Founding Partner

Barry J. Goodman

Barry J. Goodman is more than just a Detroit personal injury attorney; he’s a dedicated advocate committed to ensuring equal access to justice. With a career spanning decades, Goodman has tirelessly fought to keep courthouse doors open for victims seeking recompense. Inspired by his father’s own struggle for justice after a work-related accident, Goodman’s passion for law was ignited from a young age.

Graduating with honors from Stetson University College of Law in 1977, Goodman blazed a career path driven by a profound sense of purpose. He sharpened his skills in Florida before rooting in Michigan, where he co-founded his own practice alongside like-minded attorney Gerald H. Acker in 1993.

Throughout his illustrious career, Goodman has been instrumental in securing substantial settlements for his clients. Notably, in 2001, he achieved a landmark $14.5-million arbitration award for a client injured by a faulty manhole cover—an outcome emblematic of his dedication to justice.

Beyond the courtroom, Goodman has been deeply involved in politics, supporting candidates who champion civil justice reform. His contributions extend to various Democratic campaigns, including those of Governor Granholm, Senator Debbie Stabenow, Congressman Gary Peters, and President Joe Biden, among others. He’s also been an active delegate to multiple Democratic National Conventions and currently holds a position on the Resolutions Committee of the Democratic National Committee as the Vice-Chair of the Midwest Caucus.

A respected figure in legal circles, Goodman has served as a past chair of the Michigan State Bar Association’s Negligence Section and remains an officer-at-large for the Michigan State Democratic Party. His commitment to community extends to his involvement with the Anti-Defamation League and the Mackinac Island Historical Park Commission, where he was appointed by Governor Granholm.

Outside of his professional and political endeavors, Goodman finds solace in travel, theater, and sports, including golf and tennis. Yet, his true fulfillment stems from his daily work representing clients whose lives have been upended by negligence. For Goodman, the opportunity to help rebuild lives and restore a sense of worth is the most rewarding aspect of his vocation—a testament to his unwavering dedication to justice.

Attorney Goodman has experience handling a wide range of personal injury matters, including:

• Car accidents
• Truck accidents
• Premises Liability
• Wrongful Death

Continuing a Legacy of Excellence

A native New Yorker, he knew that he wanted to become a plaintiff’s lawyer from the time he was a child. His father, a postal employee, was injured in a traffic accident while on the job and left him dependent on federal workers compensation for the rest of his life. “I didn’t think justice was provided to him,” he says. “I didn’t want that to happen to others, and that was probably the impetus for me to go into law.”

He received a scholarship to attend Bradley University, receiving his undergraduate degree there in 1974. He then attended Stetson University College of Law where he earned his J.D. with honors in 1977. Barry launched his legal career in Florida with a small general-practice firm where he stayed for two years before moving to Michigan. He worked in two firms, focusing his practice solely on personal-injury cases. On Sunday mornings, he frequently played basketball at the Jewish Community Center, where he befriended another basketball-loving attorney, Gerald H. Acker. The two men began talking about forming their own practice and finally did so in 1993.

The firm’s practice has continued to concentrate on plaintiff’s personal injury cases and over the years, Goodman has recorded some impressive achievements. His biggest outcome occurred in 2001, when his client received a $14.5-million arbitration award to pay for pain, suffering, and medical and related costs stemming from injuries she received when a faulty sub-surface wiring caused a manhole cover to fly up and strike a car in which she was a passenger. He’s also achieved a number of seven-figure verdicts results for his injured clients.

Award-Winning Representation You Can Trust

In addition to his busy practice, Goodman has worked for a number of political candidates who support the civil-justice system. They include working on the finance committees of Governor Granholm, U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow and Congressman Gary Peters in his successful quest for the seat of U.S. Sen. Carl Levin, who retired at the end of 2014. He has served as a delegate to five Democratic National Conventions and on the finance committees of former President Barack Obama and democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, Hillary Clinton, as well as President Joe Biden. In 2012, he was named to the Democratic National Committee.

Barry is a member of the following prestigious organizations:

• Michigan and Florida Bar, member
• Anti-Defamation League, board member
• Michigan Association for Justice, former president
• Past Chair-Negligence Section of the State Bar of Michigan
• Member, Democratic National Committee
• Officer, Michigan Democratic Party

Goodman is a frequent lecturer at professional gatherings and is past chair of the Michigan State Bar Association’s Negligence Section. He remains an officer-at-large for the Michigan State Democratic Party. He is also a longtime board member of the Anti-Defamation League, serving that organization as an officer for many years. He also served, when appointed by the Governor Granholm, as a member of the Mackinac Island Historical Park Commission.

Throughout the years of his career, Goodman has been awarded the following honors:

• Member of the Nation’s Top One Percent of Attorneys 2019 by the National Association of Distinguished Counsel
• The National Trial Lawyers – Top 100 Personal Injury 2019
• Leaders in Law, Michigan Trial Lawyers Association (2015)
• 10.0 Superb Avvo Rating
• AV® Rating by Martindale-Hubbell®
• Inclusion on the Super Lawyers® list year after year from 2008 to Present
• Inclusion on the Michigan Lawyers Weekly 2021 Hall of Fame list

Passionate Advocate for Clients’ Rights

Education:

• Stetson University College of Law, J.D., 1977
• Bradley University, 1974