Attorneys

Sharon S. Almonrode
Southfield, Michigan

Partner
phone	(248) 746-2732
fax	(248) 746-2804
email	Email Me

Sharon S. Almonrode is a senior litigation attorney, partner and member of the Firm's Board of Directors. She has a complex litigation practice with an emphasis on large, high-risk, significant damage exposure cases. Her practice includes ERISA, pension fund, financial services, commercial, employment class action law and professional liability litigation. She represents institutional clients, including public and multi-employer funds in litigation involving investments, actuarial issues, securities lending and all aspects of fiduciary liability. She has also represented commercial clients in products liability and patent and trademark related litigation. She has successfully represented clients in multi-million dollar cases, including claims in excess of $100,000,000.

A former Labor Relations Investigator, Personnel/Human Resources representative and Administrator for two General Motors plants, Ms. Almonrode had several years of front-line experience overseeing benefit programs and employment law issues including EEOC actions and discrimination charges. She also negotiated labor contracts, grievances and employee disputes.

From Martindale-Hubbell, she has received the highest AV ranking which, according to Martindale-Hubbell, indicates a very high to preeminent legal ability and very high ethical standards as established by confidential opinions from members of the Bar.

Areas of Practice:: Complex Litigation; Fiduciary Duty Litigation; ERISA Litigation; Financial Services Litigation; Commercial Litigation; Investment Litigation; Class Action Litigation; Securities Lending Litigation; Pension Fund Litigation; Actuarial Malpractice/Negligence Litigation; Professional Liability Litigation; Medical, Insurance, Health and Welfare Fund Litigation; Patent & Trademark Litigation; Employment Law Litigation; Products Liability Litigation; Professional Negligence Litigation; Medical Malpractice Litigation; RICO – Civil Liability

Litigation Percentage:: 100% of Practice Devoted to Litigation

Bar Admissions:: Michigan, 1982; U.S. District Court Eastern District of Michigan; U.S. District Court Western District of Michigan; U.S. Bankruptcy Court Eastern District of Michigan; U.S. Bankruptcy Court Western District of Michigan; U.S. District Court – Northern District of Illinois; U.S. Court of Appeals 6th Circuit; U.S. Supreme Court

Education:: University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, Detroit, Michigan, 1981 - J.D.; Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan, 1978 - B.A.; Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, 1976

Honors & Awards:: Martindale-Hubbell - Highest AV Ranking; Michigan Lawyer's Weekly 25 Leaders in the Law 2010

