Overview:
CHARFOOS & CHRISTENSEN, P.C., has been a law firm in downtown Detroit since 1929. We have grown substantially since our beginnings and currently have a staff of seven attorneys, a librarian and other highly skilled para professionals who provide necessary technical support. Our clients come not only from Michigan, but also throughout the country.
CHARFOOS & CHRISTENSEN, P.C. attorneys have:
Founded the Michigan Trial Lawyers Association;
Had three of their six attorneys selected for listing in Super Lawyers;
Had one of their six attorneys inducted into the International Academy of Trial Lawyers;
Authored or Co-Authored numerous publications including twelve legal textbooks and approximately 50 scholarly articles;
One attorney who holds a nursing degree;
Highest Rating – “AV”- MARTINDALE-HUBBELL LAW DIRECTORY, for legal ability and integrity;
Served as Lead Attorneys in Mass Tort Cases such as:
DES (Diethyelstilbestrol)
DALKON SHIELD
TOXIC SHOCK SYNDROME (Tampon Litigation)
NORTHWEST AIRLINES FLIGHT 255 CRASH CASE
SILICONE GEL BREAST IMPLANTS
KOREAN AIRLINES CRASH CASE
COMAIR AIRLINES CRASH CASE
OMNIFLOX LITIGATIONS
U.S. STEEL ENVIRONMENTAL LITIGATION
FEN-PHEN LITIGATION
CHARFOOS & CHRISTENSEN, P.C. worked with DES and Toxic Shock Syndrome in the 70’s and 80’s. In addition to representing clients in the Lockerbie Pan Am crash, the Korean Airlines 007 shoot down and Northwest Airlines Flight 255 litigation, and the Com-Air crash case; we served as liaison counsel between numerous attorneys and the court. We have represented hundreds of injured clients in the action against A. H. Robins, manufacturer of the Dalkon Shield intra-uterine device and currently represent hundreds of injured clients in actions against Dow Corning and other manufacturers of breast implants. We have a lead role in this most recent mass tort litigation and are one of a select group of firms on the National Steering Committee for this multi-district litigation. In addition, we have served as class counsel in national class action suits including national litigation against Abbott Laboratories, Bausch & Lomb, Inc., Sulzer Orthopedics, and Warner Lambert Drug Company.
Samuel Charfoos founded the firm as the first of Michigan’s workers compensation specialists in 1929. In 1946, he became one of the founders of the National Association of Compensation Claimant Attorney (NACCA), which was the predecessor organization to the Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA), now known as the American Association for Justice (AAJ). As Sam was founding the national organization, he also co-founded the Michigan Trial Lawyers Association, now known as the Michigan Association for Justice.
Not only is our firm recognized for its outstanding litigation record, but also one of our attorneys, David W. Christensen, is listed in Best Lawyers in America. Two of our attorneys are listed with Super Lawyers, ratings of outstanding lawyers nominated by peers. One of our former partners, Dennis W. Archer, has served as a Justice on the Michigan Supreme Court and as the Mayor of Detroit.
Several of our partners have written books, including: The Law of Medical Practice in Michigan; Obstetrics/Gynecology and the Law; Anesthesiology and the Law; The Law of Medical Practice in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Illinois; The Medical Malpractice Case: The Legal and Ethical Aspects of Treating Terminally Ill Patients; and Daughters at Risk (The DES Story).
In addition, some of our attorneys are part-time law and medical professors and others are frequent lecturers for both professional and community groups. One of our attorneys is a board certified Registered Nurse.
CHARFOOS & CHRISTENSEN, P.C. takes pride in its accomplishments on behalf of its clients as well as the legal profession. The firm continues to explore new ways for our country’s legal system to better serve the unique needs of our clients and their families.