Practice areas: Personal Injury; view more
Licensed in Ohio since: 1994
Education: The University of Toledo College of Law
Selected to Super Lawyers: 2005 - 2007, 2015 - 2026 Call today:
440-794-7429
The Law Firm for Truck Safety
3232 Executive ParkwaySte 106
Toledo, OH 43606 Visit website
Michael Leizerman is a highly regarded attorney based in Toledo, Ohio, where he practices law with The Law Firm for Truck Safety. Admitted to the Ohio State Bar Association in 1994, he brings more than 28 years of experience to his plaintiff personal injury practice. His primary concentration lies in truck accident cases, though his firm also provides representation for victims of car accidents and wrongful death.
Contributing significantly to the field of truck accident litigation, Mr. Leizerman has co-authored "Litigating Truck Accident Cases" (West, 2006) and “The Zen Lawyer: Winning with Mindfulness” in Trial Guides, texts considered authoritative within the legal community. He is also a co-founder of the Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys (ATAA) and frequently presents on truck accident litigation.
Mr. Leizerman’s career achievements include securing over $100 million in settlements and verdicts for individuals injured in truck accidents. He has won a $34 million settlement for a client in a rear-end crash case, which resulted in an amputation and traumatic brain injury; $22.75 million settlement for a client who was paralyzed due to an accident; and $18.5 million verdict for a wrongful death case.
Recognized for his legal acumen, Mr. Leizerman has received the highest peer-review rating of AV Preeminent* through Martindale-Hubbell. He holds a “10.0” rating on Avvo and is listed among the National Trial Lawyers Top 100 and America's Top 100 High Stakes Litigators. He has also been board-certified as a truck accident lawyer and civil trial advocate by The National Board of Trial Advocacy.
Mr. Leizerman earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Toledo College of Law in 1994 and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Michigan in 1991. In Ohio, he is also admitted to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio and the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the 5th, 6th and 9th Circuits.
*AV®, AV Preeminent®, Martindale-Hubbell Distinguished and Martindale-Hubbell Notable are certification marks used under license in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies. Martindale-Hubbell® is the facilitator of a peer-review rating process. Ratings reflect the anonymous opinions of members of the bar and the judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Ratings™ fall into two categories – legal ability and general ethical standards.
Practice areas
Personal Injury - General: PlaintiffFocus areas
Motor Vehicle Accidents, Personal Injury - Plaintiff, Trucking Accidents, Wrongful Death
- 100% Personal Injury - General: Plaintiff
First Admitted: 1994, Ohio
Professional Webpage: https://truckaccidents.com/lawyers/michael-leizerman/
Bar / Professional Activity
- New York, 2017
- Illinois, 2017
- Michigan, 1995
- Past President, Toledo Area Trial Lawyers
- Tennessee, 1995
- U.S. District Court of New Mexico
- Executive Board Member, American Association for Justice, 2002 - Present
- Michigan, 1995
- U.S. District Court Southern District of Ohio
- U.S. District Court Northern District of Indiana
- Member, Multi-Million Dollar Advocate Forum
- Ohio, 1994
- Chairman, Interstate Trucking Litigation Group, American Association for Justice, 2002 - 2003
- Member, Toledo Bar Association
- U.S. District Court Northern District of Ohio
- U.S. District Court Middle District of Tennessee
- Member, Center for Professional Responsibility (operated by ABA)
- U.S. Court of Appeals 6th Circuit
- Ohio Association of Justice
- Member, Trial Lawyers for Public Justice
- Tennessee, 1995
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of Michigan
- Member, Litigation Section, American Bar Association
- U.S. District Court Southern District of Texas
Verdicts / Settlements (Case Results)
- $10 million settlement- multi fatality truck accident in Ohio, 2018
- $10.99 million - truck crash verdict, Columbus Ohio, 2016
- $12 Million truck crash settlement, 2015
- $34 Million truck crash settlement, 2014
- $16 milion verdict - Estate of Amanda Poe v. Jurgensen. Warren County, OH. The Poe car rear-ended a large truck on I-75 when the truck slowly entered the fast lane at night. Amanda was in her 20s and was not survived by children nor a spouse. The verdict was for her mother's consortium claim. , 2013
- $13.2 million verdict - Bachrach v. Covenant Transportation, Truck Accident Description: Consortium claim for mother and father of 31 year old man killed on 1-10, Phoenix, AZ, March, 2012
Special Licenses / Certifications
- Board Certified Civil Trial Advocate, National Board of Trial Advocacy (recertified 2013 and 2018), 2008
- Board-Certified in Truck Accident Law, National Board of Trial Advocacy (recertified 2023)
- Board Certified in Truck Accident Law, National Board of Trial Advocacy, 2018
Educational Background
- University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America, A.B. in Philosophy, Film & Video Studies, 1988 - 1991
- Gerry Spence Trial Lawyers College, Dubois, Wyoming, 2008
Scholarly Lectures / Writings
- Handling Motor Vehicle Accident Cases, 2nd Ed., Vol. 3—Truck Accident Litigation chapter, 2004, West Publishing
- Finding Insurance in Truck Crash Cases, Trial Magazine, February 2008 (peer-reviewed)
- The Zen Lawyer: Winning with Mindfulness, Trial Guides, 2018
- Work Group Leader Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys (ATAA) New Lawyer Bootcamp (March 29-April 1, 2023)
- “Cell Phones and Apps in Trucks, App-Driven Trucking” Ohio Association for Justice 2023 Annual Convention (May 3-5, 2023)
- Work Group Leader Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys (ATAA) Educational Program for Women Plaintiffs Truck Lawyers (May 27 – June 1, 2023)
- “The Power of Linking Liability to Damages to Increase Verdicts,” Michigan Association for Justice 2023 Summer Convention (June 6 -9, 2023)
- “Uncovering the Hidden Truths: How Downloading All Cell Phone Data Can Transform Your Truck Crash Case” Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys (ATAA) Symposium (September 27-29, 2023)
- Multiple Presentations Zen Lawyer Workshop, Toledo, OH (Oct 18-22, 2023)
- “Personal Injury Ethics: Clarifying the Rules for Referrals, Fee Sharing, and Co-Counsel Agreements,” Strafford Publishing Webinar (November 2023)
- “Navigating the Complex World of Trucking Litigation,” Truck Crash Master Class (January 16, 2024)
- “Maximizing Recoveries in Construction Zone Crashes; Plus Finding All Coverage and Parties,” Truck Crash Master Class (January 30, 2024)
- “Trial Examples and Real World Applications,” Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys, 2024 Advanced Program, Charlotte, NC (March 20-22, 2024)
- “Technology in Trucking Cases,” New Jersey Association for Justice Boardwalk Seminar (April 17-19, 2024)
- “Practical Application from the Plaintiff's Perspective", "Expert vs Expert: Strategies to Focus on for Questioning Truck Drivers and Experts,” ATAA/Legacy Truck Driving Program (May 29-31, 2024)
- Moderator, Interstate Trucking Group of AAJ, San Francisco, July 19, 2003
- Using the internet to research truck accident cases, American Association for Justice, Phoenix, October 22, 2004
- Using the internet to research truck accident cases, Interstate Trucking Group of AAJ, Toronto, July 22, 2005
- Using the internet to research truck accident cases, Litigating Truck Accident Cases, Las Vegas, October 21, 2006
- Author of the Thomson West/AAJ three-volume treatise, Litigating Truck Accident Cases.
