Andrew W. Prine
Andrew W. Prine, P.C.
5525 Colony Drive North
Saginaw, MI 48638
Map
Phone: (989) 790-1245 | Fax: (866) 396-8460
http://www.mid-michiganlawyer.com
Mid-Michigan Personal Injury Lawyer
Legal Topic
Personal Injury
Preferred New Clients
Personal injury and wrongful death cases, with primary emphasis on those caused by motor vehicle accidents.
Sub-Topics
Accidents & Personal Injury
- Construction Site Injuries
- Petrochemical Accidents
- Slip & Fall
- Sports Injuries
Car Accident
- Auto Accident
- Whiplash
Dangerous Property
Intentional Injuries
- Assault & Battery
- Dog Bites & Animal Attacks
- Sexual Assault
Mass Accidents
- Airplanes
- Buildings
- Mass Transit - Bus, Train, Subway
Medical Malpractice
- Anesthesia Malpractice
- Birth Injuries and Defects
- Cosmetic Surgery
- Dental Malpractice
- Elder and Nursing Home Abuse
- Emergency Room Errors
- Lasik Eye Surgery
- Medication Malpractice
- Nursing Home Negligence
- Optometry Malpractice
- Prescription/Drug Malpractice
- Psychiatric Malpractice
- Spinal Cord Injury
- Wrong Diagnosis or Misdiagnosis
Motorcycle Accident
Personal Injury - Defense
Personal Injury Mediation/Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)
Product Liability
- Design Defects
- Manufacturing Defects
Professional Malpractice
- Legal Malpractice
Serious/Catastrophic Injuries
- Amputation
- Birth Injury
- Burn Injury
- Head/Brain Injury
- Paralysis
Toxic Tort
- Dangerous Drugs & Products
- Medical Products & Devices
Truck Accident
Wrongful Death
Bar Admissions
MI, Nov 1981
Bar Number: P33407
Other Court Admissions
Michigan State Courts, Federal Eastern District of Michigan, and Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Association Memberships
State Bar of Michigan, Saginaw County Bar Association, and Michigan Association for Justice.
Continuing Education
I completed a 40-hour civil mediation class in 2006, and serve as a mediator and case evaluator in Saginaw and surrounding counties.
Example Cases
St. Luke's Hospital v Giertz, 458 Mich 448 (1998), unanimous opinion from Michigan Supreme Court which established a new rule of law regarding claims for common law indemnity and prevented Hospital from attempting to collect $1,800,000 from Defendant Estate.
Education
T.M. Cooley Law School
Juris Doctor
Lansing
MI
1981
Cum Laude
Law Review
Michigan State University
Bachelor of Arts
East Lansing
MI
1975
Number of Attorneys
1
State Licensed In
Michigan
Firm Focus and History
My goal is to offer the personal injury expertise a client might look for from a big firm. We offer the type of individualized service a client might expect from his or her personal attorney from an office that is within an hour or so of home.
I formed my own firm in 1990, but have continued to consult and work in association with other experienced personal injury lawyers in Saginaw, Michigan.
Previous Employment Summary
From 1981 to 1984, I was a litigation and appeal associate with a personal injury law firm in Saginaw, Michigan, and a partner in the firm from 1984 to 1990. At the time I left to form my own firm, we had offices in Saginaw, Gaylord, Sault Ste. Marie, and Marquette, Michigan, and employed over 20 attorneys.
What is your opinion regarding clients educating themselves on legal issues?
Personally, I research just about everything I do on the internet and appreciate clients educating themselves on legal and medical issues. It's like doing medical research before going to the doctor; it helps you ask relevant questions, offer important information, and make informed decisions based on the attorney's or doctor's professional advice.
Are you willing to review documents prepared by clients?
Lawyers like nothing better than a well-prepared, organized client, but unless specifically prepared for the attorney, a rough draft or notes kept by the client may not be privileged and may be discoverable in a lawsuit. Individuals are certainly capable of drafting simple legal documents, particularly using forms, unless they feel the document is complicated or important enough that it needs to be reviewed by an attorney. I feel it is in the client's best interest to have the lawyer actually draft the document with the client's input.
