About the Attorneys

Jesse Reiter, J.D., Rebecca Walsh, J.D.

Reiter & Walsh, P.C., is the professional corporation law firm which owns and operates American Baby & Child Law Centers. The two senior partners of the firm are Jesse Reiter, J.D. and Rebecca Walsh, J.D.

Jesse M. Reiter, Juris Doctor

Michigan Birth Injury Attorney Jesse Reiter

Recognized as being among the best birth injury lawyers in the nation, attorney Jesse M. Reiter is owner of Reiter & Walsh, P.C. and American Baby & Child Law Centers. He is a past president of the Michigan Association for Justice (MAJ). was recently named a 2012 Michigan Lawyer's Weekly Leader in the Law. Only 25 attorneys are chosen for this honor from a wide pool of nominated attorneys and judges. The Lawyer's Weekly panel selects the Leaders in the Law honorees based on multiple factors including their commitment to legal practice, record of winning cases, character, and integrity. Mr. Reiter was also named a "Michigan Lawyer's Weekly" Lawyer of the Year in 2006. In a Michigan Lawyers Weekly article he was described as being one of three "medical malpractice gurus….(who) have secured nearly one-third of the total $32.6 million in reported settlements."

Mr. Reiter began his legal career with a major law firm in Detroit. After years of honing his medical malpractice expertise, he formed American Baby & Child Law Centers. Jesse Reiter is admitted to practice in Michigan, Washington, D.C., Ohio and the United States Supreme Court.

A native of Kensington, Maryland, Jesse Reiter earned a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science with high honors from the University of Michigan in 1984 and his Juris Doctorate from DePaul University College of Law in 1987. He worked for two federal judges and a prominent Chicago malpractice defense firm while in law school. Starting out as a defender of hospitals and doctors in 1987, Mr. Reiter also served as an adjunct professor of legal writing at the Detroit Mercy College of Law.

In 1989, when he began doing plaintiff’s work, attorney Jesse Reiter joined the Michigan Association for Justice (MAJ), one of the nations’ most powerful pro-plaintiff bar associations. In this position, Jesse Reiter is immediately aware of - and contributes to - changes in laws which affect patients’ rights on a daily basis. Since he joined in 1989, Mr. Reiter has been a sustaining member of MAJ. He has risen through the ranks from being on the Executive Board in 1995; the Constitutional Challenge Committee in 1997; Chair of the Coalition/Community Action Committee 2000-2002; Treasurer from 2002-2003; Secretary from 2003-2004; Vice-President from 2004-2005; President-Elect from 2005-2006; and President from 2006-2007. It is because of Jesse Reiter's character and reputation as an outstanding person and trial lawyer that his colleagues and peers elected Jesse to serve as president, the highest leadership position within the Michigan Association for Justice.

Attorney Jesse Reiter serves as a case evaluator in Michigan's Wayne and Oakland Counties and is a frequent speaker and moderator at seminars. He is involved in the American Association for Justice (AAJ) where he served as Co-Chair of the Birth Trauma Litigation Group from 2010-2012 and was re-elected as Co-Chair again in 2013. He is a Fellow of the AAJ National College of Advocacy, participating regularly in intensive focus group workshops. Mr. Reiter served as co-editor of the Birth Trauma Litigation Group Newsletter from 2010 through 2011 and is currently editor of the AAJ's Professional Negligence Section newsletter and Secretary of the Professional Negligence Section. Mr. Reiter has been a member of the MAJ Judicial Qualifications Committee since 2004 and has been Co-Chair of that committee since 2008. Mr. Reiter is also a member of the District of Columbia Bar Association, the Michigan Bar Association, the Oakland County Bar Association (Past Chair, Negligence Committee), the American Bar Association, the Ohio Association for Justice, the Medical Malpractice Trial Lawyers Association, the Academy of Trial Advocacy, and the Million Dollar Advocates Forum. He is a lifetime member of The Fellows of the Michigan State Bar Foundation. Mr. Reiter has also appeared in Who's Who in American Law, Who's Who, and Who's Who Among Rising Young Americans. He is currently listed in Best Lawyers in America (since 2008), Michigan Super Lawyers Magazine (since 2008), DBusiness Magazine's Top Lawyers in Metro Detroit, Crain's Detroit Business's The Best Lawyers in Metro Detroit and under Metro Detroit’s Top Ten Personal Injury Lawyers.

