Related Services
Advanced Technologies
Business and Commercial
Class Actions
Product Liability
Securities / Finance
Education
University of Michigan Law School, J.D., cum laude, 1992
Michigan State University, B.S., 1987
Judicial Clerkships
Court Admissions
United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan
Michigan Supreme Court
Michigan Court of Appeals
Patrick G. Seyferth is a founding member of Bush Seyferth PLLC “BSP,” a law firm of business-minded trial attorneys with a proven track-record of defending Fortune 500 clients in complex and high-exposure cases throughout the United States. Patrick represents a wide range of clients in a variety of industries including: FordDirect, PulteGroup, Mercedes-Benz USA, General Motors, Volkswagen Group of America, Textile Management Associates, and Hyundai Motor Company.
For the past 23 years, Patrick has successfully handled high-exposure product liability cases, commercial litigation, and class actions. Patrick has first-chaired catastrophic cases in 23 states and has tried cases to verdict in Michigan, Tennessee, Arizona, and New York. He frequently presents on topics including trial skills, social media, cybersecurity, autonomous vehicles, and other emerging technologies.
- Selected as an arbitrator in multi-million dollar commercial dispute concerning alleged violations of non-compete provision negotiated in connection with the sale of business.
- Defeated class certification, obtained a with-prejudice dismissal of the named plaintiffs’ claims, and resulted in an award of over $670,000 in fees and costs.
- Defeated class certification in a putative class involving over 1 million vehicles, with potential damages exceeding $1 billion dollars. The Sixth Circuit upheld the denial of class certification on appeal.
- Managed, organized, and defended a major automotive manufacturer in more than a dozen high-profile arbitrations that were executed during a three-month period of time.
- Argued on behalf of an Amicus Curiae brief in the Michigan Supreme Court on behalf of a major automotive manufacturer on the issue of whether privity is required to maintain a claim for breach of implied warranty seeking economic damages under Michigan’s Uniform Commercial Code.
- Secured a defense verdict in consumer-leasing action following a jury trial in Cuyahoga County, Ohio for a major automotive manufacturer on one claim for fraud and another for a violation of the Consumer Leasing Act.
- Represented Michigan Senate and House of Representatives in litigation about the governor’s emergency powers.
Before co-founding BSP in 2003, Patrick was an equity partner at Feeney Kellett Wienner & Bush. He served as a law clerk to U.S. District Court Judge Robert H. Cleland for two years after graduating from the University of Michigan Law School, cum laude, in 1992.
Honors & Awards
Featured in Leading Lawyers Magazine – Michigan Edition 2020
Best Lawyers® Lawyer of the Year, Product Liability Litigation – Defendants (Troy, MI), 2019
America’s Top 100 Attorneys®, 2018
Inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America©: Commercial Litigation and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants, (2012-present), Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions (2021)
Michigan Super Lawyers, Top 100, 2011-2017, 2020
Michigan Lawyers Weekly, Leader In The Law, 2011
U.S.D.C. Eastern District of Michigan, Certificate of Appreciation, Merit Selection Panel, 2011
U.S. News Best Lawyers ®, 2010-present
DBusiness Top Lawyers, 2008-2018, 2021
Michigan Super Lawyers, 2006-present
Martindale-Hubbell® AV Peer Review Rating
Professional Activities
American Bar Association, Member
American Bar Foundation, Fellow
Defense Research Institute, Member
Federal Bar Association for the Eastern District of Michigan, Sustaining Member
Federalist Society, Member
Leading Lawyers, Member, 2014-present, Advisory Board Member, 2018-present
Michigan Defense Trial Counsel, Member
Oakland County Bar Association, Member
Oakland County Bar Foundation, Fellow
Product Liability Advisory Council, Member
Sixth Circuit Judicial Conference, Life Member
State Bar of Michigan, Member
U.S.D.C. Eastern District of Michigan – eFiling Committee, Appointed Member
Presentations
Product Liability Advisory Council, 2009, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2020
Network of Trial Law Firms, 2018
Intelligent Transport Systems World Congress, 2017
Defense Research Institute Strictly Automotive, 2013, 2015, 2017
North American International Auto Show – AutoMobili-D, 2017
University of Michigan UMTRI Program, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2017
Privacy + Security Forum, 2016
International Association of Privacy Professionals Privacy. Security. Risk., 2016
Association of Corporate Counsel Michigan Chapter, 2015, 2016
72nd Judicial Conference of the Sixth Circuit, April 2012
Crain’s In-House Summit, April 2012
71st Judicial Conference of the Sixth Circuit, June 2011
Federal Bar Association, April 2010
Featured speaker at Investiture Ceremony of Federal Judge Raymond Kethledge, Oath Administered by Justice Anthony Kennedy, University of Michigan, September 2008
Publications
“Avoiding the Blind Spots: Evidentiary Issues, Exhibits, Experts, and Trial Strategies,” DRI For the Defense, Published Winter 2018
“Privacy, Cybersecurity, and the Connected Car,” DRI In-House Defense Quarterly, Published Spring 2015
“Lawsuits Involving Component Suppliers,” DRI In-House Defense Quarterly, Published Spring 2012
“Trial Strategies: Humanizing the Corporate Defendant,” DRI In-House Defense Quarterly, Published Winter 2010
For the Community
Patrick leads the BSP Charities Annual Golf and Tennis Classic which, to date, has donated in excess of $300,000 to charities throughout the metro-Detroit area. Patrick also serves on the Advisory Board for New Day Foundation for Families, a local non-profit that provides resources to families affected by cancer.
Patrick also leads the firm’s pro-bono efforts and has gained positive results for individuals and families in need.
For Fun
Patrick resides in Rochester, Michigan with his wife Sandi and their five children. His interests include coaching, reading, movies and squash.