Bio

With 50 years of experience helping companies, contractors, employers, lawmakers and trade associations, Frank T. Mamat is one of the most experienced members of the firm's Labor & Employment Law Practice Group.

A partner in Plunkett Cooney's Bloomfield Hills office, Mr. Mamat provides counsel and assistance regarding union matters such as contract negotiations, elections, union avoidance and labor arbitrations. He advises clients on noncompete agreements, unfair labor practice litigation, harassment suits, wage and hour issues and OSHA-MIOSHA safety matters. Mr. Mamat's experience also includes resolving National Labor Relations Board matters, attempted union organization, mass picketing and violence, and secondary boycotts and pressure campaigns. He also advises clients on ERISA trust funds and related fiduciary liabilities.

Various entities ranging from the United Nations and business associations to small businesses and construction companies have routinely contacted Mr. Mamat for counsel or defense of their complex labor and union matters. A well-respected attorney known for his accessibility and responsiveness to clients, Mr. Mamat has handled virtually every type of labor matter. He also helped the Michigan Senate in 2012 draft Michigan's "Right to Work" law.

In addition to companies and employers, Mr. Mamat is well known within political circles. He has advised governments and political groups in legislative and political issues and has election law experience. Throughout his career, he has advised two former U.S. presidents, as well as multiple governors, U.S. and state senators, congressmen, mayors and county executives, along with dozens of candidate campaigns and political parties. He served as special counsel to former Michigan Governor Rick Snyder concerning anti-mandatory PLA statute enforcement and was special campaign counsel for Michigan to President Donald Trump during his first term in office. He was also asked by four U.S. presidents to serve as a federal judge in Michigan, as assistant secretary of labor, as chair of the National Labor Relations Board and as chair of the Federal Labor Relations Authority. Mr. Mamat is also a registered lobbyist for nearly 40 years.

Mr. Mamat is sought after nationally for his labor law expertise and serves as labor counsel for several major employer associations and nonprofit trade associations, as well as a member of various local and national boards of directors. He is frequently asked to speak on various labor and employment law issues to major trade groups.

Representative Client Work

  • Stopped illegal secondary picketing at numerous job sites in the United States
  • Successfully defended various OSHA and MIOSHA fatality citations
  • Advised corporations on simultaneously establishing union and non-union affiliates or divisions 
  • Advised numerous companies on complicated ERISA pension fund withdrawal liability claims, including one $33 million claim against a Michigan contractor
  • Defended hundreds of union organizing campaigns, successfully keeping the targeted companies non-union
  • Handled numerous EEOC charges and convinced the commission to dismiss all charges against clients
  • Persuaded the U.S. Department of Justice to drop a major national investigation against an international client based in Michigan

Professional Affiliations

  • Construction Finance Management Association (Past President)
  • American Bar Foundation
  • American Society of Employers (Education Foundation Chair)
  • Associated Builders and Contractors of Michigan
  • Associated General Contractors of America (Labor & Employment Council; Past Chairman)
  • College of Labor & Employment Lawyers
  • Federalist Society
  • Private Directors Association
  • Republican National Lawyer’s Association
  • Association for Corporate Growth, Detroit Chapter (Board of Directors)
  • Construction Association of Michigan
  • Construction Code Commission of Michigan (Past Chairman)
  • Detroit Area Construction Association (Co-founder and Past President)
  • Jewish Bar Association of Michigan (Vice President of Policy and Procedures)
  • Michigan Association of Home Builders (Board of Directors)
  • Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association (Board of Directors)
  • Michigan Food and Beverage Association (Labor Counsel)
  • Michigan Business and Professional Association (Labor Counsel)
  • Michigan Bar Association (Character and Fitness Committee)
  • National Labor Relations Board’s Practice and Procedure Committee for Region 7 - Michigan 
  • State Bar of Florida (Senior Lawyers Committee; Labor & Employment Law Section, Public Employment Relations Commission/National Labor Relations Board Committee)
  • State Bar of Michigan (Labor and Employment Law Section Council) 
  • Oakland County Sheriff Advisory Committee

Community Involvement

  • 400 Club, Republican Party (Founder and President)
  • Anti-Defamation League (Former Board of Directors)
  • Barristers of B’nai B’rith (Past President)
  • Detroit Economic Club (Speakers Committee)
  • Detroit Athletic Club (Membership Development Committee)
  • Jewish Vocational Services (Former Board of Directors)
  • Metropolitan Detroit Council of B’nai B’rith
  • Oakland County Lincoln Republican Club (Past President)
  • Oakland County Republican Party (Finance Chairman and General Counsel)
  • Temple Israel Brotherhood (Board of Directors)
  • Wayne State University Law School (Adjunct Professor of Labor Law)

Articles and Lectures

  • “Back to Basics” – What Contractors Have Forgotten and Need to Know," Panelist, ABC Michigan Construction Leadership Summit, The Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island, Sept. 26, 2025
  • "Beyond Defense: How Construction Employers Can Take Charge Against Union Misconduct," Panelist, 2024 Construction Labor Law Symposium, AGC Labor and Employment Council, Washington, DC, May 3, 2024 
  • "Ethical and Related Legal Issues in Unfair Labor Practice cases, Labor Arbitrations and Labor Negotiations," Panelist, 2023 AGC Labor and Employment Council, Washington, DC, May 5, 2023  
  • "Salting Decisions," Author, AGC Labor and Employment Council Labor Publication, 1995

Credentials

Education

  • Syracuse University College of Law, J.D., 1974
  • University of Rochester, B.S., 1971

Admissions

  • Michigan
  • Florida
  • District of Columbia

Honors/Awards

Honors & Recognitions

  • Best Lawyers in America® for Construction Law, Employment Law – Management, Labor Law – Management and Labor and Employment Litigation, 2010 - 2026
  • Leading Lawyer in Labor: Management, Leading Lawyers Magazine Michigan, 2024 - 2025
  • Michigan Super Lawyers in Employment & Labor: Employer, Employee Benefits, Administrative Law, Construction Litigation: Business, Employment Litigation: Defense, Government Relations, 2009 - 2025
  • Go To Employment Lawyer honoree, Michigan Lawyers Weekly, 2025
  • Martindale-Hubbell's highest rating-AV Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated 
  • American Lawyer Top Lawyers
  • Crain’s Detroit Business Best Lawyers
  • Top 100 Labor Lawyers in the U.S., Labor Relations Institute
  • Top Lawyers in Metro Detroit, DBusiness Magazine
  • Top Lawyers in Michigan, The American Registry

Insights

Blog Posts