Jules B. Olsman is a Michigan personal injury attorney with more than 40 years of experience representing individuals and families in cases involving nursing home abuse and neglect, medical malpractice, truck and car accidents, police misconduct, and wrongful death. A founding partner of Olsman MacKenzie Peacock, he has recovered tens of millions of dollars for clients and has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America every year from 2007 through 2026 and to Michigan Super Lawyers for 20 consecutive years.

Michigan Personal Injury Lawyer and Medical Malpractice Attorney Jules Olsman

Overview

Jules B. Olsman has practiced personal injury law in Michigan for more than four decades, representing clients in cases involving nursing home negligence, medical malpractice, assisted living claims, group home injuries, commercial truck accidents, car crashes, and police misconduct. He has also represented family members in wrongful death cases. During his legal career he has helped clients obtain tens of millions of dollars for their injuries.

Mr. Olsman has been named to The Best Lawyers in America for Medical Malpractice Law and Personal Injury Litigation every year from 2007 through 2026 and has been honored twice as Lawyer of the Year for Personal Injury Litigation by Best Lawyers in America, in 2016 and 2024. He has been selected to the Michigan Super Lawyers list every year from 2007 through 2026, spanning 20 consecutive years, and has been named to the Michigan Top 100 Super Lawyers list from 2009 through 2016 and 2018 through 2021. He has been ranked at the highest level of professional excellence by Martindale-Hubbell (AV Preeminent), recognized as a Leading Lawyer in Michigan from 2014 through 2015, and selected as a 2015 Michigan Lawyers Weekly Leader in the Law.

Jules is a past President of the Michigan Association for Justice and has served as an adjunct professor at Michigan State University College of Law, where he taught medical malpractice litigation. He also served as legislative counsel and as a member of the Executive Board of Citizens for Better Care. He is a past Chair of the State Bar of Michigan Negligence Law Section and a founding member of the American Association for Justice Nursing Home Litigation Group.

Why Do Injured Michigan Families Choose Jules Olsman?

When someone is seriously injured by another party’s negligence, or a loved one is harmed in a Michigan nursing home or long-term care facility, the experience is devastating and the legal landscape is complex. Injured people and families deserve an attorney who understands both the medical realities of serious injury and exactly what went wrong, and who knows how to hold a negligent party or facility accountable.

Jules Olsman brings four decades of that experience. He has been appointed to the Governor’s Task Force on Elder Abuse and has testified repeatedly before the Michigan Legislature on long-term care issues. He is a founding member of the American Association for Justice Nursing Home Litigation Group and has lectured on nursing home and assisted living liability throughout his career, alongside decades of trial work in medical malpractice, motor vehicle, and other serious injury cases.

In every case, Michigan law allows injured people and grieving families to pursue compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and, in fatal cases, the full range of damages available under the Michigan Wrongful Death Act (MCL 600.2922). Michigan nursing home residents are also protected by the Michigan Nursing Home Reform Act and federal standards under the Nursing Home Reform Act of 1987, and when a facility violates those standards and a resident is harmed, families may seek compensation for the harm.

Jules represents Michigan clients in cases involving:

• Truck accidents and car crashes causing serious or catastrophic injury
• Medical malpractice by hospitals and physicians
• Police misconduct and civil rights violations
• Premises liability and slip and fall injuries
• Pressure ulcer (bedsore) injuries resulting from inadequate repositioning and care
• Fall injuries caused by failure to implement fall prevention protocols
• Medication errors and improper administration of medications
• Elopement incidents in which residents with dementia left facilities unsupervised
• Physical, emotional, and sexual abuse by facility staff
• Dehydration and malnutrition from failure to provide adequate nutrition and hydration
• Choking from a facility’s failure to assess a resident’s ability to eat solid food
• Wrongful death resulting from nursing home or assisted living neglect in Michigan

How Does Jules Serve His Clients?

As a lawyer for more than 40 years, I have seen firsthand the devastating injury and loss of life suffered by clients and their families as the result of the actions of others. In addition to the physical pain and suffering, the financial circumstances of the injured and their families can be significantly affected, particularly when the primary breadwinner is the one who was injured and cannot work. In most cases, the entire family suffers in some form.

While injuries and death may result from negligent actions, there is nothing negligent about the way accident victims are usually treated by the insurance companies of those responsible. In most cases, insurance companies seek to deny liability, delay the case, and shift blame onto others, including the accident victim. When a settlement is offered at all, it tends to be significantly less than the true value of the damages sustained.

Our firm works hard to establish liability as early as possible. Through depositions, interrogatories, research, and other fact-finding, we seek to prove the liability of the defendants so that they have a strong incentive to enter a fair settlement rather than risk a higher judgment at trial. When an acceptable settlement is not offered, we do not hesitate to take a case to trial and pursue everything to which our clients are rightfully entitled.

Notable Case Experience

Over more than four decades, Jules has helped Michigan clients recover tens of millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements across nursing home negligence, medical malpractice, motor vehicle, and wrongful death cases. His long-term care work includes cases involving pressure ulcers, fatal and serious falls, medication errors, elopement of residents with dementia, physical and emotional abuse, dehydration and malnutrition, choking, and wrongful death in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and group homes.

Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case is different and depends on its own facts.

Michigan Personal Injury Representation FAQs

What types of personal injury cases does Jules Olsman handle?

Jules Olsman represents injured Michigan residents and their families in a broad range of personal injury matters, including nursing home negligence and abuse, medical malpractice, truck accidents and car crashes, police misconduct, premises liability, and wrongful death. His four decades of trial experience across long-term care, medical, and motor vehicle cases let him evaluate every angle of a serious injury claim.

