Bonnie Y. Sawusch has successfully practiced law for nearly twenty years. Representing people and families whose lives have been affected by catastrophic personal injury and death was a natural pathway after her fifteen years as a critical care Registered Nurse. In addition to maintaining her license to practice as a Registered Nurse in Michigan, Bonnie is also licensed to practice law in the states of Michigan and Florida. She was elected Chair of the State Bar of Michigan’s Litigation Section Council for 2009-2010.
Bonnie received her Registered Nurse diploma from Mercy School of Nursing of Detroit with honors. She went on to earn her Bachelor of Science in Nursing with high honors at Eastern Michigan University. After working in the Medical Intensive Care Unit at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Ann Arbor, a 558-bed acute care facility, for many years, Bonnie entered law school where she earned membership on the University of Detroit Law Review, the Frank Murphy Honor Society and the American Inn of Court. She graduated in the top of her class Magna Cum Laude from the University of Detroit School of Law in 1991 with her Juris Doctorate.
After law school, Bonnie was hired by the Honorable Patricia J. Boyle of the Michigan Supreme Court to serve a two-year judicial clerkship. During her clerkship, Bonnie worked on appellate issues for virtually every type of legal case encountered by Michigan’s highest court, including evidentiary issues, negligence and products laws, insurance laws and criminal matters.
Born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Bonnie moved to Kalamazoo, Michigan, after her clerkship with the Michigan Supreme Court ended in 1993 and joined the Personal Injury practice group of one of Michigan’s largest law firms. In 1996, with several of her law partners from that group, Bonnie opened the law practice of Halpert, Weston, Wuori and Sawusch, PC, focusing exclusively on representing people and families who have suffered catastrophic personal injury or death caused through the fault of others.
Bonnie and her law partners have represented clients throughout the state of Michigan and other states in cases involving catastrophic injuries and wrongful death. Cases ranging from trucking and automobile collisions, airplane disasters, fires and explosions, burn injuries and electrocutions are just a sample of some of the many tragedies Bonnie has been involved in investigating, litigating and resolving. A few of these cases are outlined in the Testimonials and the Settlements and Verdicts Section of our website.
In addition to her passion for representing people and families whose lives have been touched by tragedy, Bonnie also continues her involvement in working with and educating medical and legal professionals. She is a frequent invited lecturer and author for the Institute of Continuing Legal Education in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Bonnie authored the chapter “Trial Techniques for Proving Damages in Injury and Death Cases,” in ICLE’s “Michigan Law of Damages and Other Remedies” (3d ed).
Bonnie’s memberships include the American Association of Critical Care Nurses, the American Burn Association, Association of Trial Lawyers of America, Interstate Trucking Litigation Group, and State Bar of Michigan Litigation Section Council. She was also appointed to the American Burn Association’s Ethics Committee from 2006 to 2009.
Bonnie has achieved the highest “AV” rating by her peers from the nationally recognized Martindale-Hubbell, and has been repeatedly listed as a Michigan Super Lawyer. She is also listed in the Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers and Best Lawyers in America.
AV Peer Review Rated
Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers
Peer Review Rating:
AV® Preeminent™ 5.0 out of 5
Best Lawyers®