Mr. Reiter makes extensive use of focus groups and mock trials in his daily law practice and trial preparation. His wife Susan, is a trial consultant and co-owner and president of InFocus Research Group, a corporation which conducts mock trials and focus groups. This allows Mr. Reiter to test cases on a frequent basis. Mr. Reiter and his wife were interviewed and featured in an article about the value of focus groups which appeared in Michigan Lawyers Weekly's January 29, 2007 edition, entitled: "Test Driving Arguments - Focus Groups and Mock Juries Could Mean the Difference between Winning and Losing."

Jesse Reiter has a passion for the practice of law and achieves a great sense of personal satisfaction from helping injured kids and their families. He enjoys the challenges of cross-examination and finds nothing more satisfying than a hard-fought cross-examination where a doctor or nurse admits to malpractice. Many times he has been able to discover that medical records were altered to cover up malpractice. Jesse Reiter's drive is fueled by his desire to help his young clients to obtain their dream of semi-independent living and some semblance of a normal life.

"As a young boy growing up, I remember my father telling me: 'There are people who represent the people and there are people who represent the powerful and we, in our family, represent the people.' I have never forgotten these words. I bring to my work a burning desire to help the people - injured children and their families - to the best of my ability each and every day." Mr. Reiter has won multiple million dollar settlements and verdicts for injured kids for many years now. Meticulous attention to detail and exhaustive preparation are the keys to success. "I tell people I have the greatest job in the world and it's true." By Jesse Reiter

Education

DePaul University College of Law, Juris Doctrate
University of Michigan, Bachelors Degree in Political Science

Memberships & Appointments

State Bar of Michigan
United States District Court
Eastern District of Michigan
Western District of Michigan
Additional states admitted to practice: Ohio, Washington D.C.
Oakland County Bar Association
American Bar Association
American Association for Justice, Member
Birth Trauma Litigation Group, Co-Chair 2010-2012, 2013-present
Birth Trauma Litigation Group, Co-Editor of Birth Trauma Litigation Group Newletter, 2010-2011
Birth Trauma Litigation Group, Executive Board
Professional Negligence Section, Secretary
Professional Negligence Section Newsletter, Editor
National College of Advocacy, Fellow
Michigan Association for Justice, Sustaining Member
President, 2006-2007
President-Elect, 2005-2006
Vice President, 2004-2005
Secretary, 2003-2004
Treasurer, 2002-2003
Chair of the Coalition/Community Action Committee, 2000-2002
Constitutional Challenge Committee, 1997
Executive Board Member, 1995
Judicial Qualifications Committee, member since 2004, Co-Chair since 2008
Michigan State Bar Foundation, Fellow
Medical Malpractice Trial Lawyers Association
Academy of Trial Advocacy
Ohio Association for Justice, Member
Million Dollar Advocates Forum
Lawyer.com, Premium Member

Awards

Selected as one of the "Leaders in the Law," Michigan Lawyers Weekly, 2012
"Best Lawyers in America," Best Lawyers, 2007-2013
AV-Preeminent Rated, Martindale-Hubbell, 2012
"Top Lawyers in Metro Detroit," dbusiness Magazine, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013
"Top 10 Personal Injury Lawyers," Metro Detroit, 2008
"Best Lawyers in Metro Detroit," Crain's Detroit Business, 2008
"Best Law Firms," U.S. News & World Report/Best Lawyers, 2008-2013
"Lawyer of the Year," Michigan Lawyers Weekly, 2006
Listed in Michigan Super Lawyers Magazine, 2008-2012

