Henry W. Saad

Retired Judge and former Chief Judge of the Michigan Court of Appeals Henry W. Saad serves as special counsel in Plunkett Cooney's Appellate Law Practice Group.

A member of the firm's Bloomfield Hills office, Judge Saad leverages his years of experience and legal counsel to the members of the appellate group who represent clients in litigation across the country. He also executes day-to-day responsibilities for a variety of multi-million dollar cases focused on complex business litigation in areas ranging from automotive to antitrust to complex contract and intellectual property.

During his over 50-year legal career, Judge Saad’s experience includes 27 years in private practice where he built a national reputation as a leading attorney specializing in complex drug liability litigation, media, libel law, labor and employment law and school law. This includes handling related appeals that resulted in nearly 20 published opinions. During his career as a lawyer and his tenure on the Michigan Court of Appeals, Judge Saad taught evidence, ethics and labor law for over 40 years as an adjunct professor at Wayne State University Law School and University of Detroit Mercy Law School.

In 1994, former Gov. John Engler appointed Saad to the Michigan Court of Appeals, a role he held for 23 years, including a term as Chief Judge of the Michigan Court of Appeals. During his tenure, Judge Saad served on the Governor's Task Force for Abused Children, and he also served as the Chair of the appellate court's Education Committee. Judge Saad was nominated to the federal district court by President George H.W. Bush and to the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit Court by President George W. Bush. Judge Saad retired from the appellate court in 2017.

In addition, while practicing law, Judge Saad served as a hearing referee for the Michigan Department of Civil Rights, and he served as an arbitrator for the Michigan Employment Relations Commission.