Representative Cases/Decisions:: - The Iron Workers' Local No. 25 Pension Fund, Board of Trustees of The Iron Workers' Health Fund of Eastern Michigan, Board of Trustees of The Roofers Local No. 149 Pension Fund, Board of Trustees of The City of Monroe Employees' Retirement System; Board of Trustees of The Waterford Township General Employees' Retirement System, Board of Trustees of Carpenters Pension Fund Trust-Detroit & Vicinity, And Board of Trustees of Line Construction Benefit Fund v. Comerica (C.A. No. 09-13201; U.S. Dist. Court, Eastern District of Michigan, So. Div. 2009); - Louisiana Firefighters' Retirement System, Public School Teachers' Pension & Retirement Fund of Chicago, The Board of Trustees of The City of Pontiac Police & Fire Retirement System, and The Board of Trustees of The City of Pontiac General Employees Retirement System, on behalf of themselves and all others similarly situated v. Northern Trust Investments, N.A., and The Northern Trust Company (C.A. No. 09-7203; U.S. Dist. Court, Northern District of Illinois 2009); - Pipefitters Local 636 v. Blue Cross & Blue Shield, 2009 U.S. Dist. Lexis 130104 (U.S. Dist. Court Eastern Dist. of Michigan, So. Div. 12-09-10); - Pipefitters Local 636 v. Blue Cross & Blue Shield, 2009 U.S. Dist. Lexis 96767 (U.S. Dist. Court Eastern Dist. of Michigan, So. Div. 10-20-09); - Pipefitters Local 636 v. Blue Cross & Blue Shield, 2009 U.S. Dist. Lexis 795909 (U.S. Dist. Court Eastern Dist. of Michigan, So. Div. 09-03-09); - Pipefitters Local 636 v. Blue Cross & Blue Shield, 2009 U.S. Dist. Lexis 91213 (U.S. Dist. Court Eastern Dist. of Michigan, So. Div. 02-13-09); - Pipefitters Local 636 v. Blue Cross & Blue Shield, 213 Fed. Appx. 473; 2007 U.S. App. LEXIS 1307 (United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit 2007); - Pipefitters Local 636 v. Blue Cross & Blue Shield, 2007 Fed App. 0043N (United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit 2007); - Pipefitters Local No. 636 Pension Fund v. Towers, Perrin, Forster & Crosby, Inc., 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8963 (U.S. Dist. Court for the Eastern Dist. of Michigan, So. Div. 2008); - Pipefitters Local No. 636 Pension Fund v. Towers, Perrin, Forster & Crosby, Inc., 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2855 (U.S. Dist. Court for the Eastern Dist. of Michigan, So. Div. 2008); - Pipefitters Local No. 636 Pension Fund v. Towers, Perrin, Forster & Crosby, Inc., 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 91491 (U.S. Dist. Court for the Eastern Dist. of Michigan, So. Div. 2007); - Pipefitters Local No. 636 Pension Fund v. Mercer Human Res. Consulting, Inc., 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 52169 (U.S. Dist. Court for the Eastern Dist. of Michigan, So. Div. 2007); - Pipefitters Local No 636 Pension Fund v. Mercer Human Res. Consulting, Inc., 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 42033 (U.S. Dist. Court for the Eastern Dist. of Michigan, So. Div. 2007); - Pipefitters Local No 636 Pension Fund v. Mercer Human Res. Consulting, Inc., 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 42034 (U.S. Dist. Court for the Eastern Dist. of Michigan, So. Div. 2007); - Iron Workers Local No. 25 Pension Fund v. Watson Wyatt & Co., 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 88413 (U.S. Dist. Court for the Eastern Dist. of Michigan, So. Div. 2006); - Iron Workers Local No. 25 Pension Fund v. Watson Wyatt & Co., 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 24833 (U.S. Dist. Court for the Eastern Dist. of Michigan, So. Div. 2006); - Fishbach-Natkin, Inc. v. Shimizu Am. Corp., 854 F. Supp. 1294; 1994 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8217 (U.S. Dist. Court for the Eastern Dist. of Michigan, So. Div. 1994); -Trentadue v. Gorton; Amicus Curiae, 2007 Mich. LEXIS 1622 (Supreme Court of Michigan 2007); - In Re Honorable William J. Runco, 463 Mich. 517; 620 N.W.2d 844; 2001 Mich. LEXIS 13 (Supreme Court of Michigan 2001); -Schwarze v. Dilworth, 480 Mich. 960; 741 N.W.2d 369 (Supreme Court of Michigan 2007); -Schwarze v. Dilworth, 2007 Mich. LEXIS 3032 (Supreme Court of Michigan 2007); -Schwarze v. Dilworth, 480 Mich. 853; 737 N.W.2d 693 (Supreme Court of Michigan 2007); -Schwarze v. Dilworth, 2007 Mich. LEXIS 1973 (Supreme Court of Michigan 2007); -Schwarze v. Mary Dilworth & Auto-Owners Ins. Co., (Court of Appeals of Michigan 2006)

Professional Associations and Memberships:: State Bar of Michigan Member; American Bar Association Member (Committee Member: Business Torts, Commercial Litigation, Securities Litigation, and Class Actions and Derivative Suits); Federal Bar Association Member; Oakland County Bar Association Member; International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans (IFEBP)

Past Employment Positions:: General Motors Corp., Supervisor-Salaried Personnel, 1970 - 1979

Presentations:: MAPERS Presentation: Securities Lending Today: Post Financial Crisis; Presentation to COGMET (Consortium for Osteopathic Medical Graduate Medical Education) Michigan State University Regarding Medical Liability Reform in Michigan; Presentation to COGMET Regarding Depositions and Cross Examination

Pro Bono Activities:: Detroit Institute of Arts; Detroit Film Theatre Board

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