Trent B. Collier
Trent B. Collier
248-351-5460
Summary
Trent’s practice focuses on civil appeals, professional-liability defense, and commercial litigation. He is well-versed in bankruptcy law, and is a great resource when the firm’s clients must defend adversary proceedings in bankruptcy court. Before joining Collins Einhorn, Trent was a partner at another major Detroit-area law firm. He also served as a judicial clerk at the Michigan Supreme Court. He is a frequent author, writing on areas including appellate practice, judicial philosophy, evidentiary issues, constitutional matters, and developments in insolvency law. Trent has successfully defended clients in federal, state, and bankruptcy courts, at both the trial and appellate levels. In addition to his work at Collins Einhorn, Trent was an Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan Law School for the 2018-19 academic year.
Practice Areas
Credentials
Education
- University of Michigan Law School (J.D. 2003)
- Harvard Divinity School (M.T.S. 1999)
- Ohio Wesleyan University (B.A. with honors, 1996)
Admissions
- State Bar of Michigan
- U.S. Supreme Court
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan
- U.S. District Court, Western District of Michigan
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of Florida
Professional Activities
- State Bar of Michigan
- Professionalism and Civility Committee
Accomplishments
- Best Lawyers of America®
- Appellate Practice (2020-2022, 2024-2025)
- Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law (2022, 2024-2025)
- Super Lawyers™
- Top 100 Lawyers in MI (2023-2024)
- Appellate Law (2015-2024)
- Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law (2023)
- Rising Star (2012-2014)
- DBusiness® Top Lawyer
- Appellate Law (2017, 2020, 2022, 2025)
- Henry M. Bates Memorial Scholarship Award, University of Michigan Law School (2003)
- William R. Jentes Scholarship, University of Michigan Law School (2000-2003)
- Co-Author of “Best Brief,” University of Michigan Law School, Henry M. Campbell Moot Court Competition (2003)
- Theta Alpha Kappa (National Honor Society for Religious Studies) (1996)
- Founder’s Award for Expository Writing, Ohio Wesleyan University (1996)
- Order of the Coif
- Honorary Member of Scribes, the Society of Writers on Legal Subjects
- Phi Beta Kappa
Prominent Outcomes
Professional Liability
Deremo v. TWC & Associates, Inc., unpublished opinion per curiam of the Michigan Court of Appeals (Docket No. 305810, August 30, 2012): Obtained opinion affirming summary disposition in favor of defendant insurance agency. The court held that the agency did not breach its duties to the insured.
Johnson v. Doodson Insurance Brokerage, LLC, 793 F.3d 674 (6th Cir. 2015): Obtained an opinion affirming summary judgment in favor of defendant insurance agency. The court held that the plaintiff could not pursue a negligence or contract claim against another entity’s insurance broker.
General Liability
Bailey v. Nyloncraft, Inc., unpublished opinion of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan (Docket No. 11-14199, August 28, 2012): Obtained an opinion precluding expert testimony from the plaintiff’s damages expert. The court held that the proposed expert’s economic theories were unreliable.
Lieberman v. American Osteopathic Association, 620 Fed. Appx. 470 (6th Cir. 2015): Obtained an opinion affirming summary judgment in favor of defendant associations. The court held that the associations’ testing processes were not “arbitrary and capricious” and that their grandfathering rules did not violate common-law standards of due process.
Zarembski v Bedrock Management Services, LLC, unpublished opinion per curiam of the Michigan Court of Appeals (Docket No. 324795, March 10, 2016): Obtained opinion affirming summary disposition in favor of defendant landlord. The court held that the landlord did not have a duty to prevent criminal attack against plaintiff.
Bankruptcy
In re Chaban, unpublished opinion of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan (Docket No. 2:14-cv-14559, August 25, 2015): Obtained an opinion affirming order granting summary disposition in favor of defendant, a state-court judge. The district court held that the judge did not violate the automatic stay when she ordered sanctions against a debtor.
Micco Construction Co. v. Brunett (In re Brunett), 394 B.R. 425 (Bankr. E.D. Mich. 2008): Obtained an opinion in favor of plaintiff in an adversary proceeding. The bankruptcy court held that the debtor was precluded from challenging a state-court default judgment that the plaintiff obtained against the debtor before the debtor filed for bankruptcy.
Commercial Litigation
679637 Ontario Ltd. v. Alpine Sign and Printer Supply, Inc., 758 Fed. Appx. 485 (6th Cir. 2019): Obtained opinion affirming summary judgment in client’s favor. The court held that the plaintiff failed to provide timely notice of the alleged defect. Consequently, the plaintiff could not pursue an implied-warranty claim under Uniform Commercial Code.
Insurance Coverage
Bertram, Inc. v. Citizens Ins. Co. of Am., 657 Fed. Appx. 477 (6th Cir. 2016): Obtained opinion affirming summary judgment in client’s favor. The court held that the defendant-insurer was not required to defend the plaintiff in the underlying lawsuit. It also determined that the underlying lawsuit concerned neither disparagement nor trade-dress infringement.
