Tara S. Cannatella began working for the firm as a law clerk in November of 2002, became an associate attorney in November of 2004 and was named partner in August 2011. Since that time, she has litigated several trials and traffic matters and has successfully settled or won dismissals in many more cases.
She won a “no cause of action” jury verdict in a one-half million dollar property loss case and through pre-trial motions, was able to reduce a potential jury verdict by more than 70% in another product liability case. Tara has also obtained multiple nuisance-type settlements and court dismissals in premises liability cases.
Tara is also a presenter of several seminars for insurance adjusters on Michigan No-Fault Claims, how eyewitnesses and jurors process information, and how to use thematic litigation when settlement negotiations fail.
In her spare time, Tara enjoys softball, bowling, and spending time with her husband and three sons.
Mike founded the firm in 1992. Since then he has established an impressive record winning and settling cases involving life and death issues. Mike’s trial experience includes auto negligence, commercial vehicle litigation, construction accidents, premises liability, products liability, public utility liability and subrogation. This is why larger corporate and insurance clients turn to Mike to defend their interests and their public image in emotionally charged cases.
From 1998 to 2008 Mike served as the resident agent of Schneider National, Inc., one of the Nation’s largest trucking companies. The firm currently handles all of their personal injury, property damage and cargo claims in the State of Michigan.
Mike founded Professional Claims Management Systems in June of 2005 and successfully bid on the outsourcing of a Fortune 500 company’s general liability, workers’ compensation and asbestos litigation. PCMS provided state-of-the-art claims management services to this Fortune 500 company and its various subsidiaries, advice and counsel on general liability issues and supervision to outside counsel.
Mike has completed over 90 jury trials. One factor in many of those successes in court, and equally important in his most effective negotiations or mediated settlements, is the strategic use of a very intensive form of focus group research applied to presentations out of court, as well as in trial. Mike has successfully used focus groups in more than a dozen cases in recent years.
In his spare time, Mike enjoys working out at the gym with friend and competing in triathlons and open water swims. Mike As a member of a 3-man relay team, he has been swimming Lake St. Clair for charity for the last 8 years to raise awareness and money for the treatment of Cystic Fibrosis.
Dennis W. Klimek joined Hutchinson Cannatella, P.C. in August of 2018. In law school, he was a member of the Moot Court program and chancellor of the Student Trial Advocacy Program. He also took on the role as a law clerk at a prominent criminal defense firm, and worked in probate and estate planning.
Dennis focuses his expansive docket on commercial trucking defense, Michigan No-Fault and auto negligence, premises liability, and public utility litigation and subrogation. He continues to focus his attention and efforts on the ever-changing application of No-Fault reform as it applies to situations not contemplated by the Legislature. When he is not focusing on work, he enjoys working on cars and spending time and traveling with his loving wife, their beautiful daughter, and their loyal dog. Future plans include visiting every national park and as many historically significant sites throughout the world as is logistically possible.
Sean Broderick joined Hutchinson Cannatella, P.C. in May of 2016 as the Office Manager. In August of 2021, he started his first year of law school at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law and shifted to a part-time role with the firm. At Detroit Mercy, he was involved with Moot Court Board of Advocates, and participated in the Environmental Law Clinic. He remained integral to the each attorney’s docket and the firm’s file management. Sean graduated a semester early in December 2023 and joined the firm as an Associate Attorney in May 2024 after passing the February bar examination.
His organizational skills and extreme discipline are essential to case management and client defense. Sean specializes in background research, investigation and analysis, and delivering efficient but “deep” work. When he’s not in the office, you can find Sean running, swinging kettlebells, golfing, listening to podcasts, smoking some elite cut of meat, and walking his dog, George Orwell.
Patrick McTighe joined Hutchinson Cannatella, P.C. in July of 2016. Since then, he has served as the backbone of day to day administrative functions. As of August 2021, Pat assumed the majority of the behind the scenes functions and day to day operations for the office. Patrick obtained his Paralegal Certificate from Oakland University in December of 2023 and was promoted to Paralegal thereafter. His mindset plays a crucial role in the the firm’s maintenance of an ever-expanding docket. Patrick oversees the firm’s daily billing and invoicing while providing expertise in discovery, investigation, and file management. In his free time he enjoys hitting the links, talking baseball and listening to music.
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