Shereef H. Akeel - Troy, MI

When powerful institutions cause harm, people call Shereef Akeel. For three decades he has taken on Fortune 500 companies, national banks, government agencies, and billion-dollar contractors, and he has secured multimillion-dollar verdicts and settlements doing it. Forbes named him one of America’s Top 200 Lawyers in 2024, and in 2026 Michigan Lawyers Weekly inducted him into its Hall of Fame, which honors lawyers whose careers of 30 years or more reflect sustained excellence, leadership, and community impact.

His clients range from senior executives, directors, business owners, and shareholders to managers, employees, whistleblowers, and people who have been wrongfully accused or convicted. What they have in common is that their careers, compensation, reputations, or freedom are on the line, and they want a lawyer who has spent 30 years trying hard cases, from high-profile business disputes to civil rights litigation. He litigates in state and federal courts, from trial through appeal and the United States Supreme Court.

That courtroom record was built in civil rights and employment disputes, and it remains an active part of his practice. These cases put him against the best-funded defense teams in the country, often for years:

• Wrongful Convictions: pursuing compensation for exonerees who lost years of their lives, including under Michigan's Wrongful Imprisonment Compensation Act.
• Government Misconduct: holding police, agencies, and public officials accountable for constitutional violations.
• Discrimination, Sexual Harassment, and Class Actions: representing employees who faced discrimination or harassment, and challenging discriminatory practices at large employers.
• Whistleblower (Qui Tam): representing insiders in False Claims Act cases that expose fraud against taxpayers.
• Catastrophic Injury: cases involving serious injuries and corporate negligence.

Executives and directors get the benefit of that trial experience. Most of their matters resolve at the negotiating table, and they resolve better when the other side knows Akeel is ready to try the case. He counsels executives and shareholders of public and private companies through high-stakes transitions and disputes:

• Separation and Settlement Agreements: negotiating terms that protect pay, equity, benefits, and reputation.
• Exit Strategy and Compensation Packages: structuring departures, bonuses, and equity before the decision is final.
• Senior-level Discrimination and Wrongful Termination Claims: resolving them privately when possible and litigating when necessary.
• Shareholder and Compensation Disputes: protecting ownership interests and what an executive has earned.

As a CPA with an MBA, he reads a compensation plan as closely as the company's finance team, and negotiates from the numbers. Matters are handled discreetly, and most resolve confidentially.

Clients get a trial lawyer who has stood up to some of the most powerful institutions in the world, and a CPA who understands the money as well as the law. Akeel brings the same commitment to every case, whether the client is an executive pushed out of a company, a whistleblower who was fired, an employee treated unfairly, a person seriously injured, a business partner who was cheated, or an innocent person robbed of years of freedom.