Lectures and Seminars

May, 1998: Speaker, MAJ Rapid Fire Seminar entitled "Medical Record Alterations."
November 7, 2003: Moderator, MAJ Medical Malpractice Seminar entitled "Medical Malpractice."
December 3, 2004: Moderator, MAJ Medical Malpractice Seminar entitled "Medical Malpractice: Winning in a Hostile Environment."
May 13, 2005: Speaker, MAJ Annual Rapid Fire Seminar entitled "Focus Groups: Not just for Trial any More."
May 14, 2005: Moderator, 60th Annual MAJ Banquet
May 22, 2005: Speaker, MAJ Evening Forum: "Daubert/Frye: Using Science to Prove Your Claim." - Topic: Birth Trauma and Daubert/Frye.
May 13, 2006: Speaker, 61st Annual MAJ Banquet
September, 23, 2006 - Speaker/Participant in Mock Trial Presentation - "American Association of Nurse Life Care Planners 6th Annual Educational Conference."
October 6, 2006 - Moderator, MAJ Medical Malpractice Seminar entitled "Michigan Medmal Law Update Caution: Not for the Faint of Heart."
November 2, 2006 - Guest Lecturer, University of Detroit Mercy Law School, Lecture entitled "Admissibility of Scientific Evidence : Daubert; Davis-Frye."
January 25, 2007 - Featured Speaker, MAJ 2007 Deposition Workshop - a Legal Workshop for New Lawyers and Student Members.
May 4, 2007 - Speaker, Rapid Fire Seminar, Using Focus Groups Early in Discovery: Learning your Strengths and Weaknesses in Time to Make a Difference.
October 11, 2007 - Moderator, MAJ Medical Malpractice Seminar entitled "The Medical Malpractice (ISN'T) For Dummies Seminar."
November 27, 2007 - Guest Lecturer, University of Detroit Mercy Law School, Lecture entitled "Admissibility of Scientific Evidence : Daubert; Davis-Frye."
2008 - Article Reviewer, American Association for Justice, Professional Negligence Law Reporter.
"Emergency Cesarean Sections: When 30 Minutes is Not Fast Enough" published in the Birth Trauma Litigation Group Newsletter for July, 2008
“Oxytocin: The New ‘High Alert’ Medication”, co-authored with Juliana Plastiras, published in the Birth Trauma Litigation Group Newsletter for July, 2009
November 13, 2008 - Moderator, MAJ Medical Malpractice Seminar entitled "Your Medical Malpractice Case Still Needs Critical Care: The Essential Updates."
Quoted in Michigan Lawyers Weekly Article “Majority rules on `majority’ rule”, Vol. 23, No. 27 May 18, 2009
Speaker/Participant in American Association of Nurse Life Care Planners 7th Annual Educational Conference” (October, 2009)
November 12, 2009 - Moderator, MAJ Medical Malpractice Seminar entitled "Seeking Recovery for Medical Malpractice in Michigan: Is There Light at the End of the Tunnel?"
Co-Editor, BTLG Newsletter July, 2009 - July, 2011
July, 2010: Speaker, AAJ Annual Covention, Birth Trauma Litigation Group Seminar Presentation entitled "Vaginal Birth after Cesarean Section (“VBAC”)"
November 12, 2010 - Moderator, MAJ Medical Malpractice Seminar entitled "Winning Strategies for Med Mal Cases."
November 29, 2010 - Co-Author, “Solving the statute of limitations puzzle for minors in medical malpractice cases”, Published in Michigan Lawyers Weekly, Vol. 25, No. 3
2011, Awarded American Association for Justice’s 2011 Outstanding Newsletter for the Professional Negligence Section Fall 2011 Newsletter
Moderator, AAJ’s Litigating Medical Negligence and Injured Infant Cases Seminar – April 8-9, 2011 in Miami, FL
Winter/Spring, 2011 - Author, “Letter from the Editor”, Published in the Professional Negligence Newsletter, Vol. 18, No. 1
January, 2011; July, 2011 & February, 2012 - Co-Author, “Letter from the Co-Chairs”, Published in the Birth Trauma Litigation Group Newsletters - Summer and Winter 2011 Editions
October 14 - 15, 2011 - Coordinator & Moderator - Birth Trauma Conference in Amsterdam, held jointly by the American Association for Justice’s Birth trauma Litigation Group and the Pan European Organization of Personal Injury Lawyers
November, 2011: Speaker, MAJ New Lawyers “Expert Deposition Workshop” : Presentation titled “Cross-Exam of Defendants – Getting Admissions.”
December 2, 2011 - Moderator, MAJ Medical Malpractice Seminar
February, 2012 - Co-Author, “Forcep Deliveries: Are They Worth The Risk?” Published in the Birth Trauma Litigation Group Newsletter
February 12, 2012 - Coordinator and moderator - Birth Trauma Litigation Group seminar at the American Association for Justice's Winter Convention in Phoenix, AZ.
July 29, 2012 - Coordinator and moderator - Birth Trauma Litigation Group seminar at the American Association for Justice's Summer Convention in Chicago, IL.
November 30, 2012 - Moderator for Michigan Association for Justice's Medical Malpractice seminar.
February 10, 2013 - Coordinator and moderator - Birth Trauma Litigation Group seminar at the American Association for Justice's Winter Convention in Miami, FL.

