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Jonathan Abent Civil Rights and Personal Injury Attorney | Appellate Litigator
Jonathan Abent’s career has been defined by fighting for the people who have never had anyone fight for them. As a civil rights and personal injury attorney at the Law Offices of Christopher Trainor & Associates, Jon has excelled at holding individuals accountable for the harm done to his clients and even holding the system accountable when the law itself needs to be corrected.
He did not become a lawyer to accumulate case files. He became a lawyer because he believes justice belongs to the people who need it most: the ones who have been overlooked, underestimated and unheard.
Jon defines justice as “Righting the wrongs committed against those without a voice.”
The clients who matter most to him are the ones who have never had anyone to fight for them or listen to them. That is where his focus has always been.
Jon meets clients where they are. Phone, email, text or in-person meetings; whatever communication channel works best for the client, works for him.
His approach is straightforward: he investigates every angle, turns over every rock, and does not ease off until his client says to. He brings the same tenacity to a smaller case that he brings to federal appellate litigation.
“I’m here to argue for my clients. They don’t need to argue their case to me,” said Jon.
Jon has been a part of numerous six and seven figure outcomes in both civil rights and negligence cases across the State of Michigan.
When asked which case has stayed with him the longest, Jonathan’s answer is not a verdict amount or a named defendant. It is a client who told him he had changed her life forever.
Most personal injury attorneys settle cases. Jon has changed how cases are decided. His appellate wins are published, precedent-setting opinions that reshaped Michigan law. These are just a few of them:
The Michigan Court of Appeals issued a ruling that caused insurance companies across the state to rewrite their No-Fault policies governing attendant care benefits payable to people injured in car accidents. Carriers had been reading those policies one way. Jon argued they were wrong. The court agreed.
In a published opinion, the Court of Appeals held that relatives of a person killed in a motor vehicle accident could pursue a claim against the at-fault driver’s insurance company when that driver’s policy limits were insufficient to cover their losses. This ruling expanded recovery rights for Michigan families left without options.
In a published federal appellate opinion, the Sixth Circuit ruled that defendant corrections officers had waived their entitlement to qualified immunity and would not receive a second opportunity to assert that defense on appeal. This decision holds direct significance for civil rights plaintiffs facing government accountability claims.
Specialties
Jon grew up in Lansing, spent more than five years in West Michigan, and now lives in Waterford. His connection to this state is not just geographic. It runs through the communities where he has lived, worked, volunteered and built relationships.
He supports the Waterford Township Public Library, the American Red Cross of Southeast Michigan, the Oakland County Animal Shelter, the Capital Area Humane Society and Fenner Nature Center in Lansing.
Jon reads, runs, and enjoys finding new local restaurants and record stores. He follows Michigan State basketball, AFC Bournemouth and all Detroit sports teams.
