Barbara Graham focuses her practice on commercial litigation and insurance defense, including personal injury, premises liability, no-fault insurance claims and product liability. She brings over 25 years of legal experience to her role, including trial advocacy, legal research, transactional work and client development. As a certified mediator in business and family law, Barbara is skilled in achieving efficient resolutions and has a strong record of obtaining favorable outcomes in complex legal disputes.

In addition, Barbara’s extensive experience spans state and federal court litigation, client advocacy and expert witness management for high-stakes cases. Her mediation work has achieved an exceptional settlement rate, reflecting her commitment to resolving disputes efficiently while meeting client goals.

Prior to joining the firm, Barbara served as an attorney for a Michigan litigation firm, focusing on insurance defense and product liability, and as senior counsel in St. Louis, Missouri for a nationwide litigation firm, handling a variety of complex litigation matters. She also operated her own law practice in St. Louis, Missouri for over a decade, focusing on domestic relations and entertainment law where she represented music artists, producers, radio personalities and record labels in contract negotiations and complex transactions.

Barbara earned her J.D. from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale where she worked as a research assistant for a civil procedure professor and as a law clerk throughout law school. She was also a member of the SIU Law Journal and graduated in the top 25% of her class.

Barbara holds a B.A. in economics/marketing with a minor in music and dance from the State University of New York at Potsdam. 

Barbara recently relocated to the Detroit area from St. Louis and is still getting used to the cold weather. She spends her free time playing clarinet with the Detroit Symphony Community Orchestra, riding horses and running.

Professional & Civic Involvement

  • American Bar Association
    • Missouri Bar Entertainment and Sports Law Committee
  • Volunteer, Longmeadow Rescue Ranch

Practice Highlights

Representative Matters

  • Represented prominent R&B and hip-hop artists and labels in negotiating contracts and licensing agreements for album releases.
  • Secured dismissal of a national pizza chain from a personal injury lawsuit through a successful Motion for Summary Judgment, resulting in the court’s determination that the driver at fault was an independent contractor.
  • Negotiated a highly favorable settlement for a national home improvement chain during mediation, reducing the plaintiff’s demand from $500,000 to a settlement of $25,000.
  • Achieved favorable settlements for a big-box retailer in premises liability cases, both in mediation and through pre-mediation negotiations.
  • Obtained numerous favorable outcomes for clients in child custody and support trials.