Michelle Czapski

Practice Areas

Michelle Thurber Czapski serves as Co-Chair of the Litigation and Alternative Dispute Resolution Practice Group and Chair of the Insurance Practice Group. She has over three decades of experience representing major corporate clients in litigation and alternative dispute resolution proceedings and counseling clients with regard to business disputes, claims, decisions, and risk management issues.

She has successfully represented insurance and financial service companies, automotive and other product manufacturers, Tier-1 automotive suppliers, telecommunications companies, and pharmaceutical companies in matters involving product liability claims, consumer protection claims, insurance and ERISA disputes, contract matters, and a broad range of other commercial and business disputes.

Professional Memberships

State Bar of Michigan

Fellow, Michigan State Bar Foundation

American Inns of Court

-Detroit Bar Association Chapter, Master of the Bench

National Foundation for Judicial Excellence

-Member, Board of Directors

DRI

-Life, Health, Disability and ERISA Committee

-Chair (2022-2024)

-Vice Chair (2020-2022)

-Seminar Chair (2016)

Commercial Litigation Committee

-Chair (2017-2019)

-Vice Chair (2015-2017)

-Center for Law and Public Policy, Class Action Task Force

-Class Action Seminar Chair (2015)

Publications

ABA ERISA Survey of Federal Circuits, 2012, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2022, and 2024 editions, author and editor of chapter on the Sixth Circuit

Co-Author (with Michael G. Costello), “COVID-10 Impact on the Insurance Industry,” Bodman COVID-19 Response Team Update, March and May 2020

“From the Chair” (final column as chair of the DRI Commercial Litigation Committee), The Business Suit, December 5, 2019

“21st Century Issues in the Life Insurance World,” DRI Life, Health, Disability and ERISA Seminar Manuscript, April 2018

“Insurance Policy Recission Compendium,” Michigan chapter, DRI, 2018

“Defending Psychiatric Disability Claims: Distinguishing the Truly Disabled form the Malingerer,” DRI Life, Health, Disability and ERISA Seminar Manuscript, April 2015

“Mentoring'” The Business Suit, November 2013

“Managing Mental/Nervous Disability Claims-Current Trends,” DRI Life, Health, Disability and ERISA Seminar Manuscript, April 2013

“Who Pressed ‘Enter’ Anyway? Enforcing Contracts in an Electronic World,” For the Defense, October 2012, Vol. 54, No. 10

“Class Actions: Issues and Ethics in the Use of Offshore Vendors for Document Review,” Manuscript, DRI Annual Meeting, October 2011

“Beneficiary Jeopardy: Understanding the Answers to Conflicting and Bizarre Beneficiary Issues,” DRI Life, Health, Disability and ERISA

Claims Seminar Manuscript, April 2010

“The Sometimes Rocky Relationship Between ‘Lead’ and ‘Local’ Counsel: How to Make it Work,” The Business Suit (DRI Commercial Litigation Committee Newsletter), February/March 2009

Insurance Law Settlements and Negotiations, Aspatore Books, author of chapter entitled, “Helping The Client Make Smart Decisions,” 2008

Introducing Evidence at Trial, (ICLE), contributing author of chapters on Spoliation of Evidence, Entire Statement, and Compilations and Summaries, 2007 (and periodic updates to present)

Work Highlights

Serves as lead trial counsel and regional counsel for AIG/American General and its family of financial services companies with responsibility for insurance and related litigation throughout the Midwest. She also leads Bodman’s representation MetLife as its Michigan ERISA litigation counsel. She is a certified mediator and serves in that capacity for private civil disputes. She is also listed as an approved case evaluator and mediator on several Michigan circuit courts.