overview
Joanne Geha Swanson has more than 30 years of experience as a litigator and appellate attorney.
Practice Areas
Bio
Joanne provides strong, rigorous advocacy to clients who must either enforce or defend their rights through litigation. In addition, she counsels clients on how to avoid litigation and resolve disputes without turning to the courts in the first place.
Her civil litigation practice primarily involves complex commercial disputes, antitrust, class actions, business torts, legal malpractice and other related matters.
Joanne also devotes a significant percentage of her professional time to state and federal appellate practice involving issues across the spectrum of subject areas, including insurance disputes, constitutional challenges, questions of statutory interpretation, business torts, commercial disputes, medical and legal malpractice, real estate disputes, and civil procedural questions.
Joanne is an active thought leader who has authored numerous published articles related to her areas of practice, and she has lectured on topics related to litigation and the appeals process. She contributed the Michigan chapter to the Practitioner’s Guide to Class Actions, 2nd edition from the ABA’s Tort Insurance and Trial Practice Section. She also served on the editorial board for the book. Swanson wrote the Michigan chapter and served on the editorial board for the first edition, as well.
Joanne is the Past Chair of the State Bar of Michigan’s Antitrust, Franchise & Trade Regulation Section. She is a current Council Member of the Appellate Practice Section of the State Bar of Michigan and President of the Detroit Bar Association Board of Directors. She chairs the editorial board of the Detroit Bar Association’s Detroit Lawyer magazine. Joanne is chair of the Appellate Practice Section Annual Meeting (State Bar NEXT Conference, Cobo). She moderated the Annual Meeting program that was sponsored by the Appellate Practice Section.
Joanne is repeatedly listed in The Best Lawyers in America®; is a Corporate Counsel Magazine “Super Lawyer”; and “Top Lawyer” in DBusiness Magazine. She has been ranked as a “Michigan Super Lawyer” by Thomson Reuters, for 15 years, and also received the Thomas M. Cooley Law School Distinguished Brief Award. She was named a 2017 Super Lawyer in Civil Litigation Defense (named every year since 2006), and is a Best Lawyers® award recipient in Appellate Practice and Litigation-Antitrust for the past 10 years. She also received the Best Lawyers® Litigation – Antitrust “Lawyer of the Year” for Detroit in 2015, 2018, and 2020. Only a single lawyer in each practice area and community is honored with a “Lawyer of the Year” award. She was also named a 2017 DBusiness Magazine “Top Lawyer”: Appellate, Litigation – Antitrust (5th consecutive year; 6th overall recognition). She is AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell.
Joanne is a fellow of the Michigan State Bar Foundation and the Detroit Bar Association Foundation. She was recognized by Crain’s Detroit Business as one of their Notable Women Lawyers in Michigan – 2017 and among the 2020 Class of Women in the Law by Michigan Lawyers Weekly.
Articles
- “From The Chair,” Michigan Appellate Practice Journal (Spring 2018)
- “From The Chair,” Michigan Appellate Practice Journal (Fall 2017)
credentials
Affiliations
- American Bar Association
- Antitrust Law Section
- Tort, Trial & Insurance Practice Section
- Section of Litigation, Women Advocate Committee
- Federal Bar Association for the Eastern District of Michigan
- State Bar of Michigan
- Appellate Practice Section Council
- Antitrust, Franchise & Trade Regulation Section, Past Chair
- Negligence Section
- Detroit Bar Association
- Past President
- Board of Directors
- Washtenaw County Bar Association
Bar and Court Admissions
- Michigan
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
- United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan
- United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
- United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin
- United States District Court for the District of Utah
Education
- Wayne State University Law School, J.D.
- cum laude
- Michigan State University, B.A.
