Varnum partner Ron DeWaard was recently inducted into the American College of Trial Lawyers. His status as a Fellow was confirmed at the College’s September meeting in Montreal, Quebec.
The American College of Trial Lawyers is recognized as the preeminent organization of trial lawyers in North America, dedicated to maintaining and improving the standards of trial practice, professionalism, ethics, and the administration of justice. Membership in the College is composed of the best of the trial bar from the United States and Canada. Fellows are chosen strictly by invitation and only after a rigorous, confidential investigation. Fellowship is limited to one percent of the lawyers in any individual state or province. In practice, far less than one percent ever qualifies for this honor.
DeWaard is a trial lawyer and former federal prosecutor who concentrates his practice in civil and white collar litigation, as well as internal investigations. He frequently represents companies and officers in white collar criminal matters and governmental investigations. He has tried cases in courts across the country, obtaining multi-million-dollar verdicts and settlements for plaintiff businesses, including one of the Top Ten Verdicts in Michigan for 2008, as recognized by Michigan Lawyers Weekly. He has also obtained a number of defense verdicts against plaintiffs claiming high damages. DeWaard is currently a member of the leadership team of the Independent Monitor appointed by the Department of Justice for General Motors, relating to the ignition switch failure matter.
Before entering private practice, DeWaard served as an Assistant United States Attorney in Miami for the Southern District of Florida, where he prosecuted and tried several large criminal cases. He was also the Deputy Chief of the Major Crimes Division in that office from 2000 – 2001. He has been recognized as one of Michigan’s leading lawyers by Best Lawyers, Super Lawyers, and Benchmark Litigation. In 2014 he was recognized as a “Leader in the Law” by Michigan Lawyers Weekly.
The American College of Trial Lawyers maintains and seeks to improve the standards of trial practice, professionalism, ethics, and the administration of justice through education and public statements on important legal issues relating to its mission. The College strongly supports the independence of the judiciary, trial by jury, respect for the rule of law, access to justice, and fair and just representation of all parties to legal proceedings. The College serves its mission through the work of the 33 general committees and 61 state and province committees.