Education
- Wayne State University Law School, Detroit, Michigan
- J.D., Doctor of Jurisprudence - 00/1981
- Honors: cum laude
- Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan
- B.A., Bachelor of Arts - 00/1977
- Honors: With high distinction; Phi Beta Kappa
Certified Legal Specialties
- Board Certified as a Civil Trial Advocate, National Board of Trial Advocacy, 2017 (Recertified 2021)
Professional Associations
- American College of Trial Lawyers, October 2021 to Present
- Michigan Association for Justice, Past-President (2019); current member of Executive Committee
- Michigan Association for Justice, Executive Board member, June, 1988 to present
- American Board of Trial Advocates, Officer since 2020; (currently Membership Chair); Associate Member since 1/2015
- American Association for Justice, Member, December, 1996 to present
- National Employment Lawyers Association, Member, June, 2014 to present
- Michigan Bar Association, Member, November,1981 to present
- State Bar Labor & Employment Law Section, Member
- Saginaw County Bar Association, Member
- Women Lawyers Association of Michigan, Member
Current Employment Position
- President, Managing Partner and Senior Trial Attorney -Freid, Gallagher, Taylor & Associates P.C.
Pro-Bono Activities
- Pro Bono legal work, 11/1981 to Present
- Holiday Adopt a Family, 12/2014 to 2018
- Big Brother/Big Sister, 9/2013 to 5/2014
- Judge in Mock Trial/ Moot Court for College Students, since 11/2013
- Flint Kids Safety Campaign, 4/2000 to 7/2000
- Ask the Lawyers, 4/2015
- Expungement Clinic 2021
Classes & Seminars
- Speaker at "Workers' Compensation and Employment Litigation", Michigan Trial Lawyers Association (now MAJ), 08/18/1995 to 08/18/1995
- Speaker, Institute for Continuing Education (ICLE), 05/02/1997 to 05/02/1997
- Speaker Workers' Compensation Law Update, Michigan Trial Lawyers Association (MAJ), 03/20/1998 to 03/20/1998
- Speaker, Michigan Trial Lawyers Association (MAJ), 04/23/1999 to 04/23/1999
- Speaker, Premises Liability "Open and Obvious", 11/21/2001 to 11/21/2001
- Speaker "What is really Non-Economic Loss and How to Translate it", Michigan Trial Lawyers Association (MAJ), 03/14/2003 to 03/14/2003
- Speaker- LIfe Cycle of a Case- Secrets of a Successful Plaintiff's Employment Law Practice, Institute for Continuing Education (ICLE), 04/07/2006 to 04/07/2006
- Moderator- ICLE 38th Annual Labor & Employment Law Seminar, ICLE, 04/04/2013 to 04/04/2013
- Speaker- Fundamentals of Employment Law Seminar, HR Certification Institute, 10/13/2013 to 10/13/2013
- Speaker- Value of an Employment Case Webinar, Institute for Continuing Legal Education (ICLE), 05/14/2014 to 05/14/2014
Practice Areas
- Employment Retaliation and Discrimination
- Sexual Harassment and Gender Identity
- Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and Disability Discrimination
- Civil Rights
- Whistleblowers’ Protection
- Wrongful Discharge/Severance/Non-Compete Agreement
- Police Misconduct
- Very Serious Personal Injuries
Honors
- Recipient of the State Bar Negligence Section-Earl Cline/Sherwin Schrier Award - May 2022
- Recipient of the MAJ Champion of Justice Award - May, 2022
- AV Rated - Preeminent by Martindale Hubbell* 5 out of 5
- Avvo Rating - Superb 10 out of 10
- Super Lawyer- by invitation-yearly since 2019
- Inducted into the American College of Trial Lawyers - by invitation- October 2021
- Associate Member of American Board of Trial Attorneys - by invitation-January 2015
- Recognized in Leading Lawyers, Michigan - June 2017
- Top 100 Trial Lawyers, National Trial Lawyers of America
- Michigan Women in the Law Recognition Award - 2017
- Award of Excellence – Michigan Association of Justice, Women’s Caucus, 2019
- Jean King Leadership Award Recipient - Women Lawyers Association of Michigan, 2019
- U.S. District Court, Eastern Division, Local Rules Committee, 7/2010 to 7/2015
Bar Admissions
- Michigan, 1981
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of Michigan, 1981
- U.S. District Court Western District of Michigan, 2007
- U.S. Court of Appeals 6th Circuit, 1982
- U.S. District Court Central District of Illinois, 2009
*AV®, AV Preeminent®, Martindale-Hubbell Distinguished and Martindale-Hubbell Notable are certification marks used under license in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies. Martindale-Hubbell® is the facilitator of a peer-review rating process. Ratings reflect the anonymous opinions of members of the bar and the judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Ratings™ fall into two categories – legal ability and general ethical standards.