Interviews

Repeat guest on the Charlie Langton Show ( WXYT AM 1270)
Radio Interview - Jesse Reiter Interviewed on Ringler Radio about challenges facing lawyers in the State of Michigan (2007).
Radio Interview as part of WJLB Coats for Kids Charity Drive - November 7, 2008.

Rebecca Walsh

Michigan Birth Injury Attorney Rebecca Walsh Rebecca Walsh began her career working in the insurance industry both as a claims adjuster and as defense counsel. She also taught Legal Methods at Cooley Law School as an adjunct professor. In 2010, she was accepted at the Gerry Spence Trial Lawyers College and successfully completed that program in July, 2010. For the past 20 years she has worked as a trial attorney on high profile personal injury lawsuits and successfully obtaining numerous verdicts and settlements in excess of $1 million for her clients.

Rebecca is a member of the AAJ’s Birth Trauma Litigation Group, and a sustaining member of Michigan Association for Justice, where she serves on the executive board and on several committees, including the Amicus Committee. She has been chair of the Daubert section of the Amicus Committee since 2006.

Rebecca’s recent accolades include the prestigious "Top 50 Women Michigan Super Lawyers 2012;" Best Lawyers in America 2013; selection by Michigan Lawyers Weekly as one of the 2012 Women in the Law; recognition for the pro bono work she did with Trial Lawyers Care (TLC) representing victims of 9/11 to receive compensation for their injuries after the terrorist attacks; being named Michigan Association for Justice Pacesetter and her selection to Michigan Super Lawyers in 2010, 2011, and 2012. Rebecca is frequently invited to speak on legal issues, including insurance litigation and trial practices, and has published several articles on these topics.

Education

Thomas M. Cooley Law School, Juris Doctor
Central Michigan University, Bachelor of Science in Business Administration

