Skip to main content
Find a Lawyer

Enter legal issue and location

David T. Tirella - Detroit, MI

Penobscot Building645 Griswold Street Detroit, MI 48226

Super Lawyers®

1

Updated: 09/16/2024

Detroit Medical Malpractice Lawyer

Overview

“I have always had a strong desire to help others find their voice and justice.” David Tirella

David Tirella is a senior trial attorney at McKeen & Associates. He has spent the past 30 years practicing law in Michigan and Florida as a trial attorney helping medical malpractice, personal injury and crime victims. David is most proud to have achieved multi-million-dollar jury verdicts in three different areas of law - medical malpractice, automobile accident and premise liability.

David joined McKeen & Associate in 2015, and within weeks was presenting medical malpractice cases to juries across Michigan and, in so doing, distinguished himself professionally and received several recognitions including: Super Lawyers-Michigan; The Trial Lawyers Top 100; National Association of Distinguished Counsel; Top Michigan Lawyer; Crain’s Top Lawyers- Michigan and Top Florida Lawyer.

Prior to joining McKeen, David practiced law in Florida for twenty-five years, handling varied litigation cases including medical malpractice, personal injury and criminal matters. In his early legal career, David worked as the Assistant State Attorney in Tampa, Florida, and was a Governor-appointed Special Prosecutor as well as a Florida Bar Grievance Attorney. He is board certified as a civil trial lawyer and civil pre-trial practice attorney.

David earned his law degree at the Cumberland School of Law, Samford University, and is currently an Adjunct Professor of Law at the Western Michigan University Cooley Law School where he teaches classes on medical malpractice and expert witnesses. He is licensed to practice law in Michigan and Florida.

When not practicing law, David enjoys teaching, travel, golf and spending time with family.

About David T. Tirella

Current Employment Position(s)

  • Litigation Attorney

Practice Areas

  • Medical Malpractice
  • Wrongful Death
  • Catastrophic Spinal Cord Injury

Qualifications

Bar Admissions

  • Florida, 1989
  • U.S. District Court Middle District of Florida, 1990
  • U.S. Court of Appeals 11th Circuit, 1994
  • U.S. Supreme Court, 2007
  • Michigan, 2015
  • U.S. District Court Eastern District of Michigan, 2015

Specialties and Certifications

  • Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer, National Board of Trial Advocacy , 2006
  • Board Certified Civil Pretrial Practice , National Board of Trial Advocacy , 2012

Other Affiliations

  • Michigan Association for Justice , 2015 - Present
  • American Association for Justice , 2015 - Present
  • Tampa Bay Trial Lawyers Association , 2007 - 2010
  • Florida Justice Association, 2003 - 2009

Classes and Seminars

  • Adjunct Professor of Law , Stetson University College of Law Gulfport, Florida , 2008 - Present
  • Expert Witnesses: From Selection to Presentation , Advanced Expert Witnesses- LLM Advocacy Program
  • Adjunct Professor of Law-Medical Malpractice , Thomas M. Cooley Law School Tampa, Florida , 2014 - Present
  • Adjunct Instructor-Torts & Personal Injury , University of Miami, Paralegal Program Tampa, Florida , 2004 - 2008
  • Adjunct Instructor-Criminal Law and Procedure , American Institute for Paralegals Tampa, Florida , 1995 - Present
  • First Do No Harm, USF Medical School AMA Chapter Luncheon 2015
  • Daubert and Expert Witnesses, Stetson University College of Law 2014
  • Effective Trial Prep & Use of Experts, National Seminar 2014
  • Expert Witness: The Initial Phone Call, SEAK Orlando, Florida 2014
  • Fla Stat. 766.102, Medical Jurisprudence, Stetson College of Law 2014
  • Professionalism in the Law, Thomas Cooley Law School (Tampa) 2014
  • Fla Stat. 766.102, Medical Jurisprudence, Stetson College of Law 2013
  • Voir Dire, Trial Advocacy Class, Stetson University College of Law 2012
  • Medical Experts, Physical Examination Class, Stetson College of Law 2012
  • How to Handle Trick Questions, SEAK Naples, Florida 2011
  • Expert Witnessing, St. Petersburg Paralegal Association 2010
  • Trial Advocacy Class, Stetson University College of Law 2010
  • Closing Arguments, Stetson University College of Law 2009
  • The Impact of Bullying, Florida Matters University of South Florida 2009
  • Selection of Experts, Trial Skills Excellence in Advocacy Workshop 2009
  • What is a 4P Expert Witness? Stetson University College of Law 2008
  • Litigation Skills for Legal Staff in Florida 2008
  • Direct and Cross of Expert Witnesses, Lawyer Lecture, Stetson Law 2008
  • American Judicial System, University of South Florida- Criminology, 2008
  • Auto Claims and Trials: Winning, Defending and Understanding Coverage 2008
  • 17th Annual National Expert Witness Conference, Massachusetts 2008
  • Cyber Bullying & The Law, International Cyber Bullying Confer., New York 2008
  • Prosecuting and Defending Catastrophic Injury Cases 2008
  • Direct and Cross Examination of Expert Witnesses, Stetson College of Law 2008
  • Expert Witness Selection, American Assoc. for Paralegal Ed, Maryland 2007
  • The Importance of Expert Witnessing, Stetson University College of Law 2007
  • Accident Litigation 2007
  • Litigation Skills for Legal Staff in Florida 2005
  • Presenting Soft Tissue Injury Cases 2004
  • Litigation Skills for Legal Staff in Florida 2004
  • Making Sense of Medical Cases in Florida: A Paralegal's Guide
  • Litigation Skills for Legal Staff in Florida 2003

Education

  • Cumberland College of Tennessee School of Law, Lebanon, Tennessee, 1989
    J.D.
    Honors: Member, Cumberland Trial Advocacy Board
  • Florida State University, 1986
    B.S.