How long do I have to file a personal injury claim in Michigan?

Most Michigan personal injury and nursing home claims based on ordinary negligence carry a three-year statute of limitations under MCL 600.5805, running from the date of injury. Claims that involve a theory of medical malpractice carry a shorter two-year limitation under MCL 600.5838a. Because these cases frequently involve both theories, the applicable deadline can depend on how the claim is framed. Missing either deadline can permanently bar recovery, so families should consult an attorney as soon as harm is discovered or reasonably should have been discovered.

Is there a claim after a car accident in Michigan’s no-fault system?

Michigan is a no-fault auto insurance state, which means an injured person first turns to their own personal injury protection (PIP) coverage for medical expenses and wage loss regardless of who caused the crash. In addition, when a crash is caused by another driver’s negligence and the injuries meet Michigan’s serious-impairment threshold, the injured person may also pursue a third-party claim against the at-fault driver for pain and suffering and other damages. Jules can evaluate both the no-fault benefits available to an injured person and any third-party claim.

Can an injured person recover compensation if they were partly at fault in Michigan?

Often, yes. Michigan follows a modified comparative fault rule. An injured person may still recover damages even when partly at fault, but the award is reduced by their share of fault, and a person found more than 50 percent at fault cannot recover noneconomic damages such as pain and suffering, though reduced economic damages may still be available (MCL 600.2959). Insurance companies often raise comparative fault to reduce or deny an otherwise valid claim.

What types of compensation can families recover in a Michigan injury or nursing home case?

Michigan families may be able to recover compensation for medical expenses related to the injury, lost wages, pain and suffering, emotional distress, costs of transfer to a new facility, and, in wrongful death cases, damages for the loss of society and companionship of a deceased family member under the Michigan Wrongful Death Act (MCL 600.2922). Michigan generally divides these into economic damages, such as medical bills and lost wages, and non-economic damages, such as pain and suffering. The value of any individual case depends on the severity of the injury, the degree of fault, and the available evidence.

What are the most common signs of nursing home neglect in Michigan?

Common indicators of nursing home neglect include unexplained weight loss or dehydration, pressure ulcers (bedsores) at Stage 2 or higher, frequent falls or unexplained bruising, poor hygiene or unchanged clothing, withdrawal or changes in mood and behavior, and staff who are unable to answer questions about a resident’s care plan. Any of these signs warrants immediate investigation. Families have the right under Michigan law to review facility inspection reports, care plans, and incident records.

What Michigan laws protect nursing home residents from abuse and neglect?

Michigan nursing home residents are protected by the Michigan Public Health Code (MCL 333.20101 et seq.), the Michigan Adult Protective Services Act (MCL 400.11), and federal standards established under the Nursing Home Reform Act of 1987 (42 U.S.C. 1395i-3). These laws require facilities to maintain adequate staffing, develop individualized care plans, protect residents from abuse and neglect, and report suspected abuse to state authorities. Violations of these standards can form the basis of a civil negligence claim against the facility.

Can a nursing home be held liable for a resident’s wrongful death in Michigan?

Yes. When a nursing home resident dies because of facility negligence or abuse in Michigan, the family may bring a wrongful death claim under MCL 600.2922. Michigan’s Wrongful Death Act allows the personal representative of the estate to pursue compensation on behalf of surviving family members for medical and funeral expenses, loss of financial support, and loss of the society, companionship, and guidance of the deceased. Jules Olsman has represented many Michigan families in nursing home wrongful death cases throughout his career.

What should families do immediately after discovering nursing home neglect or abuse?

Families who suspect nursing home neglect or abuse in Michigan should take several steps as quickly as possible: document all visible injuries with photographs, request copies of the resident’s care plan and medical records, file a complaint with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Bureau of Community and Health Systems, and contact a nursing home negligence attorney before speaking with facility administrators or their insurance representatives. Evidence can be lost or altered quickly, and early legal intervention significantly strengthens a case.

Do most Michigan personal injury cases settle or go to trial?

Most Michigan personal injury and nursing home cases settle without going to court, and insurance companies frequently make low initial settlement offers. Jules and the firm work to establish liability early and prepare every case as if it will be tried. That approach strengthens their position in settlement negotiations and means they are ready to take a case to a jury when a fair settlement is not offered.

How long does a Michigan nursing home negligence case take to resolve?

The duration of a Michigan nursing home negligence case varies considerably depending on the complexity of the injuries, the availability of records and witnesses, whether the facility’s insurer disputes liability, and whether the case proceeds to trial. Many cases resolve within one to two years through settlement negotiations. Cases that involve disputed liability or go to trial can take longer. Jules keeps clients informed throughout the process and works to resolve cases as efficiently as possible without compromising the recovery.

How much does it cost to hire Jules Olsman?

Olsman MacKenzie Peacock handles personal injury, nursing home, and medical malpractice cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning there is no fee unless a recovery is obtained. The firm advances litigation costs, which are typically repaid from a settlement or jury award, and clients pay nothing out of pocket to pursue a case. An initial consultation is provided at no charge.

What areas does Jules Olsman serve?

Jules Olsman and the attorneys at Olsman MacKenzie Peacock represent personal injury, nursing home, and medical malpractice clients throughout the state of Michigan, including in Oakland County, Wayne County, Macomb County, Lapeer County, Calhoun County, and surrounding areas. The firm maintains offices in Berkley, Lapeer, and Battle Creek.