Brian J. McKeen

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.

Education:

• Thomas M. Cooley Law School, Lansing, Michigan
  • J.D. - January, 1982
  • 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
  • B.S. - 1978
  • Major: Business Administration and Political Science

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

Areas of Practice:

• Personal Injury Litigation
• Medical Malpractice
• Drug Product Liability

Classes/Seminars:

• Lecturer, Medical/Obstetrics and the Law, Boston University School of Medicine and the Center for Human Genetics

Honors and Awards:

• Michigan Super Lawyers, 2006 - 2010
• 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, Board of Directors, 1983 - 1985
• 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