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Adam T.
Ratliff

  • Partner

When my clients find themselves embroiled in a dispute, my job is to be creative in mapping out a legal strategy to meet their business needs. My experience as an appellate lawyer — including before the highest state and federal courts — enhances my ability to offer my clients a full-spectrum view of their matters. And as a case progresses, I am ready to deliver the level of written and oral advocacy necessary to execute our strategy.

Trial and appellate litigator Adam Ratliff focuses on complex and high-stakes matters, advising clients at all stages of business and contractual disputes — from pre-litigation planning through trial or arbitration and on appeal. Adam has particular experience in the automotive supply chain. This work includes counseling automotive clients on emergency supply disputes, having both successfully obtained and defended against emergency injunctions.

  • Represent several large automotive suppliers in a variety of supply-chain disputes
  • Both successfully obtained and defended against injunctive relief on behalf of automotive clients in supply-chain litigation
  • Represented manufacturing client in arbitration, obtaining an award equal to 100% of client’s claim
  • Member of multiple Warner teams defending against class actions
  • Represented environmental remediation company in federal fraud investigation; no charges were ever brought against the client

Appeals

  • Lee v. United States, 137 S.Ct. 1958 (2017): Member of the WNJ team that earned victory before the U.S. Supreme Court in a case about a defendant’s right to make an informed plea decision
  • Represent several large automotive suppliers in a variety of supply-chain disputes
  • Both successfully obtained and defended against injunctive relief on behalf of automotive clients in supply-chain litigation
  • Represented manufacturing client in arbitration, obtaining an award equal to 100% of client’s claim
  • Member of multiple Warner teams defending against class actions
  • Represented environmental remediation company in federal fraud investigation; no charges were ever brought against the client

Appeals

  • Lee v. United States, 137 S.Ct. 1958 (2017): Member of the WNJ team that earned victory before the U.S. Supreme Court in a case about a defendant’s right to make an informed plea decision when facing deportation as a possible penalty
  • Leapers, Inc. v. SMTS, LLC, 879 F.3d 731 (6th Cir. 2018): Obtained unanimous reversal of trial court decision that had found client’s product design functional and thus ineligible for trade dress protection
  • Hetterscheidt v. Aleris Specification Alloys, Inc., Case No. 16-2417 (6th Cir. 2017): Successfully defended the lower court’s grant of summary judgment to client in a case concerning the intentional fraud exception to Michigan’s Worker’s Disability Compensation Act
  • Magley v. M & W Incorporated, 926N.W.2d 1(Mich. Ct. App. 2018): Won reversal of trial court’s grant of summary disposition
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Adam T.
Ratliff

  • Partner
Detroit

My admin

When my clients find themselves embroiled in a dispute, my job is to be creative in mapping out a legal strategy to meet their business needs. My experience as an appellate lawyer — including before the highest state and federal courts — enhances my ability to offer my clients a full-spectrum view of their matters. And as a case progresses, I am ready to deliver the level of written and oral advocacy necessary to execute our strategy.

Trial and appellate litigator Adam Ratliff focuses on complex and high-stakes matters, advising clients at all stages of business and contractual disputes — from pre-litigation planning through trial or arbitration and on appeal. Adam has particular experience in the automotive supply chain. This work includes counseling automotive clients on emergency supply disputes, having both successfully obtained and defended against emergency injunctions.