Overview             

Detroit-born Dykema has been partnering with our automotive industry clients since the first automobiles rolled off the Motor City’s assembly lines. “Best known for its strong reputation and depth of experience in the automotive industry,” (Legal 500 US 2020) and recognized as Law360’s 2019 Transportation Practice Group of the Year, Dykema fields one of the most extensive and innovative automotive-related legal practices in the United States. The attorneys in our coast-to-coast network of offices lead the way, guiding our international roster of automotive industry clients through the many legal hurdles they face and, ultimately, to business success. Clients note Dykema is “dedicated to its automotive practice; it is a core competency and not just a “check box” among other disciplines” (Legal 500 US 2020).

With more than 140 professionals with industry-related experience, Dykema’s Automotive Industry Group anticipates legal issues and meets client challenges long before they have grown into full-blown problems. Faced with the unique industry challenges created by the complexity of conducting business in a global marketplace, new and innovative supply chain structures, ever increasing regulatory restrictions, and pressure for “ever-greener” automobiles, our automotive industry clients get a true advantage from having our industry savvy lawyers on their side. 

We regularly provide education and training to our clients on emerging legal issues critical to the automotive industry. Our presentations involve leading industry insiders, from both legal and business perspectives, in brainstorming sessions focused on forecasts, trends, and future challenges. Presentations have covered such topics as data privacy and security matters; recall and cost recovery actions, including consumer class actions, current legislative and regulatory issues impacting the automotive industry such as the “whistleblower” rules under the new FAST Act; and the changing applications of technology and mobility. Our Automotive Industry Group provides real value to both our lawyers and our clients by keeping them ahead of the competition.

Mobility and Advanced Transportation Team

Dykema’s nationally recognized Mobility and Advanced Transportation Team understands the growing complexities of advanced automotive technologies. Our lawyers are at the forefront of these emerging technologies, helping clients navigate the legal challenges and opportunities that automated vehicles and advanced mobility services present. Read more.

Automotive Antitrust and Trade Regulation

Dykema’s antitrust and trade regulation lawyers team with the our automotive industry lawyers and clients to solve the complex issues relating to the regulation of competition and trade. Our broad wealth of experience includes structuring transactions, business relationships, sales practices, and internal processes to avoid antitrust and trade regulation problems. We have also successfully represented clients in regulatory, arbitration, and investigatory proceedings, as well as state and federal court litigation throughout the United States. Read more.

Automotive Corporate and Compliance

Dykema professionals assist automotive clients in a broad range of corporate and commercial legal matters. Whether counseling clients on acquisitions, divestitures, dealer terminations, joint venture formation or commercial contract negotiation and compliance programs, clients rely on us to accurately gauge automotive trends and assess risk as they consider expanding, retooling, or simply refueling their core business operations. Read more.

Automotive Government Policy and Practice

Dykema’s automotive government policy practice consists of regulatory specialists and government relations professionals who serve our clients on federal and state agency and legislative matters. Our long-standing relationships with federal and state legislators and regulators assure our clients that their voices are heard in a range of forums on the policy matters most critical to their businesses—including import and export issues, legislation and lobbying, and regulation and compliance. Read more.

Automotive Intellectual Property

Dykema helps its automotive clients survive and thrive in our fast-paced global marketplace using both our in-depth industry and strong technical knowledge. Considered a “go-to law firm” for intellectual property by general counsel, Dykema IP attorneys deliver solutions that safeguard or enforce the intellectual property rights of our automotive industry clients, as well as assisting them in unearthing value in their patent portfolios through valuations and other strategies. Read more.

Automotive Environmental Issues

Dykema’s automotive and environmental lawyers understand the environmental challenges faced by the automotive sector. We work alongside our automotive clients to help them resolve their environmental issues—whether managing waste, decommissioning a plant, responding to an accidental discharge or achieving sustainability goals. Read more.

Automotive Supplier and Supply Chain Issues 

By understanding the pressures exerted on every link in the supply chain—from increases in material and transportation costs to problems with single source inventory suppliers, accommodating volume swings and technological impacts on product architecture—Dykema attorneys help develop timely and cost-effective solutions for the full spectrum of supply chain management, supplier dispute, and troubled supplier issues. Read more.

Automotive, OEM and Supplier Business Services

Dykema provides automotive industry, OEM and supplier clients—public and private—with a full range of business services. By combining our intimate knowledge of the industry with our sharp legal focus, we help clients reduce risk, create opportunity, and partake in innovative and strategic business structures and relationships. Read more.

Automotive, OEM and Supplier Litigation

Ranked among the top seven firms nationwide in transportation litigation and top three firms nationwide in automotive product liability by The Legal 500 US 2019, Dykema is a firm of choice in automotive sector-related disputes. Dykema lawyers represent the Firm’s automotive industry clients in state and federal courts nationwide, in bench and jury trials and on appeals of right and discretionary appeals to even the highest courts of the land, and in every conceivable alternative dispute resolution forum. For decades our litigators have represented automotive manufacturers and suppliers in a broad range of significant, high-profile cases, class actions and all manner of commercial disputes. We have appeared on behalf of automotive clients before the U.S. Department of Transportation and other federal and state departments and agencies, to advocate for our clients’ causes for over 95 years. Read more.

Automotive Product Liability

Recognized among top firms nationwide as a “well-regarded automotive product liability firm” by Chambers USA 2020, Dykema understands the complex competing considerations involved in product design and development, testing, integration, and manufacturing, and we know how to win cases by explaining difficult scientific principles to judges and juries. We have defended thousands of product liability claims for a wide range of automotive products, systems and components including wheels, tires, brakes, suspension systems, airbags, seat belts, fuel systems, vehicle control and stability systems, roof structures, window glass, transmissions, seats, seat heaters, electrical switches and systems, and an entire spectrum of crashworthiness claims. We defend and try personal injury, wrongful death cases, property damage claims, and product recall and related product defect litigation—including class actions—across the country. Read more.

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