Pitt, McGehee, Palmer, Bonanni & Rivers

What Pitt, McGehee, Palmer, Bonanni & Rivers does

Pitt, McGehee, Palmer, Bonanni & Rivers is a Michigan-based plaintiff-side law firm founded in 1992 and headquartered at 117 West 4th Street in Royal Oak. The firm has grown from four founders to eleven attorneys and provides legal services across employment discrimination, civil rights, sexual assault and harassment, disability rights, housing discrimination, personal injury, criminal defense, and corrections/prisoner rights. It serves both individuals and plaintiff classes, and has handled cases in Michigan, Colorado, California, New Mexico, Ohio, and Indiana often via co-counsel arrangements.

The firm derives revenue primarily through contingency-fee representation and court-approved class counsel fee awards in class action and mass tort litigation. Settlements it has secured as lead or co-counsel include $624 million for Flint Water Crisis residents, $490 million for over 1,000 survivors in the University of Michigan Dr. Robert Anderson case, $390 million for over 400 Larry Nassar survivors, $104.6 million in the largest employment verdict in New Mexico history, and additional multi-million-dollar resolutions against the Michigan Department of Corrections, Michigan State Police, and various universities and employers. Client intake relies on referrals (former clients, other attorneys, advocacy groups including the ACLU and the Michigan Coalition for Human Rights), earned media in major national outlets, and the firm's Chambers Band 1 plaintiff-side litigation ranking.

Technology is limited to standard legal-practice tooling—case management, document management, e-discovery, and AI-assisted document review capabilities referenced in job postings (general firmographics). The firm holds Band 1 recognition in Chambers & Partners USA Guide for plaintiff-side litigation in Michigan and multiple Lawdragon, Best Lawyers, Super Lawyers, and National Law Journal recognitions. Operations are conducted out of a single Royal Oak office with partners appearing in courts across multiple states. No external ownership, fund-raising, acquisition, or parent-company relationship is reported; the firm remains an equity partnership.

Name

Pitt, McGehee, Palmer, Bonanni & Rivers

Legal name

Pitt McGehee Palmer Bonanni & Rivers PC

Website

https://pittlawpc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Pitt, McGehee, Palmer, Bonanni & Rivers is a Royal Oak, Michigan plaintiff-side law firm representing individuals and classes in employment discrimination, civil rights, sexual abuse, and prisoner rights cases. Founded in 1992, the firm now has eleven attorneys and a track record of record-setting class action settlements.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Plaintiff Civil Rights and Employment Law

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Employment & Labor Law (BPAHAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Criminal Defense (BPAHAAAN), Personal Injury & Insurance Defense (BPAHAAAM)

Keywords

• Civil rights litigation
• Employment discrimination law
• Class action lawsuits
• Sexual assault representation
• Plaintiff-side advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Royal Oak

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Civil Rights and Employment Litigation: The firm represents individuals in civil rights and employment discrimination cases, typically on a contingency fee basis for plaintiffs, where fees are recovered from settlements or judgments.
2. Sexual Abuse Survivor Representation: Representation of sexual assault and abuse survivors, often in class action or mass tort litigation against institutions, with fee structures that may include contingency arrangements.
3. Class Action Litigation: Lead counsel in major class action cases including Flint Water Crisis, prisoner rights cases, and institutional abuse cases, generating revenue through court-approved fee awards.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Pitt McGehee Palmer Bonanni & Rivers is a plaintiff-side law firm that represents individuals and groups in civil rights, employment discrimination, sexual assault and abuse, disability rights, housing discrimination, corrections/prisoner rights, whistleblower, personal injury, and criminal defense matters. The firm specializes in complex class action and mass tort litigation, holding corporations, government agencies, universities, and healthcare institutions accountable for misconduct, with landmark settlements including Flint Water Crisis ($624M) and Larry Nassar litigation ($390M).

Product overview

Pitt McGehee Palmer Bonanni & Rivers is a civil rights and employment discrimination law firm offering legal services across multiple practice areas. Their core services include Employment Discrimination litigation, Sexual Assault and Harassment representation, Civil Rights cases, Disability Rights advocacy, Housing Discrimination, Personal Injury, Criminal Defense, and Corrections and Incarceration matters. The firm is particularly known for high-profile class action lawsuits including the Flint Water Crisis litigation, institutional sexual abuse cases (Larry Nassar, Dr. Robert Anderson), and prisoner rights cases against the Michigan Department of Corrections. Their work also encompasses whistleblower protection, Title IX cases, and constitutional law matters.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Employment Discrimination Legal Services Legal representation for individuals facing workplace discrimination based on race, age, religion, gender, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, and other protected characteristics, including class action litigation under Title VII and other state and federal anti-discrimination laws.
• Sexual Assault and Harassment Legal Services Legal advocacy for survivors of sexual assault and harassment, including institutional accountability cases against universities, healthcare facilities, and employers; notable cases include Larry Nassar litigation and University of Michigan Dr. Robert Anderson cases.
• Civil Rights Legal Services Representation for individuals and groups whose constitutional and civil rights have been violated by governmental entities, corporations, or other parties; includes First Amendment, Fourth Amendment, and constitutional law matters.
• Disability Rights Legal Services Legal advocacy for individuals with disabilities facing discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations, and educational settings, ensuring equal access and accommodations under disability rights laws.
• Housing Discrimination Legal Services Legal representation for individuals facing housing discrimination based on protected characteristics, partnering with Fair Housing enforcement agencies across Michigan.
• Personal Injury Legal Services Legal representation for individuals injured due to someone else's negligence, seeking compensation for medical costs, lost wages, and personal suffering.
• Criminal Defense Legal Services Legal advice and representation for criminal offenses, from misdemeanors through felonies, including murder trials, helping clients avoid wrongful convictions or excessive punishments.
• Corrections and Incarceration Legal Services Representation for individuals who have experienced cruel and unusual punishment or inhumane conditions of confinement in violation of constitutional rights; includes prisoner rights litigation and conditions-of-confinement cases.
• Class and Group Action Litigation Unified legal representation for groups of plaintiffs in class action lawsuits; notable cases include Flint Water Crisis litigation, Michigan UIA fraud case, and sexual assault group actions.
• Whistleblower Protection Legal Services Legal representation for employees who expose workplace wrongdoing, including retaliation claims arising from overtime, minimum wage, discrimination, workers compensation, medical leave, and equal pay claims.

