Overview
Leah R. Imbrogno is a senior counsel, commercial litigator and trial lawyer with Foley & Lardner LLP. She assists corporate clients, specifically manufacturing and automotive companies, throughout all phases of complex commercial litigation, mediation, arbitration, and international arbitration. Leah has successfully litigated and tried cases in state and federal courts, the American Arbitration Association (AAA) and the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC). She is a member of Foley’s Business Litigation & Dispute Resolution Practice and Automotive and Manufacturing Industry Teams.
Leah has substantial experience in breach of contract, supply chain, warranty, recall and products liability litigation, as well as in defending manufacturers against class actions and managing trade secret claims and shareholder disputes. Leah also supports clients through commercial mediation, with the goal of prompt and creative resolution of business disputes.
Prior to joining Foley’s Detroit office, Leah was a litigation associate for the law firm of Cohen & Grigsby, P.C. in Pittsburgh, where she was a member of the associates committee and a legal writing mentor.
Representative Experience
- Successfully trying $20 million recall dispute between original equipment manufacturer and supplier, resulting in jury verdict in favor of supplier
- Defending automotive suppliers in lawsuits brought by original equipment manufacturers and Tier 1 suppliers regarding payment for warranty campaigns and recalls, including extensive work with experts to determine root cause and damages
- Negotiating and litigating commercial disputes between tiered suppliers, including issues relating to distressed suppliers
- Litigating complex recall and products liability claims relating to alleged medical device defects and automotive warranty issues
- Arbitrating breach of contract and misappropriation of trade secrets claims, including against Korean supplier before the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) resulting in an award of millions of dollars in damages and future royalties
- Aggressively taking and defending discovery and depositions in complex commercial disputes, including successfully handling discovery motions, motions in limine and motions for summary disposition
- Managing large scale domestic and international electronic discovery efforts, resulting in the retrieval and review of millions of documents
Recognition
Leah was selected for inclusion in the 2013 and 2014 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers – Rising Stars® lists for her work in business litigation. Upon moving to Michigan, Leah also was selected for inclusion in the 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 Michigan Super Lawyers – Rising Stars® list for her work in business litigation. She also has been named a “Top Women Attorney” in Michigan Super Lawyers – Rising Stars®.
Through Leah, Foley’s Detroit office was recognized for its pro bono work with the Detroit Legal Services Clinic, receiving the 2019 Pro Bono Office of the Year Award from the Detroit Bar Association.
Education
Leah earned her law degree, cum laude, from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law (J.D., 2010), with a Civil Litigation Certificate. She served as note editor for the Pittsburgh Tax Review. During law school, Leah worked as a legal extern for the Civil Division of the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas and acted as a legal research and writing teaching assistant. She also completed her undergraduate degree, summa cum laude, at the University of Pittsburgh (B.S., 2007).
Admissions and Professional Memberships
Leah is admitted to both the Michigan and Pennsylvania Bars. She also is admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the Eastern District of Michigan and the Western District of Michigan. Leah is a member of the Federal Bar, Pennsylvania State, Allegheny County, Oakland County and Detroit Bar Associations.
Publications and Presentations
- Co-presenter, “Supply Chain Shortages: Short and Long-Term Strategies for Mitigating Risk,” May 2021
- Co-presenter, Webinar: “Practical Advice for Managing Employment and Commercial Law Issues in the Wake of COVID-19: Best Practices for Restarting and Continuing Business Operations,” LIFT, May 2020
- Co-author, “50-State Emergency Order Tracker: Roadmap to Restart,” Foley's Coronavirus Resource Center, 2020
- Co-author, “The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (‘CARES Act’) is Enacted into Law,” Foley's Coronavirus Resource Center, March 2020
- Co-author, “Families First Coronavirus Response Act is Enacted into Law,” Foley's Coronavirus Resource Center, March 2020
- Co-author, “Managing the Commercial Impact of the Coronavirus: Summary of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act & Employment Provisions,” Foley's Coronavirus Resource Center, March 2020
- Co-presenter, “When Your International Distribution Contract Goes South,” 28th Annual Law of Product Distribution and Franchise Seminar 2019
- Co-author, “Another Win for Arbitration: Supreme Court Rejects ‘Wholly Groundless’ Exception to Arbitrability,” Foley's Distribution & Franchise Insights, February 2019
- Co-author, "Contracting for International Arbitration in the Global Supply Chain," Michigan Bar Journal, September 2018
- Co-presenter, “The Global Supply Chain: Lessons Learned and Best Practices in International Arbitration,” 27th Annual Law of Product Distribution and Franchise Seminar, 2018
- Co-author, “Charting Your Way Through Chrysler Group LLC’s New Terms and Conditions,” Foley White Paper, December 2014