Miller Canfield attorney Frederick Acomb defends and prosecutes international arbitration and transnational litigation matters for clients located all over the world. His work regularly takes him around the globe. He has appeared before arbitration tribunals in Asia, Europe, and North America. Acomb also has represented international and domestic clients in more than 70 automotive supply chain disputes.
As former general counsel to the firm, Acomb tries to use that experience to provide better service to clients. The leader of the International Disputes Group in the firm's Detroit office, Acomb was appointed secretary of the International Bar Association Litigation Committee last January.
Acomb is a graduate of Northwestern University and earned his law degree from the University of California, Hastings College of Law.
By Sheila Pursglove
Legal News
Residence: Birmingham
What would surprise people about your job? That I enjoy it most of the time.
Why did you become a lawyer? I quit music as a career and had zero idea what else I could do.
What's your favorite law-related TV show, movie, and/or book?
Favorite TV show is "Breaking Bad." Favorite movie is "The Godfather: Part II." Favorite book is "The Rachel Papers."
Who are your law role models real and/or fictional?
John Marshall, Abraham Lincoln, David Boies, and Frank Galvin.
If you could trade places with someone for a day, who would that be?
The President of the United States.
What advice do you have for someone considering law school? Do it if you want to serve.
What's your proudest moment as a lawyer?
Won a motion asking the court to strike down a statute as unconstitutional. The decision was overturned by the Sixth Circuit, but it's still a good memory.
What do you do to relax? Practice guitar. Read my Twitter feed. Watch good movies and great TV.
What other career path might you have chosen? Music performance.
What would you say to your 16-year-old self? Ease up on yourself!
Favorite local hangouts? Roses Fine Food. My backyard.
Favorite websites?
www.MandyFish.com; www.Twitter.com; www.GlobalDisputes.com
Favorite app? Twitter
Favorite music?
Depends on my mood, and it changes all the time. For the moment iTunes reveals that the items in heavy rotation include music by Yim Yames, Philip Glass, and Edward Elgar.
What is your happiest childhood memory? My parents reading to my siblings and me.
What is your most treasured material possession? Family photographs.
What do you wish someone would invent? A time travel machine.
What has been your favorite year so far and why? 2017. Because it is right now.
What's the most awe-inspiring place you've ever been? Big Sur, California.
If you could have one super power, what would it be?
Being able to instantaneously travel anywhere at any moment at any time.
What's one thing you would like to learn to do? Write a compelling piece of fiction, and sell it.
What is something most people don't know about you? I'm a bit of a germophobe.
If you could have dinner with three people, living or dead, who would they be?
Louis C.K., Dave Chappelle, and George Carlin.
What's the best advice you ever received?
Treat yourself with as much kindness and understanding as you want to treat your children.
Favorite place to spend money? Delta Airlines.
What is your motto? The enemy of the good is the perfect.
Which living person do you most admire? Barack Obama.
What do you consider to be your greatest achievement? My children.
What is the most unusual thing you have done? I'm not telling you that.
Published: Wed, Feb 01, 2017