Memberships & Appointments

State Bar of Michigan, 1991
United States District Court
Eastern District of Michigan, 1996
Western District of Michigan, 2007
Additional States Admitted to Practice Pro Hac Vice: Alaska, Arizona, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi, New Mexico, South Carolina, Virginia
American Association for Justice Member – 2011
Birth Trauma Litigation Group Member - 2011
Michigan Association for Justice – Sustaining Member
Executive Board, 2007- Present
Amicus Committee, 2006-Present; Co-Chair Daubert/Causation 2006-Present
Community Coalition Committee Co-Chair, 2007-2008
Young Lawyers Committee Co-Chair, 2007-Present
Media Committee
People’s Law School Committee
Mentor law students
Ronald McDonald House Charities Board of Directors – 2009 - Present
Thomas M. Cooley Law School
Alumni Association Board of Governors
Extern Supervisor
Student Mentor
National Trial Team Member – John Marshall Competition
Delta Theta Phi Law Fraternity
Federal Bar Association Member – 2008-2010
Justice Caucus Board of Directors – 2009 – present
Oakland Gymnastics Booster Club, Founder and President, 2008-Present
Huron Valley School Board, Elected to a four year term beginning January, 2010
Auxiliary Committee – 2010
Education Committee – 2010-2011
Athletics Committee – 2010-2011
Middle School Utilization Committee – 2010-2011
Communications Committee Chair – 2010-2011
Huron Valley Schools, Year Round Task Force, 2008
Recipient of the Certified Board Member Award and the Award of Merit from the Michigan Association of School Boards.

Awards

Selected as one of the "Top 50 Women Michigan Super Lawyers 2012"
"Best Lawyers in America," Best Lawyers, 2013
Recipient of the Michigan Lawyers Weekly Women in the Law 2012 award
Selected to Michigan Superlawyers 2010, 2011, 2012
Certificate of Appreciation - Roseville Community Schools Project Challenge Program, 2008
U.S. District Court – Eastern District of Michigan, Certificate of Appreciation, Pro Bono Recognition, Recognition for work done with Trial Lawyers Care (TLC) representing victims of 9/11 to receive compensation for their injuries after the terrorist attack, 2007
Michigan Association for Justice Pacesetter – 2007
Martindale-Hubbell AV rating
Appreciation Award presented by the Thomas M. Cooley Law School Law Student Division of the American Bar Association, 2004
Student Bar Association Outstanding Service Award

Rebecca S. Walsh

visit superlawyers.com

Lectures & Seminars

Speaker – “Legal Ways to Leave Your Employer/Lose Your Employee" – Michigan Association for Justice, Rapid Fire Seminar, May 4, 2012
Moderator – “How To’s of Trial Practice from Start to Finish!,” – Michigan Association for Justice, April 1, 2011
“What Judges Want You to Know,” NBI, Inc., Southfield, MI – May 8, 2009
“Daubert Update,” Michigan Association for Justice, Novi, MI, November 13, 2008
“Is this a Case? Can I Handle It?,” Michigan Association for Justice, New Lawyers Seminar, September 10, 2008<
“The Verdict is in...Now What?,” Michigan Association for Justice Rapid Fire Seminar, May 8, 2008
Moderator and Organizer – “The Verdict is in...Now What?,” Michigan Association for Justice, January 31, 2008
“Evidence and Expert Testimony Best Practices: Supporting Your Case,” National Business Institute, Southfield, MI, June 21, 2007
“Personal Injury Case Management for Seasoned Litigators,” National Business Institute, Southfield, MI, May 24, 2007
“Anticipating the Use of DaubertFrye” Using Science to Prove Your Claim, DaubertFrye Forum, Michigan Association for Justice, May 22, 2006
“The ABCs of Federal Practice,” Michigan Association for Justice, May, 2006
“Keys to Successful PreTrial Preparation in Michigan,” NBI, Inc., January, 2005
“Damages Caps and their Effect on the Judiciary,” International Legal Studies, Vienna, Austria, 2004
“Governmental Immunity Issues in Michigan,” Lorman Education Services, May, 2004
“Challenges in Michigan Insurance Coverage Litigation,” National Business Institute, Southfield, MI, November 7, 2002
“Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Law in Michigan,” National Business Institute, Southfield, MI, February 26, 2002
“Adjusting the Automobile Injury Claim,” National Business Institute, Southfield, MI, March 24, 1999

