Bio

A partner in the firm's Bloomfield Hills office, David R. Stechow focuses his practice in various areas of complex litigation, including construction law, product liability and premises liability litigation in residential, commercial and industrial settings. These cases often involve catastrophic injuries or death.

As both a plaintiff and defense attorney, Mr. Stechow has appeared before numerous state and federal trial courts throughout the country and has successfully tried cases before judges, juries and arbitration panels on behalf of his clients. He has successfully litigated both jury trials and arbitrations on behalf of builders, contractors, management companies, manufacturers and suppliers as well as those injured.

For nearly two decades, Mr. Stechow has served as a Senior Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America (LCA). The LCA is an invitation-only honorary trial lawyer society comprised of less than half of one percent of American lawyers. Fellowship in the LCA is highly selective and membership is based upon superior ethical reputation, as well as excellence and accomplishment in litigation, both at the trial and appellate levels.

Mr. Stechow has also been named the Best Lawyers in America® 2026 Construction Law "Lawyer of the Year" in Detroit and has also been selected by Best Lawyers in America® for construction law, construction litigation and product liability litigation. He has also achieved Martindale-Hubbell’s highest rating of AV-Preeminent Peer Review, which is rated for the highest level of professional excellence.

Since 2016, Mr. Stechow has been the lead author of Construction Accident Litigation, published annually by Thomson Reuters. 

Representative Client Work

  • Successfully defended a large construction equipment dealer in a wrongful death suit wherein plaintiff’s decedent was crushed while operating a skid-steer loader

  • Defended to jury verdict of no cause for action a contractor in a personal injury suit wherein the plaintiff suffered a myriad of injuries requiring numerous surgeries 

  • Served as national counsel for a large manufacturer of plumbing products, obtaining summary judgment or voluntary dismissals in every case 

  • Successfully defended a manufacturer of products used in commercial plumbing, water control and treatment and wastewater markets in numerous matters, including a favorable arbitration award for his client

  • Represented a large general contractor in a suit for breach of contract and indemnity against a subcontractor, achieving a verdict in favor of the client

  • Successfully defended a consumer electronic manufacturer in a fire loss claim involving property damage in excess of $1 million

  • Successfully defended numerous chain saw manufacturers resulting in voluntary dismissal by plaintiffs

  • Obtained summary judgment for a general contractor accused of defectively constructing 11 homes within a development

  • Obtained summary judgment for the owner of a press in a personal injury suit where the operator lost his arm

  • Obtained summary judgment for a general contractor in a fire loss claim involving property damage in excess of $1.5 million

  • Successfully defeated claims against a modular home manufacturer that was sued by a commercial property owner claiming more than $7 million in damages and obtained an arbitration award on cross claims in favor of the manufacturer

Professional Affiliations

  • State Bar of Michigan
  • Litigation Counsel of America, Fellow 
  • ALFA International (Construction Group, Steering Committee)

Publications and Lectures

  • Since 2016, Mr. Stechow has been the lead author of Construction Accident Litigation, published annually by Thomson Reuters.
  • "Drone Use Liability and Coverage," 2022 ALFA International Construction Law Seminar, Presenter, Ritz-Carlton Bacara, Santa Barbara, California, July 27 -29, 2022
  • "Understanding Your Insurance Coverage," CAM Magazine, September 2019

Credentials

Clerkships

  • Judge James S. Thorburn, Oakland County Circuit Court, 1996-1997
  • Judge Richard D. Kuhn, Oakland County Circuit Court, 1995-1996

Education

  • University of Detroit Mercy, School of Law, J.D., 1996
  • Michigan State University, B.A., 1992
  • Southern Methodist University, 1988-1991

Admissions

  • Michigan, 1996
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan, 1997
  • U.S. District Court, Western District of Michigan, 2004

Honors/Awards

Honors & Recognitions

  • Best Lawyers in America® 2026 Construction Law "Lawyer of the Year" in Detroit
  • Best Lawyers in America® for Construction Law and Litigation / Product Liability Litigation - Defendants, 2023 - 2027
  • Martindale-Hubbell’s highest rating-AV Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated
  • Michigan Super Lawyer Rising Star in Construction Litigation, Products Liability and Civil Litigation, Michigan Super Lawyers, 2008
  • International Association of Defense Counsel Trial Academy, 2002

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