Plunkett Cooney attorney, Michael D. Hanchett, was recently selected by the Lawyers for Civil Justice (LCJ) as a member of the organization’s Fellows Class of 2024.

The LCJ executive committee unanimously voted to include Hanchett in the three-year program based on his extensive experience and expertise in governmental law and employment liability. 

Since 1987, LCJ has promoted excellence and fairness in the civil justice system by working to meet the needs of its corporate and defense counsel members and confronting the challenges of business litigation. The LCJ Fellows program works to identify potential future leaders and rising defense bar talent with emphasis on those who offer a unique and fresh perspective to civil justice and civil litigation rules advocacy. During the Fellowship, Hanchett will engage in policy and rule reform alongside some of the leading defense and corporate counsel in the country. 

Hanchett, who works in Plunkett Cooney’s Bloomfield Hills office, is a member of the firm's Governmental Law and Labor & Employment Law practice groups. He defends public-sector clients in a variety of litigation with particular expertise in police liability, including searches and seizures, use of force and corrections law. His practice also includes the defense of employment law disputes involving such issues as alleged discrimination, retaliation and civil rights claims brought under state and federal statutes. Hanchett also serves as a Special Assistant Attorney General for the state of Michigan.   

Hanchett is a member of the Federal Bar Association for the Eastern District of Michigan, where he co-chairs the civil rights section and serves on the newsletter committee. He is also a member of the DRI’s Construction Law, Insurance Law and Young Lawyers committees. Hanchett is also active in the Oakland County and American bar associations, as well as the State Bar of Michigan’s Government Law and Labor and Employment sections.

Designated by Best Lawyers as one of their Ones to Watch in municipal law since 2021, Hanchett routinely speaks to various police and municipal organizations. Admitted to practice law in state and federal courts in Michigan, he received his law degree from the University of Toledo College of Law in 2016 and his undergraduate degree from Ferris State University in 2013.

Established in 1913, Plunkett Cooney is a leading provider of business law and litigation services to clients in the private and public sectors. The firm employs approximately 130 attorneys in seven Michigan cities, Chicago, Illinois, Columbus, Ohio and Indianapolis, Indiana.

The firm has achieved the highest rating (AV) awarded by Martindale-Hubbell, a leading peer review service, and has received Mansfield Rule Certification for midsize law firms, which recognizes leaders in diversity, equity and inclusion within the legal industry.

For more information about Michael Hanchett joining the LCJ Fellowship program, contact the firm’s Director of Marketing and Business Development John Cornwell at (248) 901-4008; jcornwell@plunkettcooney.com.

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