Bio

Ryan Bates is a partner in the firm's Transportation Law Practice Group who focuses his practice on insurance-related claims involving no-fault law and motor vehicle negligence, including theft and property damage.

A former in-house attorney for an international insurance company, Mr. Bates has extensive experience handling cases and pre-litigation investigations involving an array of insurance matters, including subrogation, fraud and third-party actions. These claims range from potentially high-exposure litigation involving complex and catastrophic injuries to comparatively low-exposure theft.

A member of the State Bar of Michigan, Mr. Bates received his law degree from The Dickinson School of Law at Penn State University in 2009. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan in 2005.

Representative Client Work

  • Successfully tried, as first chair, a first-party case to verdict in Wayne County Circuit Court
  • Successfully tried, as first chair, a third-party case to verdict in Oakland County Circuit Court, obtaining a no cause verdict
  • Obtained judgment in excess of $1.9 million against three higher priority insurers
  • Obtained summary judgment against higher priority insurer in excess of $500,000
  • Obtained multiple declaratory judgments against non-compliant assigned-claims claimants
  • Successfully managed substantial caseload of primarily first-party claims with exposures as high as $2 million
  • Handled Michigan assigned claims plan matters involving subrogation, fraud, third-party actions against higher priority insurers, and declaratory actions to terminate benefits for non-cooperation

Professional Affiliations

  • State Bar of Michigan

Credentials

Education

  • Penn State University, The Dickinson School of Law, J.D., 2009
  • University of Michigan, B.A., 2005

Admissions

  • New York, 2010
  • Michigan, 2013

Honors/Awards

Honors & Recognitions

  • Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America™ – Insurance Law, 2021-2023

Insights