New Haven Medical Malpractice Lawyers

Lawrence J. Buckfire earned his undergraduate degree in economics from the University of Michigan in 1986 and his juris doctor degree from Wayne State University School of Law in 1989. He is admitted to practice law in the State of Michigan and the State of Ohio. He was recently named a "Best Personal Injury Lawyer" by a Detroit business magaizne. Lawrence is a highly skilled trial attorney with a reputation for meticulous trial preparation and presentation. Mr. Buckfire has achieved the highest possible rating for ability and integrity in the legal profession. He specializes in child lead paint poisoning, wrongful...

Perry graduated from Michigan State University in 1992 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. While attending Wayne State University Law School, he clerked for the Hon. Alice L. Gilbert who handled a diverse civil and criminal docket at the Oakland County Circuit Court. During that clerkship, he gained immeasurable courtroom experience assisting the judge with trials that ranged from complex contract disputes to first-degree felonies. That experience informed his decisions as an attorney and has led to a 20-plus year career working as an advocate for people in such areas as: real estate law including landlord tenant; personal injury law...

Patrick Derkacz grew up in Warren, Michigan where he attended public school. He graduated from Warren Mott High school in 1984 where he played football. He then went to Eastern Michigan University where he graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemistry in 1988. After graduation he worked as an analytical chemist for the Parke-Davis Pharmaceutical Research Division in Ann Arbor, Michigan for several years.

Mr. Derkacz went back to law school at the Detroit College of Law (now Michigan State University Law School) in 1990. He graduated from DCL with Honors in 1993. While in Law School he participated in the...

Michigan State University 1986
Detroit College of Law 1989

Scott J. Sumner, J.D. is a graduate of Michigan State University, (1986) and Michigan State University/Detroit College of Law, (1989). He is a founding member of Sumner & Associates, P.C., and is its President and principal shareholder. Scott was the President of the Rochester Bar Association (2004-2005). He is a member of the State Bar Association and a member of the Oakland and Macomb County Bar Associations, since 1990, and is licensed to practice in the United States Federal Court. He is also a licensed and experienced Real Estate Broker and Residential Builder.

David R. Adgate earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in 2013 from the University of Michigan. He earned his Juris Doctor degree in 2017 from Wayne State University Law School. He then completed a Post-Baccalaureate Medprep Program at the University of Michigan in 2019 where he also served as the president of the Medprep Engage Student Organization. David joined Buckfire Law in January 2024 and focuses primarily on first-party automobile claims, third-party auto negligence, and motorcycle and bicycle accidents. He also handles other personal injury claims, including slip and falls, dog bites, and wrongful death lawsuits. Prior to joining Buckfire & Buckfire,...

Richard Fox has successfully resolved hundreds of medical negligence and other personal injury cases on behalf of injured victims over the past 40 years. He was the plaintiff attorney involved in the largest reported medical malpractice case settlement in the state of Michigan for the year 2002. Rick has been selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® (2008 - 2018) in the specialty of Personal Injury Litigation. Selection to Best Lawyers is based on an exhaustive and rigorous peer-review survey comprising more than 2 million confidential evaluations by the top attorneys in the country....

Law Offices of D.B. Carron are highly-qualified appeals specialists in criminal defense, taking cases statewide and federal, including trials; pleas; 6500 and 2255 post-conviction motions; habeas petitions; etc. Attorney Carron and his associate Attorney Martin Leaf have over 60 years of experience. Mr. Carron is among select lawyers that may argue before the U.S. Supreme Court. Selected as one of the top criminal defense lawyers in Michigan by the American Society of Legal Advocates; he has a perfect 10.0 Avvo attorney qualification rating, a 5-star client review rating; and the highest possible peer rating on Martindale-Hubble. Payment plans are available...

Matthew Curtis is a senior shareholder and member of the Board of Directors at Sommers Schwartz, P.C. For the past 30 years, he has successfully litigated complex personal injury and medical malpractice cases throughout Michigan, and across the country including Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Minnesota, Georgia, and Maryland.