- Litigating Truck Collisions: Critical investigation to prove your client’s case, American Association for Justice, (national teleseminar), January 23, 2007
- Internet primer; finding additional coverage in truck accident cases, Interstate Trucking Group of AAJ, Chicago, June 22, 2007
- Punitive damages in large truck cases, Tennessee Association for Justice, Nashville, October 5, 2007
- Internet discovery in truck cases; trucking insurance coverage, Arkansas Trial Lawyer’s Association, Arkansas, November 2, 2007
- Statutory violations in truck litigation, American Association for Justice, New Orleans, February 8, 2008
- Finding insurance in truck litigation, American Association for Justice, Philadelphia, July 12, 2008
- National teleseminar, Finding insurance in truck cases, West Legal Center/Association of Plaintiff Interstate Trucking Lawyers of America, August 4, 2009
- Instructor, Discovery presentation, SafeStat/CSA presentation, Litigating Truck Collision Cases College, Atlanta, October 9 - 12, 2009
- Cognitive Science in Truck Litigation, Arkansas Trial Lawyer’s Association, Arkansas, November 13, 2009
- Dealing with the standard defenses in a trucking case, Litigating Truck Collision Cases Seminar, New Orleans, February 26, 2010
- Insurance Coverage in Truck Cases, Litigating Truck Collision Cases Seminar, Las Vegas, October 9, 2010
- Litigating Truck Collision Cases: “Rules,” “Reptiles,” & Experts Seminar, Maximizing damages in a trucking collision case using Rules, Reptiles, and Experts, Atlanta, May 20, 2011
- Shifting Cargo cases, Trucking Litigation Exposed, New Orleans, June 14, 2011
- Persuasion at Trial from Aristotle to fMRI, American Association for Justice National Convention, New York, July 11, 2011
- Using metaphor focus groups in truck accident cases, AAJ Trucking College, Kansas City, September 21 - 24, 2011
- Evaluating Common Causes of Accidents and Mastering Liability Theories, Litigating Trucking Accident Injury Claims, Strafford Publishing Webinar, April 11, 2012
- Using Technology at Trial, Truck Case Jurisdiction & Insurance Coverage – Parties and Strategies, New Jersey Association for Justice, April 26 - 27, 2012
- Finding All the Insurance Coverage and Defendants, Ohio Association for Justice, May 4, 2012
- California Truck Accident Seminar, Climbing Inside the Skin of the Truck Driver, and Demonstration of Psychodramatic Technique in Trucking Cases (with Joe Fried), May 19, 2012
- 360 Advocacy – How to Win Trucking Cases National Seminar, Distracted Driving—Cell Phone Use, Hours of Service, Log Audit and Fatigue, and Closing Argument—Asking for the Money, Las Vegas, August 27 - 29
- Ohio Association for Justice Trucking Seminar, Examining the Truck Driver and Safety Director, September 13, 2012
- Maximizing Damages, Arizona Association for Justice Advanced Trial Advocacy Conference, October 26, 2012
- Author of the treatise Litigating Truck Accident Cases, published by West Publishing the world's largest legal publisher, 2005
- Finding all the Insurance Coverage in Trucking Cases, Advanced Motor Vehicle Litigation National Conference, Las Vegas, November 18, 2012
- Finding Insurance in Truck Crash Cases, Trial Magazine, February 2008
- Adjunct Professor, University of Toledo College of Law, 2001 - 2006
- Punitive damages in large truck cases, Interstate Trucking Group of American Association for justice, Atlanta, July 20, 2002
- Panel Member, What is Justice? A review of Plato’s Republic and Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail, Kiroff Bench/Bar, 2003
- Sample Opening statement using courtroom technology, Trial Techniques, Toledo Bar Association, November 21, 2003
- Avoiding Malpractice During Settlements – Protecting the Client’s Interests, Toledo Bar Association, September 12, 2003
Office location for Michael Leizerman
3232 Executive Parkway
Ste 106
Toledo, OH 43606
Phone: 440-794-7429
Selections
- Super Lawyers: 2005 - 2007, 2015 - 2026
