Detroit Trial Attorney Lawrence Charfoos Files Lawsuit Against His Former Law Firm to Stop the Use of His Name

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(Detroit, MI) – January 25, 2010 – Prominent Detroit trial attorney Lawrence Charfoos through his attorneys Faintuck, Shwedel, & Wolfram, filed a lawsuit this past Friday in Oakland County Circuit Court that seeks a “permanent injunctive order against Defendants David Christensen, J. Douglas Peters, and Charfoos & Christensen P.C. directing them to stop using the name Charfoos in the law firm name of Charfoos & Christensen, P.C.” The six count complaint also seeks money damages for settled and pending case fees that Charfoos alleges are owed him.

This past fall Lawrence Charfoos told the defendants that he was leaving Charfoos & Christensen P.C. to form a new association with former Wayne County Circuit Court Chief Judge William Giovan and immigration attorney Robert Birach. Recently Charfoos publicly announced the formation of Charfoos, Giovan, and Birach L.L.P.

Although in recent years he has primarily limited his practice to complex business litigation, Charfoos first gained national prominence in the 1970’s after obtaining numerous multi-million dollar jury verdicts in products liability and medical malpractice cases. As his practice grew he invited among others David Christensen and former Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer to join the firm that had become nationally known for tort litigation.

According to a lawsuit exhibit, the firm name Charfoos, Christensen, and Archer P.C. was changed to Charfoos & Christensen P.C. in 1986, the same year Dennis Archer was appointed to the Michigan Supreme Court.

On October 11, 2009 Crain’s Detroit Business reported that “Charfoos & Christensen will not change its name.”

“By continuing to use his last name in their law firm title, the defendants have caused confusion for Mr. Charfoos’s present and future clients,” said Marvin Shwedel, the attorney representing Lawrence Charfoos. “It’s very flattering that my client’s old firm wants to continue to associate themselves with the Charfoos name and its stellar reputation in the legal community, but it is wrong. David Christensen has a fine name in the legal community and it can stand on its own without the necessity of using the Charfoos name.”

“We attempted to resolve these matters amicably on several occasions with the defendants, but to no avail, and so under the circumstances Mr. Charfoos had no choice but to file this lawsuit,” said Shwedel.

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