Honored as one of The Best Lawyers in America by the oldest and most respected peer-review publication in the legal profession, Gerald Thurswell is a highly regarded expert in medical malpractice, birth injury, auto accident litigation, and police misconduct. Mr. Thurswell has obtained numerous multi-million dollar jury verdicts and settlements for injured people in courts throughout Michigan and other states. He is a past president of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America – Metropolitan Detroit as well as a member of the Birth Trauma Litigation Group of the American Association of Justice. He is AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell, a designation showing that he has reached the highest degree in legal ability and ethics. The founder of Thurswell Law, Mr. Thurswell, is recognized as a Super Lawyer by Law & Politics magazine, a listing of the top 5 percent of attorneys in Michigan. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from Wayne State University, where he was on the Dean’s List as an undergraduate. He received his Juris Doctorate, cum laude, from Wayne State University Law School, at age 23. He is admitted to the State Bar of Michigan, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court. In addition to Michigan, Mr. Thurswell is also licensed to practice law in the District of Columbia, Illinois, New York, and Colorado. Mr. Thurswell is recognized in Who’s Who in the World, Who’s Who in American Law and Who’s Who in the Midwest. He is recognized by the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, an organization limited to the most prestigious groups of trial lawyers in the United States that have achieved several multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements. He is an investigator and arbitrator for the State Bar of Michigan and has been the Hearing Panel Chairman for the Attorney Discipline Board. Mr. Thurswell is a member of the Brain Injury Association of Michigan. He has also been featured in Michigan Lawyers Weekly and the Detroit Legal News. Mr. Thurswell currently serves on the Wayne County Circuit Court – Case Evaluation Tribunal and has served as an arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association. He has also served as a facilitator for the Oakland County Circuit Court and has lectured at law schools.

George G. Burke, III earned his undergraduate degree in political science from Syracuse University in 1989. He earned his Juris Doctor degree in 1992 from Boston College Law School. Burke joined Buckfire Law in July 2025, after having previously worked for the firm a decade prior. Burke is an experienced trial attorney, representing those injured in accidents such as auto accidents, motorcycle accidents, and bicycle accidents. He has extensive experience in Michigan’s No-Fault Law and auto accident litigation. He is committed to helping his clients obtain the compensation and benefits they deserve. Burke’s primary focus will be on first-party automotive claims, third-party auto negligence, and accidents involving motorcycles, pedestrians, and bicycles. He also handles other personal injury claims including dog attacks, slip and falls, and wrongful death lawsuits. Call (888) 797-8787 for a free case review and speak to George Burke about your case today.

Hass M. Merhi earned his bachelor’s degree from The Ohio State University before going on to receive his Juris Doctor degree from Michigan State University’s College of Law. He joined Buckfire Law in August 2025, focusing primarily on automobile accidents, dog bite cases, pedestrian and bicycle accidents, as well as wrongful death claims. Prior to joining the firm, Hass worked for an insurance defense law firm, focusing on defense litigation in areas such as third-party auto negligence, personal injury, premises liability, and general negligence. As an experienced trial attorney, Hass successfully advocated for those injured in a wide range of accidents, including car, motorcycle, and bicycle crashes. Hass is also fluent in Arabic. Call (888) 797-8787 for a free case review and speak to Hass Merhi about your case today.

John has dedicated over 30 years, to serving the needs of personal injury clients in Michigan, and across the country. Some of his resilience may have come from playing Big Ten Football for coaching legend Duffy Daugherty at Michigan State University, where he was also a Rhode Scholar Candidate. He then went on to the University of Notre Dame Law School and passed the Michigan bar exam and hung out his shingle as a Personal Injury Sole Practitioner, a first for Livingston County Michigan. He is licensed in both State and Federal Court in Michigan and is a member of the Bar in California. Mr. Schalter views Personal Injury Law as his life calling. His father experienced a massive heart attack and stroke due to carbon monoxide poisoning at his job. For 11 years John’s father, once a healthy man, sat in a wheelchair watching his family suffer and feeling constant confusion and despair. He never thought about talking to a personal injury lawyer, or realized he could even afford one. Since then, John has made it his life’s mission to help bring justice to innocent victims of reckless conduct. Consequently, Jon is constantly trying to bridge the gap between law and the people it was designed to protect. The evolution of OurAdvocate is the product of these efforts. He sees this firm as a "work in progress," constantly evolving into a "better way" of protecting his clients and serving their unique needs in Michigan, and throughout our country. He has been a long-standing member of almost all state and local bar associations. In his free time, he writes screenplays for major studios in Hollywood. Also, he and his wife Carrie have spent the last year building schools in Kenya, Africa. OurAdvocate has a network of lawyers throughout the state who we think are the “best in the business.” This gives our clients the unparalled service at no extra cost to our clients!

Rebecca Filiatraut graduated in 1991 from Oakland University with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature. In 1994 she received her Juris Doctor from the Detroit College of Law. While attending law school she worked at the Public Defenders Office, representing individuals charged with misdemeanors at the 36th District Court in Detroit. After her graduation, she spent several years working for a large and nationally recognized personal injury law firm. It was here that she began her career of handling federal civil rights cases which has spanned over the course of her more than twenty years in practice. Rebecca focused on §1983 civil rights actions involving police and jail misconduct, as well as other complex matters such as trucking and medical malpractice cases. Seeking to further broaden her experience, she also practiced on the defense side for a number of years, successfully defending a multitude of cases, primarily on behalf of a number of different municipalities and police departments, as well as other businesses and insurance carriers across the State of Michigan. After gaining experience on the defense side, Rebecca returned to the work she loved, representing individuals against large corporations and insurance companies in order to help these people obtain rightful compensation for their injuries. Rebecca has extensive trial experience in both state and federal courts on behalf of plaintiffs and defendants, having been involved in some very high-profile and notable jury trials during the course of her career. She is licensed to practice in the State of Michigan, as well as the United States District Courts of both the Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Rebecca is an active supporter of the legal community and a member of several associations, including the State Bar of Michigan Negligence Section and the Michigan Association for Justice.