Are you willing to coach clients who want to represent themselves?
In my opinion, personal injury cases are too complicated and insurance defense attorneys are too slick and experienced for non-lawyers to attempt to represent themselves in such cases.
Why did you decide to be a lawyer?
To be very honest, because I thought I had skills and the temperament needed to be a trial lawyer, I thought it would provide an interesting and substantive career in which I could be my own boss or at least self-direct my own activities.
What work experience and education helps you be a better lawyer?
I have handled both plaintiff and defense cases, appeared in the circuit courts in more than 50 Michigan counties, and litigated with and against all manner of attorneys--the good, the bad, and yes, the ugly. I feel that a good lawyer has to know his or her limitations, have the ability to check ego at the door, and simply be able to say "I don't know, but I can find out" rather than have the need to offer a "legal" opinion as to every subject that may come up. I try to live up to these simple rules, undertake only those matters I am comfortable in handling, and provide my clients with the most truthful and realistic appraisal of each issue they are confronted with.
Why did you decide on your primary area of practice?
By the end of law school I knew that I wanted to be a trial lawyer, but had no interest in doing criminal or divorce work. I spent several days attending personal injury depositions and court proceedings with an attorney I knew while awaiting interviews for my fist job. I was hired by his firm the next week and have never regretted that decision.
What do you like best about your career?
For me, a good personal injury case is like an intriguing mystery novel, each with a unique, personal story, disputed or unknown facts to be established through discovery and trial, scientific and medical issues to be taught to a lay jury, injuries to victims which must be at once personalized for the jury, and at the same time, quantified in dollars and cents, and an initially unknown outcome that the lawyer has a critical role in resolving. At trial, a personal injury lawyer must be a detective and a tour guide, a teacher and a story teller, and a zealous advocate for both the client and the truth; for in the end, it is the truth that the jury seeks and determines through its verdict. I find the parties and witnesses, and the stories they tell, both accurate and mistaken, to be endlessly fascinating, sometimes funny, often tragic, but almost always very human.
Tell us about your law firm:
I am a sole practitioner and work directly with all of my clients. My goal is to offer the personal injury expertise a client might look for from a big firm. We offer the type of individualized service a client might expect from his or her personal attorney from a mid-Michigan office that is within an hour or so of home. In this way, my practice is different from most local lawyers, who are often general practitioners and more familiar with preparing a deed or handling a divorce than the specialized demands of a personal injury or wrongful death case, yet still offer the personal service that is often lacking with large volume law firms. Finding a real lawyer who knows your case and is willing to talk to you can sometimes be difficult.
What are your strengths and style?
I have primarily practiced as a trial lawyer, yet have argued before the Michigan Court of Appeals more than 30 times and the Supreme Court three times. I feel that I have both strong legal writing and factual advocacy skills, and believe that being forthright and simply treating people right are the keys to success, both in life and in the practice of law.
Personal Interests:
I am married to an attorney and we have three children in college or high school, which explains most of our non-work interests and activities for the last 20 years. In my spare time, I enjoy reading and listening to fiction, playing with computers and the internet, and following state sports.
Fax
(866) 396-8460
Office Hours
Monday through Friday
8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Contact through email for emergency after hours.
Emergency After Hours
Yes
Fixed-Price Services and Fees
All fees are negotiable and are determined on a case-by-case basis.
Hourly Rates
All fees are negotiable and are determined on a case-by-case basis.
Free Initial Consultation?
I offer a free initial telephone interview to screen cases where I may not be of assistance, and then a free in-person consultation with those potential clients that I may be able to help. The length of these interviews is at my discretion.
Typical Retainer
Retainers are generally not required, but are negotiable and determined on a case-by-case basis.
Nolo's Licensing Check
Attorneys have passed a licensing check. Nolo has confirmed that every member attorney has a valid license and is in good standing with the state agency that licenses lawyers upon joining the directory.
Directory lawyers are required to notify Nolo immediately if they become the subject of any disciplinary action by any state licensing agency.
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