Quantifiable outcome

• $624 million Flint Water Class Action settlement
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Eric Sirotkin (New Mexico Attorney)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 November 2025Co-counsel relationship with New Mexico attorney Eric Sirotkin in the $104.6 million verdict against Bright Green Corporation. Combined efforts resulted in the largest employment-related verdict in New Mexico history.
• Sommers Schwartz, P.C.majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 November 2025Co-counsel relationship with Sommers Schwartz on class action lawsuit against Tenet Healthcare, VHS of Michigan, and Sinai-Grace Hospital alleging systemic sexual assault by a nurse on female patients in Detroit.
• Civil Rights CorpscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 March 2024Pitt McGehee has partnered with Civil Rights Corps on the 'Right 2 Hug' litigation challenging jail visitation policies that replace in-person family visits with paid phone and video calls. The partnership has filed landmark lawsuits in Michigan and Colorado arguing children have constitutional rights to visit incarcerated parents.
• Public JusticecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 March 2024Co-counsel relationship with Public Justice's Debtors' Prison Project on Right 2 Hug litigation against jail telecom companies and sheriffs. Public Justice brings expertise in debtors' prison and criminal justice reform issues.
• Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLPmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 March 2024Partner Alex Spiro and Quinn Emanuel entered appearance for purposes of litigating preliminary injunctions in the Right 2 Hug lawsuits. The firm provides additional litigation resources and expertise for these high-profile constitutional cases.
• Marko LawcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-counsel relationship representing prisoners in lawsuit against Michigan Department of Corrections over untreated scabies outbreak at Women's Huron Valley Correctional Facility.
• Nichols Kaster PLLCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-counsel in MDOC scabies outbreak class action litigation.
• David S. Steingold PLLCminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-counsel in MDOC prisoner rights litigation.
• Excel Law PLLCminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-counsel in MDOC prisoner rights litigation.
• Solomon A. RadnerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-counsel in MDOC prisoner rights litigation.
• Daniel RandazzominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-counsel in MDOC prisoner rights litigation.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP: Elite national plaintiffs-side law firm with strong employment discrimination, civil rights, and mass tort practices. Most directly comparable to PMPBR in case mix, contingency fee model, and track record of multi-hundred-million-dollar class action recoveries.
• Motley Rice LLC: National plaintiffs firm specializing in complex class actions, mass torts, and institutional accountability cases. Comparable to PMPBR in its concentration on high-impact, contingency-fee litigation against large institutions.
• Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC: Plaintiffs-side firm with premier civil rights, employment discrimination, and consumer class action practices. Closely comparable to PMPBR in practice focus on civil rights litigation and class action leadership.
• Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP: Plaintiff-focused class action firm with significant employment and civil rights litigation practices. Comparable to PMPBR in its contingency-fee class action model and pursuit of institutional defendants.
• Keller Rohrback L.L.P. Complex litigation plaintiffs firm with strong civil rights, employment, and class action practices. Comparable to PMPBR in case selection and plaintiff-side trial orientation.
• Susman Godfrey L.L.P. Top-tier trial firm with significant plaintiffs-side practice in commercial, civil rights, and catastrophic cases. Comparable to PMPBR in its high-stakes plaintiff litigation against well-resourced opponents.
• Sommers Schwartz, P.C. Michigan-based plaintiffs firm with major employment, class action, and personal injury practices. The most regionally overlapping peer; co-counsel relationship with PMPBR on the Sinai-Grace Hospital case reflects direct competition and collaboration.
• Weiler Law Office: Michigan-based employment discrimination and civil rights firm. Comparable to PMPBR in practice area focus and client base within Michigan, though smaller in scale.

Emerging players

• Public Justice: National public interest advocacy organization that litigates high-impact civil rights, consumer, and environmental cases. Comparable to PMPBR in mission and case type, and operates as a co-counsel partner on Right 2 Hug litigation.

Regional players

• American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan: Michigan affiliate of a national civil rights organization engaged in constitutional and civil rights litigation. Comparable to PMPBR in civil rights case type and regional focus, though structured as a nonprofit rather than a private firm.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PittMcGehee

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pitt, McGehee, Palmer, Bonanni & Rivers