James F. Gehrke is the managing shareholder in Butzel Long's Washington D.C. office. He is a seasoned litigator specializing in complex business disputes of all types, including all aspects of supply-chain and related contract disputes as well as the manufacture of both complex and commodity supplies for government and industry. He is a member of the firm's Litigation and Appellate practice groups and has represented a wide variety of businesses and commercial concerns at the trial and appellate levels. Mr. Gehrke also chairs Butzel Long's Pro Bono Committee and is a member of the firm's PAC Committee.
Mr. Gehrke is a graduate of the University of Michigan (B.A., 1986), Harvard Divinity School (M.Div., 1990) and the University of Michigan Law School (J.D., 1994). After law school, Mr. Gehrke clerked for the Honorable John Feikens of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan and Chief Justice James H. Brickley of the Michigan Supreme Court. He is licensed in Michigan and Washington D.C. and is admitted to and has practiced before the United States Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, the United States Court of International Trade, and many United States District Courts.
Mr. Gehrke is a member of the American Bar Association, the Federal Bar Association, the DC Bar Association and the Metropolitan Detroit Bar Association. He is also a graduate of the Michigan Political Leadership Program and Leadership Detroit (Class XXVI). He serves on the Board of Advisors for Paula Tutman's Children's Toothfairy Foundation, serves as General Counsel for Think Detroit and served many years on the Michigan Land Use Institute Board of Directors. Mr. Gehrke is an active member of his church and is a supporter of the Ecumenical Theological Seminary in Matanzas, Cuba.
Experience
· Represent plaintiff in breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duties action stemming from collapse of global financial services firm in U.S. District Court, S.D.N.Y.
· Represented German auto manufacturer in the U.S. Court of International Trade.
· Represented the American subsidiary of China's third largest privately held company in an automotive supplier dispute; Plaintiff wrongly accused our client of breaching a contract.
· Represented German manufacturer of industrial conveyor belts in personal injury case in the U.S. District Court, N.D. Ohio.
· Represented automotive supplier plaintiff in action for multiple breaches of contract in the U.S. District Court, E.D. Mich.
· Represented defendant/appellee in U.S. Supreme Court where, in a 7-2 ruling, the High Court held that predicate "misdemeanor crime of domestic violence" in 18 U.S.C. 922(g)(9) need not include as an element a domestic relationship.
· Represented in-store advertiser in opposition to debtor's motion to reject retail advertising license agreement in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, N.D. Illinois.
· Represented a casualty insurance carrier situated in Arizona in an action against one of the largest national banks in the country. The case alleges claims for breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty and seeks damages of $24 million.
News
Media Releases
11.28.11, 68 Butzel Long attorneys named to DBusiness magazine's Top Lawyers in Metro Detroit 2012
06.09.11, Butzel Long receives Pro Bono Service Award from Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association
11.13.08, Butzel Long Appellate Attorneys Appear Before U.S. Supreme Court in United States v. Hayes
Publications
Articles, Presentations & Briefs
11.13.08, United States v. Hayes - Brief for Respondent
11.13.08, United States v. Hayes - Transcript of Oral Argument
Client Alerts
11.07.08, Client Alert - Automotive - $25 Billion Automotive Incentive Program, Accelerated Opportunities for Automotive Suppliers
10.06.08, Client Alert - Automotive - $25 Billion Automotive Loan Program Unanswered Questions and Potential Opportunities
10.06.08, Client Alert - Automotive - $25 Billion Automotive Loan Program Unanswered Questions and Potential Opportunities
Memberships
American Bar Association
Federal Bar Association
Metropolitan Detroit Bar Association
Washington D.C. Bar Association
Paula Tutman's Children's Toothfairy Foundation - Board of Advisors
Think Detroit - General Counsel
Michigan Land Use Institute - Board of Directors (former)
Recognitions
DBusiness Top Lawyers in Metro Detroit, Government Relations Law, 2012
Balfour Scholarship, Phi Delt Phi International Legal Fraternity
Leopold Schepp Foundation Scholar
Hopkins Shareholder
Class Marshall, Harvard Divinity School Graduation
Leadership Detroit XXVI Michigan Political Leadership Program
(Also at Detroit, Michigan Office)