Insights & News
August 17, 2023
Kerr Russell Attorneys Recognized By Best Lawyers In America© 2024 And Best Lawyers: Ones To Watch
December 21, 2022
Factors to Consider in Hiring Outside Counsel
August 18, 2022
Kerr Russell Attorneys Recognized by Best Lawyers in America© 2023 and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch
August 12, 2022
Kerr Russell Attorneys Named 2022 Michigan Super Lawyers and Rising Stars
August 19, 2021
Kerr Russell Attorneys Named to 2022 Best Lawyers® List
February 23, 2021
Best Practices: Giving Voice to Amici Curiae
November 16, 2020
22 Kerr Russell Attorneys Recognized as DBusiness 2021 Top Lawyers
October 6, 2020
“Now What?”: Supreme Court’s COVID-19 Executive Order Decision
September 18, 2020
Kerr Russell Attorneys Named 2020 Michigan Super Lawyers and Rising Stars
August 20, 2020
Kerr Russell Attorneys Recognized by Best Lawyers in America© 2021 and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch
July 14, 2020
15 Lawyers From Kerr Russell Recognized as Leading Lawyers 2020
May 13, 2020
From The Lawyer's Perspective - Factors To Consider In Hiring Outside Counsel
April 7, 2020
Joanne Geha Swanson Discusses Bar Association Shifts Due to COVID-19
March 17, 2020
Coronavirus/COVID-19 Business Continuity: A Message to Our Community, Clients and Friends
November 15, 2019
19 Kerr Russell Attorneys Recognized as DBusiness Top Lawyers for 2020
September 3, 2019
15 Kerr Russell Attorneys Recognized on the 2019 Michigan Super Lawyers List
August 15, 2019
James Cambridge (Corporate Law) and Joanne Geha Swanson (Litigation - Antitrust) Named Best Lawyers® 2020 “Lawyers Of The Year” In Detroit
August 15, 2019
15 Lawyers From Kerr Russell Are Recognized In The Best Lawyers In America© 2020
July 29, 2019
Kerr Russell Attorney Joanne Geha Swanson Interviewed by Legal News
June 20, 2019
Kerr Russell Attorney Installed as Detroit Bar Association Board President
April 3, 2019
Kerr Russell Attorneys win Litigation of the Year - Cartel Defence award
September 20, 2018
Kerr Russell recognizes our 2018 dbusiness Top Lawyers in Metro Detroit honorees
September 11, 2018
Sneak peek of Dbusiness Magazine Top Lawyers photo shoot with Kerr Russell
September 7, 2018
15 Kerr Russell attorneys recognized as 2018 Super Lawyers
August 15, 2018
15 lawyers from Kerr Russell were recognized in The Best Lawyers in America© 2019
July 11, 2018
The Detroit Bar Association welcomes slate of 2018-19 officers, including Joanne Swanson, president-elect
June 24, 2018
Kudos to Joanna Geha Swanson, president-elect of the Detroit Bar Association
May 13, 2018
2018 Detroit Heart Walk a great (if rainy) success - Kerr Russell colleagues contribute over $6,000
April 25, 2018
Joanne Geha Swanson, chair of State Bar of Michigan Appellate Group, contributes thoughts on the power of editing to Michigan Appellate Practice Journal
April 23, 2018
Kerr Russell colleagues and family members spend Earth Day 2018 volunteering at Votrobeck Playground
March 12, 2018
Hour Magazine salutes "Michigan 2017 Super Lawyers: The Top Women," including Kerr Russell's Joanne Swanson, Katherine Cser, Anna Valk
January 26, 2018
Download Kerr Russell's updated firm brochure and overview of services
January 19, 2018
Appellate decision: Services rendered to clients located outside the city by an attorney working in the city are not taxable as in-city services
January 3, 2018
Kerr Russell highlighted in Best Lawyers - Business, Winter 2017 issue
December 18, 2017
Kerr Russell team makes holiday donations to Capuchin Soup Kitchen, Wigs 4 Kids, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Ann Arbor, and Children's Hospital of Michigan
December 12, 2017
Joanne Swanson named one of Crain's Business Detroit's Notable Women Lawyers in Michigan - 2017
November 30, 2017
Merry and bright ... Kerr Russell welcomes the holiday season
November 21, 2017
Detroit Bar Honors Mayor Mike Duggan at 2017 Archer Award Gala; Kerr Russell a Silver Sponsor
November 16, 2017
Culture of Connection - new Kerr Russell ad to appear in Michigan Lawyers Weekly and dbusiness
November 3, 2017
Kerr Russell launches new advertising in upcoming issues of dbusiness and Crain's Detroit
November 1, 2017
Kerr Russell ranked in the 2018 U.S. News - Best Lawyers® "Best Law Firms" list nationally in 1 practice area and regionally in 17 practice areas
October 19, 2017
Joanne Swanson writes Michigan chapter of ABA Tort Insurance and Trial Practice Section's "A Practitioner's Guide to Class Actions, 2nd Edition"
September 12, 2017
16 Kerr Russell attorneys recognized as 2017 Super Lawyers
August 21, 2017
17 lawyers from Kerr Russell were recognized in The Best Lawyers in America© 2018
August 21, 2017
Joanne Geha Swanson named Best Lawyers® 2018 Litigation - Antitrust "Lawyer of the Year" in Detroit
August 10, 2017
A culture of giving
November 7, 2016
Kerr Russell attorneys named 2017 Top Lawyers by dBusiness Magazine
November 1, 2016
Kerr Russell Attorneys Named 2016 Super Lawyers
January 15, 2016