Line, Vol 3 Issue 1, featured an article written by CEFU attorneys David C. Anderson and Melissa E. Graves. The article focused on the use of social networking sites, such as Facebook, in discovery.
CEFU Attorney, Melissa Graves, will serve as the Treasurer for the Women’s Bar Association (Oakland County Region of Women Lawyers) for 2011. Melissa will be sworn in at the organization’s annual dinner in May, 2011.