Michelle C. Harrell

Michelle Harrell is a litigation attorney and strategic legal consultant. During her 30+ years in practice in Michigan state and several federal courts. Michelle’s experience ranges from multimillion-dollar disputes among multi-national corporations to neighbors involved in boundary-line disputes to trust beneficiaries’ claims to an estate and everything in-between. Client goals are always the priority. Because often the best result for the client is to avoid the expense and burden of litigation, she has counseled clients how to avoid litigation or to creatively and quickly resolve disputes. Michelle has served as a court appointed receiver (in commercial litigation and family/domestic matters) and represented other receivers in fulfilling their role, seeking court approvals, and strategizing and defending against claims. Michelle serves as a AAA/ICDR-appointed and privately-retained arbitrator and mediator in complex commercial, construction, real estate, employment and domestic relations/trust matters.

Michelle earned a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting, summa cum laude, from the University of Detroit in 1990 and a Juris Doctor, cum laude, from Wayne State University Law School in 1993, along with several awards for first-in-class. Michelle was appointed to the State Bar of Michigan Alternative Dispute Resolution Council in 2023.

Michelle is the Treasurer of the State Bar of Michigan, Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee, and a member of its Executive Committee. Michelle is a Barrister Emeritus in the American Inn of Court, Oakland County Chapter, a Mentor in the Oakland County Bar Association Mentor Program and an Oakland County Circuit Court Case Evaluator (Complex Commercial Neutral). Michelle has served as the Chair of the State Bar of Michigan, U.S. Courts Committee. Michelle also served a member of the Planning Commission for the City of Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan.

• Obtained an emergency injunction and prevented demolition and damage to a client’s two office towers and parking easement in Pontiac, Michigan by the City of Pontiac’s Emergency Manager and its Mayor and Oakland County and, after extensive litigation, more than $14,000,000 in settlement.
• Enforced Corporate Grant of $2,750,000 in Court Due to Southwest Michigan First Community Organization from Pfizer, Inc.
• Won a $40,000,000 Court Verdict as Plaintiff’s Co-Counsel in Sandstone v. City of Novi to Enforce Developer’s Rights and Obtain Damages for City’s Land Use Violations which ultimately resulted in a settlement of more than $72,000,000.

• Speaker: “Real Estate Litigation with Michelle Harrell,” Litigation War Room Podcast, Feb. 8, 2024
• Moderator: “How Detroit Solved Its Bankruptcy Crisis,” for National Association of Women Judges, October 2022
• Speaker: “Non-Competes/Non-Disclosure Agreements,” Emp. Symposium, February 2014
• Speaker: “Accountant-Client Privilege in Litigation,” Tax Symposium, June 2012
• Speaker: “Michigan’s New Business Court System,” OCBA, March 2013
• Presenter: ICLE “Entrepreneur Institute’: Lawyer as an Entrepreneur’s Partner, May 2015
• Presenter/Organizer: “No Place Like Home” – Homeownership Program, Detroit
• Author: “Caveat Receiver: Practical Tips for Serving as a Court Appointed Receiver,” Michigan Bar Journal, August 2008