Fees

Accepts Credit Cards

Articles

Published Works

  • Case Law Update: The Four Ps of Expert Witness Selection , The Practical Lawyer 2013
  • Editorial- Bully Law The Florida Bar News 2008
  • Jeff’s Law- Forward written and published in Bully Beware! by Dr. Matteson 2008
  • A Paralegal's Role in Expert Witness Selection
  • The National Paralegal Reporter 2007
  • Winning Strategies: the 4 Ps of Expert Witness Selection , The Florida Bar Journal 2006

Office Information

Address

Penobscot Building645 Griswold Street Detroit, MI 48226

Fax

  • 313-961-5985

Achievements

Other Sources of Feedback About David T. Tirella

Included on the 2024 Michigan Super Lawyers list


Past Lists

  • 2023 Michigan Super Lawyers list
  • 2022 Michigan Super Lawyers list
  • 2021 Michigan Super Lawyers list
  • 2020 Michigan Super Lawyers list
  • 2019 Michigan Super Lawyers list
  • 2018 Michigan Super Lawyers list

View the profile for David T. Tirella on Super Lawyers

Honors

  • Selected as one of “Tampa’s Top Rated Lawyers” published in Legal Leaders for medical malpractice, 2012 - 2015
  • 5 Years of Dedicated Service Award- given by Stetson College of Law for teaching, 2013 - Present
  • Nationally selected for inclusion in Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers, 2012 - 2015
  • 10 AVVO Legal Rating, 2013 - 2015
  • Selected in '09 as one of Florida “Star Search Lawyers” published in Florida Super Lawyers under PI and medical malpractice
  • AV Rated, Martindale-Hubbell, 2001 - 2015
  • Master rated, Tampa Bay Inn of Court, 2003 - 2006
  • The Florida Bar Grievance Committee 13-D, 1998 - 2001
  • Member, Million Dollar Advocates Forum, 2000
  • Florida Governor Appointed Special Prosecutor, 1991 - Present
  • Court Appointed Special Assistant Public Defender, 1994 - 1995
  • Who's Who in America Law Schools
  • Who's who in American Law
  • Who's Who in America
  • Invited to give testimony in support of Florida House of Representatives HB669 - School Safety Anti Bullying Bill, March 25th, 2008
  • Invited to give testimony in support of Florida Senate SB790 - Criminal Justice Committee, April 18th, 2008

When viewing a listing, consider the state advertising restrictions to which lawyers and law firms must adhere, as well as our FindLaw.com Legal Directory disclaimer. Some lawyers publish comparative information regarding the services that they provide which may be subject to specific comparative communications restrictions.

Write Your Review

Fields marked with an * are required

1. Rating

Overall rating

How would you rate your overall experience with this lawyer?

Use the up and down arrows to increase or decrease the rating

Please Rate
Optional ratings
Value
Please Rate
Quality Of Service
Please Rate
Professional Competence
Please Rate

2. Review

Please share your opinion of working with this attorney. Do not reveal personal information or details about your case. All submitted reviews are shared with the attorney prior to publishing.

Your feedback must be at least 50 characters.Your review must be at least 50 characters
I would recommend this attorney to friends and family:

3. Verification

Keep my name anonymous from public view:
Customer Type
Please choose one

Unable to send request

By submitting this form you agree to receive email communications from FindLaw related to the management of your review.

Privacy Statement Contact Lawyer FAQ

Map Location

Google Map

How do I choose a lawyer?

Consider the following:

Comfort Level
- Are you comfortable telling the lawyer personal information? Does the lawyer seem interested in solving your problem?

Credentials
- How long has the lawyer been in practice? Has the lawyer worked on other cases similar to yours?

Cost
- How are the lawyer's fees structured - hourly or flat fee? Can the lawyer estimate the cost of your case?

City
- Is the lawyer's office conveniently located?

Not sure what questions to ask a lawyer?

Here are a few to get you started:

  • How long have you been in practice?
  • How many cases like mine have you handled?
  • How often do you settle cases out of court?
  • What are your fees and costs?
  • What are the next steps?

Want to check lawyer discipline?

It is always a good idea to research your lawyer prior to hiring. Every state has a disciplinary organization that monitors attorneys, their licenses, and consumer complaints. By researching lawyer discipline you can:

  • Ensure the attorney is currently licensed to practice in your state
  • Gain an understanding of his or her historical disciplinary record, if any.
  • Determine the seriousness of complaints/issues which could range from late bar fees to more serious issues requiring disciplinary action.

Find a Lawyer

More Options