Jeffrey G. Raphelson

Mr. Raphelson focuses his practice on commercial litigation, particularly matters related to the automotive industry, finance and banking.

He also dedicates a substantial amount of time to general commercial cases such as contract disputes, intellectual property litigation, corporate governance and dissolution, dealer and franchise termination, and other corporate law disputes. Mr. Raphelson has deep automotive industry experience, having served in-house for two years as counsel for the seating division of Lear Corporation, a publicly traded Fortune 200 automotive supplier.

He is a former member of the State Bar of Michigan’s Ad Hoc Committee on Legislation, ex-officio chairman of the Computer Law Section Council (now the Information Technology Section) and a former member of the State Bar’s Task Force on E-Filing. He is past president of the American Constitution Society’s Michigan chapter and treasurer of the Historical Society for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. He is also a member of the Oakland County Bar Association’s Circuit Court and Business Court Committees, and he president of the Oakland County Bar Foundation.

Mr. Raphelson is listed in Chambers USA 2024 under Litigation: General Commercial, in The Best Lawyers in America 2025 under Commercial Litigation, and in Michigan Super Lawyers 2024 under Business Litigation. He is a DBusiness Magazine 2025 “Top Lawyer” for Litigation-Commercial and is AV Preeminent ® Peer Rated by Martindale-Hubbell.

Mr. Raphelson is proficient in French.

Honors, Awards, and Recognition

• Chambers USA 2024, Litigation: General Commercial
• The Best Lawyers in America 2016-2025, Commercial Litigation
• Benchmark Litigation 2018, State Litigation Star
• DBusiness Magazine “Top Lawyers” 2010, 2016, 2018-2025, Litigation-Commercial
• Michigan Super Lawyers 2006-2007, 2010-2024, Business Litigation

Civic, Cultural and Community Activities

• Michigan Chapter of the American Constitution Society, Past President
• Historical Society for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Treasurer, Board of Directors
• Oakland County Bar Foundation, President
• Trout Unlimited, Michigan Council Secretary, 2008

Professional Affiliations

• State Bar of Michigan
  • Electronic Filing Task Force
  • Information Technology Law Section, Council
  • Intellectual Property Law Section
  • Litigation Section

Publications

• Co-author, “A UFLPA Update: US Customs Impounds Thousands of Vehicles with Suspected Banned Components,” Bodman Litigation Law Update (February 20, 2024)
• Co-author, “Michigan Supreme Court Overrules Court of Appeals Decision in MSSC, Inc. v. Airboss Flexible Products Co.,” Bodman Litigation Law Update (July 18, 2023)
• Co-Author (with Thomas Tallerico), “Demonstrative Evidence,” Michigan Bar Journal vol. 94, no. 10 (October 2015)
• Co-Author (with Jane Derse Quasarano), “Dueling, Dickering, and Delivering, UCC Battles of the Forms in Manufacturing Contracts,” Michigan Bar Journal  vol. 93, no. 10 (October 2014)
• “A Certain Parcell of Land Lying on this Island, Manhatans,” The Court Legacy, vol. XIV, no. 1 (February 2007)
• “Old Laws, New Laws, and Technology: A Summary of Some Laws Affecting Use of the Internet,” 77 Michigan Bar Journal 1202 (November 1998)
• “Is Alternative Dispute Resolution Right for Your Case?,” Michigan Lawyers Weekly (May 3, 1993)
• Editor, Computer Law Theme Issue, Michigan Bar Journal (Oct 1988 and June 1994)
• “Allocating the Risks of Computer Failure,” 5 Matthew Bender’s Commercial Damages Reporter 137 (July-Aug 1990)
• “Professional Liability of Attorneys,” 39 Wayne Law Review 815 (Winter 1990) (cited in Gebhardt v. O’Rourke, 444 Mich. 535, 542 n. 6; 510 N.W.2d 900, 903 n. 6 (1994)

Representative Matters

Mr. Raphelson’s representative matters include:

• Drive Logistics Ltd. v. PBP Logistics LLC, 2017 WL 4348832 (2017)
• DAGS II, LLC v. Huntington National Bank, 865 F.3d 384 (2017)
• DAGS II, LLC and G2BK, LLC v Huntington National Bank, et al., 2016 WL 4536328 (August 2016)
• Butcher v Lawyers Title Insurance Co. (Ine re Butcher), 2002 U.S. App LEXIS 2806 (2002)
• By-Lo Oil Co. v ParTech, Inc., 2001 U.S. App. LEXIS 11402 (2001)
• Blachy v Butcher, 221 F. 3d 896 (2000)
• By-Lo Oil Co. v ParTech, Inc., 2000 U.S. District LEXIS 577 (2000)
• H.J. Tucker & Associates v Allied Chucker & Engineering Co., 234 Mich App. 550 ;595 NW 2d 176 (1999)
• Jerome-Duncan, Inc. v Auto-By-Tel Marketing Corp, et al., 176 F. 3d 904 (1999)
• Blachy v Butcher, 35 F Supp 2d 554 (1998)
• Lak, Inc. v Deer Creek Enterprises, 976 F 2d 328 (1992)

Related News

• 11/04/202478 Bodman Attorneys Included in DBusiness Top Lawyers 2025
• 08/15/202472 Bodman PLC Attorneys Listed in The Best Lawyers in America 2025
• 08/12/202458 Bodman Attorneys Listed in Michigan Super Lawyers 2024
• 06/06/2024Chambers USA 2024 Recognizes Bodman as One of Michigan’s Top Business Law Firms
• 02/20/2024A UFLPA Update: US Customs Impounds Thousands of Vehicles with Suspected Banned Components