Leland D. Barringer

Of Counsel

barringer@millercanfield.com

Detroit
T: +1.313.496.7502
O: +1.313.963.6420
F: +1.313.496.8453

Leland D. Barringer specializes in complex corporate, securities and construction cases, as well as cases involving consumer class actions, employment discrimination, professional malpractice, and condemnation. He has been the sole or lead trial attorney in more than 50 trials in federal courts, state courts, administrative tribunals, and commercial, securities and medical malpractice arbitrations. He was a member of trial teams that tried a complex nuclear power case in federal court in Phoenix, Arizona, a complex professional malpractice case in state court in Ann Arbor, Michigan, a complex property tax case before Michigan's tax tribunal, and a large sex, race, and age class action employment case that was tried to an arbitration panel in Detroit.

Lee frequently serves as a mediator (case evaluator) for the Wayne and Oakland County Circuit Courts, and has been appointed by the chief judge of the Oakland County Circuit Court to serve as a facilitator during special “settlement weeks“ and as a master mediator for an innovative pilot program to resolve cases shortly after they are filed. He has completed Michigan’s 40-hour mediation training program, and he has served as an expert witness in legal malpractice cases.

“Empathizing with your clients and understanding their needs and desires is crucial for achieving success as an attorney, especially for a litigator who must help his client endure the ordeal that a court case or an arbitration often is.”
Leland D. Barringer

Experience

Lee obtained summary judgment in Oakland County Circuit Court for one of the shareholders of a small Michigan manufacturing company. The judgment, which ended years of acrimony among the shareholders, was affirmed by the Michigan Court of Appeals. The client, which had a plant in New Mexico, subsequently retained Lee to defend a case in which the widow of a deceased Native American employee attempted to recover damages beyond those allowed by New Mexico’s worker’s compensation statute. Faced with a $25 million demand from an experienced trial lawyer, the prospect of a jury trial in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a notoriously plaintiff-friendly jurisdiction, and no insurance coverage, the client was understandably apprehensive. Lee met with several present and former employees, obtained favorable affidavits, deposed the widow’s industrial safety expert, and submitted a motion for summary judgment based on the affidavits and excerpts from the expert’s deposition. The judge agreed with our client and granted the motion. The client was extremely relieved and grateful to prevail without having to endure a jury trial knowing it had no insurance to satisfy a potential award.

Lee is a member of the Florida, as well as the Michigan, Bar, and he has handled securities and employment cases in both state and federal courts in Florida. In addition, Lee has tried five Florida securities arbitration cases, one of which was pending in Pensacola, Florida, but tried in New Orleans, Louisiana. In one of these arbitrations, the client’s in-house counsel was especially pleased because he had traveled from New York to Florida to mediate the case only to be frustrated because the claimant would not accept anything less than $300,000 to settle. Following the hearing, the arbitrators awarded the claimant $17,000. Two of the cases for another New York-based corporate client resulted in awards of zero, to the relief and delight of the individual financial consultants whom we also represented.

Lee has litigated a number of construction cases, including being a member of a Miller Canfield team that spent six months in Phoenix, Arizona trying one of the largest nuclear power disputes ever tried.

“The courtroom resembled Walt Disney’s Epcot Center with all the models of nuclear power plants that filled the room. The case resulted in a hung jury and settled one year later on the eve of a second trial.”

Professional Activities

American Bar Association
State Bar of Michigan
The Florida Bar
Federal Bar Association
Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association
Oakland County Bar Association
National Institute of Mental Health Fellow
National Science Foundation Fellow

Publications

“Avoiding Legal Malpractice Claims by Properly Screening and Serving Clients,” Laches, November 1983, No. 217, pp. 14-16

“Venom Therapy: Legal Dos and Don’ts,” Legal Aspects of Medical Practice, April 1982, pp. 2-3 (with Richard Synder, D.O.)

Speeches

Speaker for the Detroit Barristers’ Association’s Wayne County Local Practice and Procedure seminar

Speaker at the National Electrical Manufacturers’ Association’s Product Liability workshop

Faculty member for Michigan’s Institute of Continuing Legal Education’s seminar “Expert Witnesses: Beyond Junk Science and Daubert”

Faculty member for Michigan’s Institute of Continuing Legal Education’s Trial Advocacy Skills Workshop

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