Publications & Speaking Engagements
The Argument Clinic, Michigan Bar Journal (March 2020)Co-Author of Appellate Practice Report featured in each issue of Michigan Defense Quarterly (2011-present)
Co-Author of Appellate Practice Report featured in each issue of Michigan Defense Quarterly (2011-present)
Five Ways to Get to the Point, Res Ipsa Loquitur, Volume 48 No. 1 (January/February 2019)
Much Ado About Denney, Michigan Lawyers Weekly (a three-part series addressing economic damages in wrongful-death cases) (Jan. 15, Jan. 29, Feb. 12, 2019)
How to Mend a Broken ‘Harts’, Michigan Lawyers Weekly (April 14, 2015)
Broken ‘Harts’, Michigan Lawyers Weekly (February 12, 2015)
Presented at the MICPA Anti-Fraud Issues and Business Valuation Conference (May 21, 2014)
How Much Are You Worth? Value-of-life testimony and its evidentiary challenges, Claims Management (November 25, 2013)
A Primer for Non-Specialists on Litigating in Chapter 11, in Inside the Minds: Creditors’ Rights in Chapter 11 Cases,2011 ed. (Aspatore, 2011)
Understanding the Overrulings: A Response to Robert Sedler, 56 Wayne Law Review 1761 (with Phillip J. DeRosier) (2011)
Chief Restructuring Officer: A Role Not For the Faint of Heart, Michigan Lawyers Weekly (with Allison R. Bach) (August 24, 2009)
The Nuts and Bolts of Bankruptcy Appeals, 87 Michigan Bar Journal 30 (with Phillip J. DeRosier) (July 2008)
The Strange Life and Troubled Times of Deepening Insolvency, Michigan Lawyers Weekly (with Allison R. Bach) (December 10, 2007)
Contributor, Introducing Evidence at Trial (Third Edition, 2007), Hon. David M. Lawson, Kathleen A. Lang, Ronald S. Longhofer, editors
Note: Revenue Bonds and Religious Education: The Constitutionality of Conduit Financing Involving Pervasively Sectarian Institutions, 100 Michigan Law Review 1108 (2003)
News & Insights
Collins Einhorn Farrell PC is pleased to announce that ten of our colleagues have been named to the 2025 “Top Lawyers” list by DBusiness magazine: David C. Anderson – Legal Malpractice Law Theresa M. Asoklis – Legal Malpractice Law Donald D. Campbell – Legal Malpractice Law Trent B. Collier – Appellate Law Michael J….
Collins Einhorn Farrell PC is pleased to announce that 25 lawyers have been included in the 2024 editions of The Best Lawyers in America, including two receiving “Lawyer of the Year” distinction. Ten of the 25 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 21 of our firm’s lawyers have been included in the 2024 editions of Super Lawyers. Five of the 21 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…
Collins Einhorn Farrell PC is pleased to announce that 27 lawyers have been included in the 2024 editions of The Best Lawyers in America, including three 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 2023 editions of Super Lawyers. Seven 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…
The United States Supreme Court just issued a major opinion on where companies can be sued: Mallory v. Norfolk Southern Railway Co (June 27, 2023). Depending on which side of the debate you favor, Mallory is either a return to basic principles or a sea change in corporate law. People are subject to “tag” jurisdiction,…
This matter originated out of a scheme by a towing company in Clio, Michigan that involved hundreds of fraudulent requests for towing services. After a pre-suit investigation by the insurance carrier, it was determined that several long distance tows never occurred based on the duration of service, the vehicle never making it to the alleged…
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….
