Michigan Personal Injury Lawyers

Michigan's Personal Injury Law Firm — 35 Years, $300 Million, Real Results

Michigan Legal Center is the law firm of Christopher Trainor & Associates, founded in Detroit in 1989. We started in a closet-sized office with just two chairs, built on a single mission: providing aggressive legal representation to people who otherwise would have no voice against powerful interests. For more than 35 years, our Michigan personal injury attorneys have represented injured people across the state, from Detroit and Grand Rapids to Flint, Lansing, and every community in between.

We've recovered more than $300 million in verdicts and settlements for our clients. That includes a $6.2 million federal jury verdict for a police brutality victim in Metro Detroit, a $5 million verdict for a wrongful death family, and a $2 million verdict for a traumatic brain injury sustained on I-75. Those results come from a dedicated team of attorneys, paralegals, and support staff who take every case seriously.

Our Michigan personal injury practice covers car accidents, commercial truck crashes, police misconduct and civil rights violations, wrongful death, slip and falls, workplace injuries, and employment law. If you were hurt because of someone else's negligence, we want to hear what happened.

Every case we take is on a contingency basis. Nothing upfront. No hourly rates. If we don't win, you owe us nothing.

Michigan Personal Injury Practice Areas

Our attorneys represent injured clients across every major area of personal injury and civil rights law in Michigan. Each area below has a dedicated team and its own page with detailed information about your rights under Michigan law.

Car Accidents

Michigan's no-fault insurance system means your own insurance pays your medical bills first, regardless of who caused the crash. But when your injuries are serious, you also have the right to sue the at-fault driver for pain and suffering. The rules for doing that are strict, and Michigan auto insurers know exactly how to use them against you. Our car accident attorneys handle PIP benefit disputes, serious injury threshold claims, and third-party negligence cases for crash victims across Michigan. For how those two paths differ, see PIP claim vs. third-party claim in Michigan.

Truck Accidents

A crash with a commercial truck is not like a regular car accident. The injuries are more severe. The number of potentially liable parties is larger — the driver, the trucking company, the cargo loaders, sometimes the truck manufacturer. And the carrier's insurance team starts working against you the moment the crash is reported. Our Michigan truck accident attorneys investigate federal safety violations, driver fatigue, and mechanical failures, and we move quickly to preserve the evidence that disappears fast.

Motorcycle Accidents

Insurance adjusters often assume motorcycle riders were at fault, even when the evidence says otherwise. Our motorcycle accident attorneys push back on that bias with accident reconstruction, thorough medical documentation, and a willingness to take the case to trial if the insurer won't offer a fair number.

Police Misconduct

We are one of the few Michigan law firms that regularly takes on law enforcement agencies — and wins. We've recovered $6.2 million for one victim of police excessive force and $5.8 million for another. These are not easy cases. Police departments have legal teams specifically trained to defend against them. We've spent more than 35 years learning how to go up against those teams, and we are not intimidated. Learn more about our police misconduct advocacy.

Civil Rights Violations

Your constitutional rights don't disappear when you're arrested, detained, or in custody. When those rights are violated, you have legal options. We handle wrongful arrest, jail abuse, prosecutorial misconduct, employment discrimination, and other constitutional violations across Michigan. Our civil rights attorneys have recovered more than $4.1 million in jury verdicts for clients whose rights were taken from them.

Wrongful Death

When someone you love dies because another person or company was careless, no amount of money fixes that. But Michigan law gives surviving families the right to pursue compensation for lost income, medical costs, funeral expenses, and the loss of the person themselves. We've recovered more than $5 million in wrongful death verdicts for Michigan families. We take these cases personally.

Slip and Fall / Premises Liability

Property owners in Michigan are legally responsible for keeping their spaces safe. When they fail — when an icy walkway, a wet floor, a broken staircase, or a poorly lit parking lot causes a serious injury — they can be held accountable. Insurers will usually argue you should have seen the hazard. We know how to respond to that argument, and we've done it successfully for Michigan clients across Oakland, Wayne, Macomb, Washtenaw, and Kent counties.

Employment Law

If you've been fired for the wrong reasons, discriminated against at work, or retaliated against for reporting harassment or misconduct, you may have legal protection under Michigan's Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act and federal employment statutes. We handle wrongful termination, workplace discrimination, sexual harassment, and retaliation claims for Michigan employees across industries.

Workers' Compensation

Michigan workers' compensation is supposed to cover your medical bills and a portion of your lost wages when you're hurt on the job. But employers and their insurers deny and undercut valid claims all the time. If yours has been disputed, delayed, or underpaid, our Michigan workers' compensation attorneys can help you fight for what the law actually entitles you to.

Michigan Personal Injury Law: What You Need to Know

You don't need to memorize the statutes — that's what we're here for. But understanding a few basics will help you make smarter decisions from the start.

Michigan's No-Fault Insurance System

Michigan requires drivers to carry Personal Injury Protection (PIP) insurance. If you're injured in a car accident in Michigan, your own insurance pays your medical bills and up to 85% of your lost wages first — regardless of who caused the crash. That's what "no-fault" means. That PIP track is separate from a third-party lawsuit against the at-fault driver — this article explains both tracks.

If your injuries are serious, you also have the right to sue the at-fault driver for pain and suffering. Michigan law requires your injuries to have significantly affected your ability to live your normal life — what the statute calls "serious impairment of body function." A herniated disc, a traumatic brain injury, or a serious fracture typically qualifies. Soft tissue sprains often don't. Knowing where your injury falls matters before you decide how to proceed.

Deadlines You Cannot Miss

In most Michigan personal injury cases, you have three years from the date of injury to file a lawsuit. But there are critical exceptions:

• No-fault PIP benefit claims must be filed within one year of the accident.
• Claims against government agencies require written notice within six months of the incident.
• Wrongful death claims must be filed within three years of the date of death.

Missing any of these deadlines permanently ends your right to pursue the case. There are no extensions and no second chances. This is one of the most preventable ways people lose a valid claim. Call us early.

Comparative Fault

If you were partially responsible for the accident, you can still recover compensation — as long as you were not more than 50% at fault. Your recovery is reduced by your share of the fault. If a court finds you 30% responsible, you collect 70% of the total damages. Michigan insurers routinely try to inflate your percentage of fault during negotiations to reduce what they pay. We know that tactic, and we know how to push back on it.

Personal Injury Case Results Across Michigan

Every case is different, and past results do not guarantee future outcomes. But these recoveries reflect the depth and range of what our Michigan personal injury attorneys have achieved:

• $6,200,000 — Federal jury verdict for a victim of police excessive force in Metro Detroit
• $5,800,000 — Verdict in a police misconduct case involving wrongful detention and assault
• $5,000,000 — Verdict for the family of a wrongful death victim killed by a negligent driver in Michigan
• $4,100,000 — Jury award in a civil rights violation case involving unlawful arrest and jail abuse
• $2,000,000 — Verdict for a traumatic brain injury sustained in a high-speed crash on I-75

Serving Personal Injury Clients Across All of Michigan

Michigan Legal Center — the Law Offices of Christopher Trainor & Associates — represents personal injury victims statewide from our offices in White Lake Township and Ann Arbor.

We serve clients in Detroit, Grand Rapids, Flint, Ann Arbor, Lansing, Southfield, Sterling Heights, Warren, Troy, Pontiac, and communities throughout Oakland County, Wayne County, Macomb County, Washtenaw County, Kent County, Genesee County, and beyond.

Call (248) 886-8650 any time — day or night — for a free consultation. We'll review your situation and explain your options clearly. You pay nothing unless we recover money for you.