Forbush joins prestigious national group of trial attorneys
Plunkett Cooney partner Audrey J. Forbush, the managing partner of the firm’s Flint, Michigan office, was recently inducted as a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA).
“I’m really honored to have been selected to join ABOTA,” said Forbush, who serves as a member of Plunkett Cooney’s Board of Directors and as Co-leader of the firm’s Governmental Law Practice Group. “This organization has so many talented trial attorneys, and I look forward to working with them to keep improving standards and attorneys’ skills in trial practice.”
Forbush was formally inducted into ABOTA when the organization’s national board voted in its new class on Oct. 3. Membership is by invitation only. Members must have at least five years of active experience as trial lawyers, have tried at least 10 civil jury trials to conclusion and possess additional litigation experience. Members must also exhibit the virtues of civility, integrity and professionalism by following both ABOTA’s code of professionalism and principles of civility.
Founded in 1958, ABOTA is a national association of highly experienced trial lawyers and judges, dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the civil jury trial right provided by the Seventh Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. ABOTA’s membership consists of more than 7,600 plaintiff and defense lawyers and judges from 96 chapters in all 50 states and in the District of Columbia.
Forbush focuses her trial practice primarily in the area of municipal liability with particular expertise in police liability cases, including search and seizure, use of force, pursuits and correctional law. Her practice includes additional expertise in the areas of civil rights, whistleblower claims; labor and employment, zoning law and personal injury claims. Forbush also advises public and private universities with respect to Title IX claims of alleged sexual assaults on campus, and she maintains a busy professional liability practice defending physicians and hospitals in medical liability cases.
Forbush is a member of the Genesee County Bar Association, and she serves on the Board of the Governmental Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan. Additionally, she serves as the legal adviser to the Law Enforcement Action Forum, an organization consisting of select law enforcement executives throughout Michigan that addresses trending issues in law enforcement and drafts model police policies.
Established in 1913, Plunkett Cooney is a leading provider of transactional and litigation services to clients in the private and public sectors. The firm employs approximately 150 attorneys in seven Michigan cities, Chicago, Illinois, Columbus, Ohio and Indianapolis, Indiana. Plunkett Cooney has achieved the highest rating (AV) awarded by Martindale-Hubbell, a leading, international directory of law firms. The firm was also selected by Crain’s Detroit Business as its inaugural Law Firm of the Year.
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Plunkett Cooney supports OCBA’s Anti-Racism Statement
Plunkett Cooney, one of Michigan’s oldest and largest law firms, is among the growing list of law firms that supports the Oakland County Bar Association’s (OCBA) Anti-Racism Statement.
The OCBA’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee crafted an interactive statement that requests more than performative allyship. The statement invites individuals and law firms to join the OCBA in combating systemic racism by completing a short online form that states signatories publicly oppose systemic racism.
“I’m proud to stand up and be counted as the leader of a firm that has been working hard to improve not only its diversity and inclusion efforts but to stand up against racism,” said Plunkett Cooney’s President & CEO Thomas P. Vincent. “This is a powerful statement by the OCBA and a stark reminder that Plunkett Cooney and the legal profession have a long way to go to reflect the diversity of our communities and to end systems that harbor racism in any form.”
Joining Vincent in personally signing the OCBA statement is Plunkett Cooney’s Director of Diversity & Inclusion Laurel F. McGiffert, who is also a member of the African American Partners Collaborative, a group of partners from major metro Detroit law firms seeking to advance opportunities for African American attorneys in the legal industry.
“It’s wonderful to see the OCBA and so many other groups taking affirmative steps to acknowledge that systematic racism exists and clearly stating that the time has come to stamp it out in all of its forms,” McGiffert said. “Each of us can play a part in this fight, so I’m hopeful that our firm members and others continue to add their names to this important document.”
Since 2002, Plunkett Cooney has had in place a Diversity & Inclusion Committee focused on the recruitment and retention of minority attorneys. Committee members also work to advance diversity training, mentoring of young attorneys, female attorney leadership opportunities and community outreach that provides financial support and encourages employee volunteerism to positively impact race relations in our communities.
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Siewert helps ‘fire up’ firm’s Transportation Group
Attorney Nicholas W. Siewert recently joined the Transportation Law Practice Group of Plunkett Cooney, one of the Midwest’s oldest and largest full-service law firms.
A member of the firm’s Bloomfield Hills office, Siewert focuses his practice on insurance-related work involving No-Fault law and motor vehicle litigation, as well as on coverage disputes, entitlement issues and catastrophic injuries. He also represents ride sharing companies directly, and he serves as defense panel counsel for the policyholders of some of the nation’s largest insurance providers.
In addition to his transportation law practice, Siewert has particular expertise handling construction law claims involving fire and water damage, including arson and staged water losses. He has also handled assignments pertaining to business law, premises liability, labor and employment law, contract law and commercial litigation.
Siewert received his law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law in 2014, and he received his undergraduate degree from Wayne State University in 2008.
Plunkett Cooney’s Transportation Law Practice Group includes the talents of more than 30 attorneys who provide an array of litigation and risk management services, including expertise in the areas of first- and third-party auto liability, cross-border claims with Canada, trucking liability, fraud investigations and emergency accident response.
Established in 1913, Plunkett Cooney is a leading provider of business and litigation services to clients in the private and public sectors. The firm employs approximately 150 attorneys in seven Michigan cities, Chicago, Illinois, Columbus, Ohio and Indianapolis, Indiana. Plunkett Cooney has achieved the highest rating (AV) awarded by Martindale-Hubbell, a leading, international directory of law firms. The firm was also selected by Crain’s Detroit Business as its inaugural Law Firm of the Year.
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