My law firm is one of many to form a committee on diversity, equity, and inclusion, or DEI, over the past few years. You’re right: this seems to be a national trend. More and more firms view DEI work as a chance to put the legal profession’s core values into practice. But I understand you’re…
You may think of a referral fee as a purely contractual issue. But the right to collect a fee is an ethical issue, too. Michigan Rule of Professional Conduct 1.5(e) states that attorneys in different firms can divide a fee only if (1) the client doesn’t object, and (2) the total fee is “reasonable.” The…
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…
In Estate of Carlsen v Southwestern Michigan Emergency Services, PC, the plaintiff raised a variety of constitutional and evidentiary arguments in an effort to overturn a jury’s no-cause verdict in a wrongful-death action alleging medical malpractice. Attorneys Trent Collier and Michael Cook obtained a published Court of Appeals opinion affirming the verdict. The decedent…
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…
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 proud to announce that 13 of its attorneys have been named Michigan Leading Lawyers, including one attorney receiving the distinction of 2020 Top 10 Leading Women Business Lawyers. Leading Lawyers recognitions are peer-recommended through survey and approved by an advisory board. The organization limits the total number of Leading Lawyers…
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…
Consumers who conclude that they’re underinsured often blame their insurance agents. They file lawsuits in which they blame their insurance agents for failing to advise them to, for example, purchase a policy for their boat or purchase a more comprehensive policy for their car. The central question in these lawsuits concerns the scope of insurance…
Malpractice defendants often find themselves with a lot of company. When a transaction seems to go awry, aggrieved plaintiffs may sue every professional involved—accountants, lawyers, consultants, and their respective firms. With multiple defendants, there’s a possibility that the court will issue multiple orders resolving the plaintiff’s claims. For example, the court might grant summary disposition…
Ordinarily, a Michigan attorney who is disciplined in another state or federal jurisdiction will face discipline in Michigan, too. Michigan attorneys also have a duty to report discipline in other state or federal jurisdictions. But what happens when the other jurisdiction imposing discipline is a tribal court—a judicial body of one of America’s sovereign tribes?…
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…
Attorneys David Anderson, Trent Collier, and Fawzeih Daher obtained dismissal of an appeal for lack of jurisdiction on behalf of our client (a national financial services firm) and 12 other defendants in a case involving allegations of improper accounting. The plaintiff filed suit against 13 defendants in the Probate Court. One by one, the Probate…
Attorneys David Anderson and Trent Collier obtained summary disposition on behalf of a wholesale surplus lines insurance broker in Oakland County Circuit Court. Plaintiff claimed that the broker negligently failed to procure a commercial auto insurance policy for him after the insurer denied coverage. In its 14-page opinion, the Court found that Anderson and Collier…
Attorneys Trent Collier and Jonathan Koch have authored an article for the January/February edition of Res Ipsa Loquitur titled “Five Ways to Get to the Point.” The article talks about 5 steps you should follow to make your legal briefs as readable and persuasive as possible. https://ceflawyers.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/January-February-2019.pdf
David Anderson and Trent Collier successfully defended a supplier in a multi-million-dollar lawsuit under the Uniform Commercial Code. The plaintiff sold tarpaulins for semi-trucks and used the supplier’s laminate to coat the tarpaulins. The plaintiff claimed that the laminate didn’t work and sought millions of dollars in damages. David and Trent obtained an order granting…
Plaintiff brought suit in federal court alleging $9 million in damages due to an alleged product defect. Attorneys David C. Anderson, Trent B. Collier and Eric M. Kociba defended the case, obtained summary judgment in their client’s favor, and persuaded the Court to dismiss the case. The Court’s 18-page opinion may be found at https://docs.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/michigan/miedce/2:2016cv12866/313165/66.
Attorneys Richard A. Joslin and Trent B. Collier Obtain Summary Disposition for Law Firm – In the case of Reese v Attorney, the plaintiff’s decedent was involved in an automobile accident and retained the defendant law firm to represent her. Because the decedent did not have a primary care physician, the firm provided her with…
David C. Anderson and Trent B. Collier successfully defended a Texas insurance agency, obtaining a published opinion from the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals that rejected the plaintiff’s attempt to expand insurance-agent liability under Michigan law. The plaintiff represented the estate of a man who died from injuries he sustained when a bounce house at…
Collins Einhorn Farrell PC announced today that 13 attorneys have been named to the 2014 Michigan Super Lawyers list. An additional 4 attorneys were named to the 2014 Michigan Rising Stars list. Super Lawyers, a Thomson Reuters business, is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a…
Collins Einhorn’s appellate department has had a number of significant victories in the past week. Noreen Slank and Geoff Brown obtained an opinion from the Michigan Court of Appeals that reversed a $1.2m judgment and remanded for entry of summary disposition in the client’s favor. Noreen also secured a win in favor of an attorney-client…
Trent Collier‘s article How Much Are You Worth? Value-of-Life Testimony and Its Evidentiary Challenges appears in the Summer 2013 Negligence Law Section Newsletter and is scheduled for publication in an upcoming issue of Claims Management Magazine. The article discusses expert testimony on “hedonic damages,” where some economists claim to measure the monetary value of human…
The Michigan Supreme Court has added an invaluable tool to its online resources. The Court now streams oral arguments in real time on its website. This new resource, together with the Court’s video archive of oral arguments, makes all of the Court’s oral arguments available to the public. More critical online resources for Michigan attorneys…
Trent Collier will be serving as co-chair of the Appellate Practice Section of the Federal Bar Association of the Eastern District of Michigan, beginning June 1, 2012.
Twelve Collins Einhorn lawyers are listed in the 2012 edition of SuperLawyers and Rising Stars. Of the twelve, those listed in SuperLawyers are: David Anderson (Professional Liability Defense), Theresa Asoklis (Professional Liability Defense), Tim Casey (Insurance Coverage), Brian Einhorn (Professional Liability Defense), Clay Farrell (Toxic Tort), Deb Hebert (Appellate), Jan Hildenbrand (Employment), Noreen Slank (Appellate)…
Collins Einhorn welcomes Trent B. Collier to the Firm. Trent’s practice focuses on federal and state appeals, primarily in defending medical and legal malpractice actions, insurance claims, and general commercial lawsuits. He has represented clients from a wide variety of industries, including major insurance companies, automotive suppliers, and some of the nation’s largest financial institutions….