Sherrie L. Farrell

Member, Chief Diversity Officer


Sherrie L. Farrell is the Office Managing Member for the Firm's Detroit office, and serves as the firm's Chief Diversity Officer. Sherrie acts as lead counsel in various commercial matters including partnership disputes, lease disputes, breach of contract and bankruptcy disputes.

Her previous career as an award-winning public relations and crisis communications professional has become an integral tool in counseling clients on a wide array of commercial issues. She has provided counsel on litigation risk management, discovery management, real estate project management for real estate interests and public policy and litigation issues involving local governments. Sherrie approaches each client matter as a partner working with the client to advance a solution or business objective.

Sherrie has significant experience serving as a National Coordinating Counsel. She serves as National Discovery Counsel for a Fortune 25 manufacturer in asbestos and other toxic tort litigation. Sherrie also had the primary responsibility to develop and defend Fortune 25 corporate fact and expert witnesses in national tort litigation. She also has represented manufacturers, closely-held corporations, auto suppliers and construction companies in both litigated and non-litigated commercial matters.

In her corporate bankruptcy and business restructuring practice, Sherrie’s representation includes global automotive suppliers in customer, vendor and supplier Chapter 11 bankruptcies; creditors in Chapter 9 municipal bankruptcy; a state airport authority; construction companies; and troubled suppliers. She also has represented other interested parties including staffing corporations, financial institutions and other regional and national businesses in commercial and bankruptcy-related litigation, preferences, creditors’ rights matters, out-of-court restructurings, loan workouts, and issues involving the UCC. 

Sherrie served as the head of the Firm’s first Cybersecurity group. Her extensive experience in the data security area includes drafting data security plans for a board of directors of an insurance company; managing data breaches and incidents for, among others, health company, insurance company, and auto manufacturing supplier. She has drafted data security policies for clients including enterprise wide data security plans, incident response plans and computer and internet access policies.  In addition to authoring several articles on this topic, she’s also presented to a local corporate secretaries organization, an auto manufacturer and was featured on a corporate counsel panel focused on cybersecurity.

In addition to providing legal counsel, she provides counsel to area businesses on regional government and public policy issues and has experience serving the City of Detroit during three different mayoral administrations.

Sherrie recently was featured in Law360's Minority Powerbrokers series, named to the 2019 Lawyer of Color’s Inaugural Nation’s Best List, and recognized as one of Savoy Magazine’s Most Influential Black Lawyers (2022, 2018, 2015). She has been recognized as a Michigan Super Lawyer since 2014 and named in The Best Lawyers in America© since 2013.

    • Detroit College of Law, J.D., cum laude
    • Wayne State University, B.A.
  • Bar Admissions

    • Michigan, 1997
    • Named to Savoy Magazine's Most Influential Black Lawyers list, 2015, 2018, 2022, and 2024

    • Named to Lawyers of Color's Inaugural Nation's Best List, 2019

    • Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® for Commercial Litigation, Mass Tort Litigation, and Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Copyright 2015 by Woodward/White, Inc., Aiken, SC., 2013-Present

    • Recipient of the D. Augustus Straker Bar Association Trailblazer Award, 2016

    • Recognized in Michigan Super Lawyers® for Business Litigation, Business/Corporate Law, and Bankruptcy, 2014-2018
    • Named a Michigan Chronicle Women of Excellence Honoree, 2015

    • Named a Top Lawyer by dbusiness Magazine for Commercial Litigation, 2015
    • Wolverine Bar Association President's Award for promotion of diversity in the legal profession, 2012

    • Robert Millender Visionary Award, Michigan State College of Law, Black Law Students' Association, 2011

    • Honorary Alumni of the Year, Wayne State University School of Law, 2005

    • Regional Winner, Top Oralist, National Association of Trial Lawyers, National Oral Advocacy Competition, 1995

    • American Bar Association
    • Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association
    • Federal Bar Association
    • National Bar Association
    • Wolverine Bar Association, President, 2008-2009
    • Women's Lawyers Association of Michigan, President, 2000-2001
    • State Bar of Michigan Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee, 2010-present

    • African American Partners Collaborative, Co-Chair

    • Gift of Life-Michigan Governing Board, Board Member, 2011-present
    • Legal Aid and Defender Association, Inc., Board of Directors, Member, 2010
    • Advisory Board of Minority Organ Tissue Transplant Education Program (MOTTEP) of Detroit, Member
    • Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Detroit, Class XVIII, Member
    • Wayne State University, Board of Visitors, Member
    • University of Detroit Mercy Law School, Inns of American Court, Barrister
    • Black Family Development, Inc., Board Member
    • Just the Beginning Foundation, Mentor, Legal Profession Diversity Pipeline Program

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