Bio

A member of Plunkett Cooney's Appellate Law Practice Group, Briana L. Combs focuses her practice primarily in the area of appellate law with expertise in the areas of commercial litigation, government law, employment litigation, first- and third-party motor vehicle negligence and medical malpractice. She also has experience resolving insurance coverage disputes.

Ms. Combs is a graduate of Wayne State University Law School, where she served as a senior assistant editor for Wayne Law Review. Ms. Combs was also a member of the Business and Community Law Clinic and worked as a student attorney.

Ms. Combs received her undergraduate degree, summa cum laude, and her Master of Business Administration from Bowling Green State University. While there, Ms. Combs captained the school's varsity softball team, was honored as Academic All-MAC for softball in 2016 and 2017, and she inducted into the National College Athlete Honor Society.

Licensed to practice law in Michigan, Ms. Combs is an active member of the Young Lawyers Section of the State Bar of Michigan. 

Representative Client Work

  • Successfully persuaded the Michigan Court of Appeals and the Michigan Supreme Court that the plaintiff’s no-fault insurance policy did not provide for the benefits sought
  • Successfully briefed before the Michigan Court of Appeals that plaintiff lacked standing to pursue payment of no-fault benefits, due to assignments of rights and invalid revocations of such assignments
  • Successfully obtained grant of summary disposition based on McCormick v Carrier, 487 Mich 180 (2010) and plaintiff’s lack of threshold injuries
  • Assisted with briefing a complex admiralty law case in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan
  • Authored several insurance coverage opinion letters for first and third-party property law matters  

Professional Affiliations

  • State Bar of Michigan (Appellate Practice Section, Good Deeds Committee)
  • DRI (Appellate Advocacy, Women in the Law and Young Lawyers committees)

Publications

  • "Michigan’s No-Fault Reform: A Nightmare for Victims and Their Providers,” Wayne Law Review’s Survey Issue, Issue 66.3, Spring 2021
  • Authored newsletter on recent Andary v USAA Michigan Court of Appeals decision, holding that the fee schedule and attendant care hourly limit provisions of the No-Fault amendments do not apply retroactively

Areas of Practice

Credentials

Education

  • Wayne State University Law School, J.D., 2021
  • Bowling Green State University, M.B.A., 2017
  • Bowling Green State University, summa cum laude, B.S., 2016   

Admissions

  • Michigan, 2021

Honors/Awards

Honors & Recognitions

  • College Sports Information Directors of America Academic All-District Team 2017
  • Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar Athlete, 2016 and 2017 
  • Academic All-MAC Softball Team and MAC Distinguished Scholar Athlete, 2016 and 2017
  • National College Athlete Honor Society, Chi Alpha Sigma, 2015
  • 2012 Michigan Miss Softball and Gatorade Player of the Year, and Second-Team All-American

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