Publications

Rebecca S. Walsh, “What Judges Want You to Know,” NBI, Inc., Southfield, MI, May, 2009
Rebecca S. Walsh, “Daubert Update,” Michigan Association for Justice, Novi, MI, November 13, 2008
Rebecca S. Walsh, “The Verdict is in...Now What?,” Michigan Association for Justice, 2008
Daniel V. Padilla, Rebecca S. Walsh, and Martin C. Weisman, “Evidence and Expert Testimony Best Practices:
Supporting Your Case,” NBI, Inc. 2007
Margaret A. Costello and Rebecca S. Walsh, “Personal Injury Case Management for Seasoned Litigators,” NBI, Inc., 2007
Rebecca S. Walsh, “The ABCs of Federal Practice,” Michigan Association for Justice, 2006
Rebecca S. Walsh, “Using Science to Prove Your Claim,” DaubertFrye Forum, Michigan Association for Justice, May, 2006
Rebecca S. Walsh, “Keys to Successful PreTrial Preparation in Michigan,” NBI, Inc., 2005
Rebecca S. Walsh, “Governmental Immunity Issues in Michigan,” Lorman Education Services, 2004
Rebecca S. Walsh and Mark E. Williams, “Challenges in Michigan Insurance Coverage Litigation,” NBI, Inc., 2002
Rebecca S. Walsh and Mark E. Williams, “Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Law in Michigan,” NBI, Inc., 2002
Douglas Moseley and Rebecca S. Walsh, “Adjusting the Automobile Injury Claim,” NBI, Inc., 1999

EMILY G. THOMAS

Emily G. Thomas is an associate attorney at Reiter & Walsh, P.C. Emily has focused her legal career on aiding clients with special needs and disabilities. Her first interaction between the law and injury occurred while in high school, when her mother became disabled. Prior to college, Emily assisted traumatic brain injured individuals with their financial, healthcare, and legal matters. She continued to assist the disabled during law school helping represent clients before administrative law judges in Social Security disability cases. Following graduation from law school and admission to the Michigan Bar, Emily began her career as an attorney at a leading medical malpractice firm investigating birth trauma cases.

Emily is passionate about oral and written advocacy. In law school, she was a semi-finalist in the Wayne State Law School Moot Court Competition and a member of the American Association for Justice National Mock Trial Team at Wayne State Law, winning trials in competition against other law schools. Over the course of her law school career, Emily drafted appeals to the Michigan Court of Appeals, the Michigan Supreme Court, and the United States Supreme Court. In 2010, she received the Wayne Law Bacow Scholarship for high ethical and professional standards. In 2012, Emily published an article with a leading medical malpractice attorney on the economic contribution of medical malpractice actions to Medicare and Medicaid.

Emily actively participates in several bar associations, including the Oakland County Bar Association, the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association, the Women’s Bar Association, and the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan. In law school she was chair of the Student Committee at the Oakland County Bar Association, where she sponsored a forum on civil rights at the Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights at Wayne State University. Emily is also a member of the Michigan Association for Justice, the American Association for Justice, and the Birth Trauma Litigation Group.

Based on personal experiences and those of her clients, Emily believes that the judicial system often seems complex and intimidating to people with special needs and disabilities. Her goal is to help clients with special needs understand their rights and their case.

Education

Wayne State University Law School, Juris Doctor
Michigan State University James Madison College, Bachelors of Political Theory and Constitutional Democracy with Science, Technology, and Environmental Public Policy Specialization

Memberships

State Bar of Michigan, 2012-present
Michigan Association for Justice, 2012-present
American Association for Justice, 2011-present
Oakland County Bar Association, 2009-present
Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association, 2011-present
Women Lawyer’s Association of Michigan, 2009-present
Women’s Bar Association, 2009-present

Lectures and Seminars

Speaker, “So You Didn’t Land a Position through Fall OCI, Now What?” – Wayne State University Law School Career Services, October 11, 2012.

Publications

Emily G. Thomas, “Why Join A Bar Association,” Wayne Law Dicta, January 2011.
Brian J. McKeen and Emily G. Thomas, “The Sole Check on Harm: How Medical Malpractice Actions Contribute to the Health Care Economy & Improve Patient Quality of Care,” Lawyers As Economic Drivers – The Business Case for Legal Services, March 13, 2012.