Mr. Mantese handles all aspects of complex business and commercial litigation, and has earned a reputation as one of the State's leading trial attorneys. His settlements and verdicts are regularly recognized as among the largest recoveries, year after year. In 2009, for example, five of his cases were listed in the top verdicts and settlements as detailed in the January 2010 publication of Lawyers Weekly. He was also lead counsel in a landmark case against Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, which forced the insurer to pay for applied behavior analysis therapy for children with autism spectrum disorder.

At a recent federal court trial, Gerard Mantese obtained a verdict of $1.2 Million from a unanimous jury, who agreed with Mantese’s client that a one page email constituted a binding contract between the parties.

His areas of work include complex shareholder and business disputes, patent infringement suits, health care litigation, contract and breach of fiduciary duty litigation. Mr. Mantese also handles custody disputes and complex divorces.

Mr. Mantese has been named repeatedly in Best Lawyers in America and Super Lawyers, and his peers have given him the highest rating, AV, for legal ability and ethics, as set forth in Martindale-Hubbell. In 2009 Mr. Mantese was named a Leader In The Law by his peers. He also has extensive experience and consistent success in the Courts of Appeals. Most recently, Mr. Mantese was lead counsel and assisted in the briefing in a landmark matter in the United States Supreme Court, in which he prevailed for his clients against Philip Morris and Altria Group on a consumer fraud and preemption issue. He was also successful in a recent appeal in the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals on a contract action, in Greenwood v. Raznick, 2009 WL 1421153 (2009)(client's contract claims not barred by release).

Mr. Mantese has been an adjunct professor of litigation strategy at Wayne State University Law School, and he has also taught trial strategies at The University of Detroit Law School. Between 1991 and 1993, Mr. Mantese assisted in establishing the First Step Legal Advocacy Project, which provides free legal advice to those who have suffered domestic violence. In 2005, Mr. Mantese negotiated the resolution of a class action lawsuit, which provided for the proceeds of a cy pres fund to be disbursed to First Step and Habitat for Humanity.

In 1992, Mr. Mantese was featured as one of Detroit's most dynamic attorneys in Crain's "40 under 40" issue. In 1993, he was named Outstanding Young Lawyer by the State Bar of Michigan's Young Lawyers Division. In 1995, he was elected by West Publishing Company to author a chapter on health care in a national treatise. He has published numerous articles on a variety of topics, including Winning Trial Strategies in 1997; Letters of Intent in November 2000; Shareholder Oppression - from Estes to Franchino in 2005 and Reinsurance Contracts and the Role of Fiduciary Duty in 2007.

Gerard Mantese graduated first in his class from St. Louis University School of Law in 1982. He previously graduated from the University of Missouri, summa cum laude, in only three years and received the Senator Symington Scholarship for graduating with a perfect 4.0 grade point average. In 1982, Mr. Mantese joined the Detroit law firm of Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn, where he was elected partner after just 4 years. In 1994, he formed his own firm.