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Attorney Profiles

Brian J. McKeen 
Detroit, Michigan
phone (313) 961-4400
fax 313-961-5985 (Penobscot Building)
email Email Me

Brian McKeen began practicing law in 1982. During his career, he has become a powerful advocate for his clients and one of the foremost medical malpractice attorneys in Michigan. He has tried cases throughout the United States. He currently sits on the executive boards of the Michigan Association for Justice (MAJ) and the American Association for Justice (AAJ). Mr. McKeen formerly served as chair of the AAJ Professional Negligence Section, Medical Negligence Exchange Group and Birth Trauma Litigation Group (BTLG).

Since 2001, McKeen & Associates has generated the year's top verdict in Michigan four times, including securing the state's largest medical malpractice verdict on record in 2001, when a jury rendered a verdict award of $55 million in the case of Hall v Henry Ford Health System. McKeen & Associates also topped all Michigan verdict awards in 2002, with an award of $22.5 million in the case of Blazo v McLaren Regional Medical Center, et al; in 2006 with an award of $16 million in the case of Lowe v Henry Ford Health System; and in 2007, with an award of $35 million in the case of Oppenheim v Aeneas C. Guiney. Mr. McKeen was recently inducted to The Inner Circle of Advocates.

Professional Associations and Memberships:

Inner Circle of Advocates – The Inner Circle of Advocates is an invitation-only group, limited to 100 lawyers of excellent character and integrity, representing people throughout the United States. To qualify, members must have tried at least 50 personal injury jury trials and at least three verdicts in excess of one million-dollars or one verdict in excess of ten million-dollars.

International Society of Primerus – Primerus is an international network of top-rated, independent, law firms that have earned the right to display the Primerus seal of quality. Candidates for membership must have the maximum AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell, the peer review rating source that lawyers use to find other lawyers. Further, a law firm must submit to a rigorous evaluation which includes candid assessments from judges, fellow attorneys, current and former clients, bar associations, and malpractice insurance carriers. Firms must also attest to their commitment to the exacting standards of the Six Pillars of Primerus Quality: Integrity, Excellent Work Product, Reasonable Fees, Continuing Legal Education, Civility, and Community Service. And it doesn't end there. Primerus firms are audited annually to ensure that they continue to be the “best of the best,” year after year.

American Association for Justice (AAJ)- Chair of the Professional Negligence Section 2006 – 2008; Co-chair of the Birth Trauma Litigation Group (BTLG); Co-chair of the AAJ's Medical Negligence Exchange Group 2005 – 2007 (MNIEG); Board of Governors; Leaders Forum; Sustaining Member; National Finance Counsel; Litigation Group Coordination Committee; Executive Board.

Areas of Practice:
Personal Injury Litigation
Medical Malpractice
Drug Product Liability
Bar Admissions:
Michigan, 1982
U.S. District Court Eastern District of Michigan, 1982
U.S. Court of Appeals 6th Circuit, 1982
U.S. Supreme Court, 1985
Education:
Thomas M. Cooley Law School, Lansing, Michigan, January, 1982
Juris Doctor
Honors: Moot Court Competition
Honors: Society of Barristers
Law Journal: Michigan Bar Journal, Current Law Notes Staff
Law Review: Pillar, Cooley Law School Newspaper, Contributor


Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, 1978
Bachelor of Science
Major:  Business Administration and Political Science


Classes/Seminars Taught:
Lecturer, Medical/Obstetrics and the Law, Boston University School of Medicine and the Center for Human Genetics


Honors and Awards:
Michigan Super Lawyers, 2006 - 2008


Top 100 Michigan Super Lawyers, 2007


Top 100 Michigan Super Lawyers, 2008


Michigan Lawyers Weekly "2006 Lawyers of the Year"


Professional Associations and Memberships:
American Association for Justice
Member


Michigan Association for Justice
Board of Directors


American Bar Association
Member


American Prepaid Legal Services Institute, 1983 - 1985
Board of Directors


State Bar of Michigan, Negligence Law, Arts, Communications, Entertainment and Sports Sections
Member


State Bar Appellate Court


Federal Bar Association


Oakland County Bar Association
Medical Legal Committee


Detroit Bar Association, Public Speakers Bureau
Board of Directors


Detroit Barristers Association


Wolverine Bar Association


Past Employment Positions:
Bleakley & McKeen, P.C., 1983 - 1998


Hon. Dorothy Comstock Riley, Michigan Court of Appeals, Law Clerk, 1982


Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan, Summer Intern, 1981


Hon. Robert C. Anderson, Oakland County Circuit Court, Pontiac, Michigan, Law Clerk, 1980 - 1981