Matt concentrates his practice in the areas of:

Birth Trauma/Neonatal Malpractice
Delayed or Misdiagnosis of Medical Conditions
Surgical Mishaps
Emergency Room Negligence
Automobile/Trucking Accidents
Wrongful Death/Catastrophic Injuries

Matt Klakulak clerked for Justice Marilyn Kelly of the Michigan Supreme Court his first year out of law school and shortly thereafter joined Robert Harrison & Associates, PLC, where he remained for 10 years. More than half that firm’s practice was criminal defense, and he had the opportunity to work on some very high profile cases as well as practice in the areas of personal injury, employment and appellate law, among others.

Research and writing has always been a point of strength and passion in Matt Klakulak's practice of law. He joined the Fieger Firm in 2011 to focus his efforts...

Matthew Turner is a senior shareholder with Sommers Schwartz, and focuses his practice on medical malpractice, legal malpractice, ERISA, and class action matters.

Fighting for and protecting the rights of his clients is the most important part of Matt’s profession. During law school, he was a law clerk for Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Richard Kuhn, and after graduation, he joined his family’s law firm where he litigated a broad range of matters involving business disputes, employment discrimination, dental malpractice, auto accident, slip and fall, and significant cases of death and catastrophic loss.

Matt has appeared before the United States Supreme Court,...

Robert J. Lantzy received his undergraduate degree from Central Michigan University in 1993 and graduated cum laude from Michigan State University College of Law in 1997. Mr. Lantzy is an experienced trial attorney and has concentrated his practice in several areas of civil litigation, including lead paint exposure, trucking accident cases, premises liability cases, and wrongful death lawsuits. Robert is licensed to practice law in Michigan and Ohio. He is a member of the American Bar Association, Michigan Association for Justice, and the Macomb County Bar Association.

Founder and managing partner of esteemed law firm, Goodman Acker, Gerald Acker is a Michigan native who received his law degree from Wayne State University Law School in 1981. His practice focuses on legal and medical malpractice; car, truck, and other moving vehicle accidents, and premises liability. In addition to his legal career, Gerald is also actively involved in the political arena, and has worked on behalf of several candidates who support people’s continued access to legal services. He is a member and past president of the Michigan Association for Justice, where his primary focus is to provide members with...

Since the inception of his legal career in 1987, Jesse Reiter has handled 100% birth injury and birth trauma cases. Reiter is admitted to practice in Michigan, Washington, D.C., Ohio and the U.S. Supreme Court, and he represents children and their parents in cases involving infant brain damage, hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), cerebral palsy, and a number of other pregnancy, delivery and newborn complications. Jesse Reiter is referred to in a 2008 Michigan Lawyer's Weekly article as one of three "medical malpractice gurus” whose cases have consistently ranked among the top verdicts and settlements in the state of Michigan for...

Parker Stinar is an associate in Sommers Schwartz’s Birth Injury, Medical Malpractice, and Personal Injury Litigation Groups, appearing in both state and federal courts across the country on behalf of plaintiffs injured as a result of others’ negligence.

Parker has amassed a wealth of courtroom experience in a number of different areas, successfully representing clients in all stages of litigation from initial intake, through discovery, and at case evaluations, facilitation, and other alternative dispute resolution proceedings. He has negotiated settlements totaling millions of dollars.

Ken Watkins is an accomplished trial attorney and Senior Shareholder with Sommers Schwartz. Over the course of his career, he has obtained numerous multimillion-dollar settlements on behalf of the clients he’s been proud to represent. His achievements include one of the largest seven-digit medical malpractice cases in Macomb County in 2008, and his election to membership in the exclusive Million Dollar Verdict Club.

Outside of the practice, Ken is known for giving back to the community. He has spoken on several occasions at the Detroit Public Schools Career Days; serves on board of directors for Urban Solutions, Inc., an organization dedicated...