Jeffrey A. Crapko

Jeffrey A. Crapko specializes in complex commercial litigation and white collar criminal defense, with an emphasis on commercial disputes and state and federal appeals.

After spending two years clerking in the federal courts at both the trial and appellate level, Jeff has detailed inside knowledge of what it takes to present a persuasive and winning federal brief. He leverages his experience of having clerked for two of the most respected federal judges in Michigan to advise his clients on how to best frame their issues to insure the highest likelihood of success. Jeff understands what it takes to distill complex issues in a way that is accessible and persuasive to busy courts.

Since joining Miller Canfield, Jeff has been active in the firm's internal investigation and white collar criminal defense practice, appearing in court to defend his clients at all stages of the criminal process. Jeff is also experienced in juvenile proceedings, handling cases ranging from unwanted messaging to criminal sexual conduct and school and mass injury threats. He has assisted in several sensitive internal investigations, ultimately drafting comprehensive reports detailing the investigation's findings and conclusions. Jeff also regularly writes appellate briefs at both the state and federal level.

Jeff has substantial experience defending and prosecuting complex commercial disputes. He has successfully represented several clients in high stakes litigation, including by serving on the trial team which successfully defended a privately held company against claims approaching $1 billion. Jeff has further defended several privately-held companies through arbitral trial against disappointed sellers and former business partners. Jeff's work has transnational scope—he has traveled to India and China to represent his clients and conduct discovery where information was not locally available in the United States. He is comfortable quickly learning about his client's business and culture, and then leveraging that knowledge to create a compelling theory of the case to achieve his client's litigation objectives.

Jeff also draws on his knowledge of local practice and procedure to serve as local counsel and advise out-of-state firms on how to successfully represent their clients in Michigan state and federal courts.

Prior to joining Miller Canfield, Jeff served as law clerk to the Hon. Robert H. Cleland on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, as well as law clerk to the Hon. Helene N. White on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. He is active in both the state and federal bars, and currently serves as Chair-Elect for the Michigan State Bar Litigation Section.