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A. Vince Colella

Founding partner of Moss & Colella, P.C.

Respected by lawyers and judges as an aggressive, skillful, and powerful trial lawyer, and by his clients as a compassionate and relentless advocate, A. Vince Colella is a founding partner of Moss & Colella, P.C., a Southfield, Michigan-based law firm that specializes in personal injury trial law and civil rights. Vince and his law firm co-founder David Moss have obtained millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements for their clients.

For more than two decades, Vince has tried and won cases in state and federal courts throughout Michigan. He has deftly handled many high-profile cases, including: 

  • A snowboarding accident resulting in paralysis (recreational accident),
  • A citronella fire pot explosion resulting in severe burns and scarring on a schoolteacher’s face, neck, and chest (product liability),
  • A governmental immunity case against a shop teacher at a mid-Michigan public high school,
  • An apartment fire in a Southfield, Michigan complex causing the death of two women and two children (premises liability), and
  • An assault and battery case against a reality television producer in Hollywood, California.

A trailblazer in a ‘new era’ of civil rights, Vince takes public sector accountability to a higher level in pursuing justice for victims and their families in civil rights cases, including police shootings, police brutality, deadly force, jailhouse deaths, and premises liability at bars and lounges where death or severe injury has occurred. He has a growing national reputation for taking on tough cases, including the fatal shooting of a 31-year-old unarmed woman by a City of Dearborn Police Officer; a man who was shot and killed by a St. Clair Shores police officer; the shooting of an unarmed teen by a Royal Oak, Michigan police officer; the shooting of a mentally ill man by a Harris County (Texas) Deputy Sheriff; and the ultimate death of a man in a Mt. Clemens, Michigan bar who died following a blow to the head as the security guard watched.  

A thought leader in personal injury and civil rights, Vince’s insights are frequently sought by media outlets including the Detroit News, Detroit Free Press, WWJ News Radio 950, Fox2 Detroit, Crain’s Detroit Business, Michigan Lawyers Weekly, and Law 360. He also writes a monthly legal column, Colella in Context, in the Detroit Legal News, exploring such topics as the need to eliminate qualified immunity for police officers.

Vince has served as a member of the Executive Board of the Michigan Association for Justice and is a member of the American Bar Association, the State Bar of Michigan, the Detroit Bar Association, and the Oakland County Bar Association. He is certified as a mediator and regularly serves as a Case Evaluator for the Oakland and Wayne County Circuit Court Case Management Offices.  In addition to his professional associations, Vince has played rugby for 23 years throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, and the West Indies, and is currently associated with the Detroit Tradesmen Rugby Football Club. Additionally, he earned a 3rd degree black belt in the martial arts and has spent time teaching defensive tactics to women, children, and police officers. Vince is a charitable supporter of Detroit’s Downtown Boxing Gym and in 2019 established the A. Vince Colella Scholarship to support law students considering a career in civil rights at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, his law school alma mater.

Details

Areas of Practice:

Litigation Percentage:

  • 100% of Practice Devoted to Litigation

Bar Admissions:

Michigan, 1994

  • S. District Court Eastern District of Michigan
  • S. Court of Appeals 6th Circuit
  • S. District Court Western District of Michigan

Education:

  • University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, Detroit, Michigan, J.D.
  • Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, B.A. Psychology

Professional Associations and Memberships:

  • American Bar Association
  • State Bar of Michigan
  • Oakland County Bar Association
  • Detroit Bar Association
  • American Association for Justice
  • Michigan Association for Justice
  • University of Michigan Rugby Club, 1999–2005 Club Captain/Player

Awards and Honors

  • Multiple-year honoree, DBusiness Magazine Top Lawyers
  • Multiple-year honoree, Michigan Super Lawyers
  • Leader in the Law class of 2019, Michigan Lawyers Weekly magazine
  • Multiple year honoree, National Trial Lawyers (Top 100)
  • 2023 honoree, Best Lawyers®

Past Employment Positions:

  • Provizer Phillips P.C., Associate Attorney, 1996–1997
  • United Talent Agency, Assistant Talent Agent, 1993–1996

Ancillary Businesses:

  • BSI Corporate Benefits

Special Recognitions

$2,750,000

$

Medical Malpractice

An oral surgeon failed to properly diagnose a vascular lesion prior to surgery. The surgeon proceeded to remove it in a negligent fashion, causing life-threatening consequences.

$1,550,000

$

Negligence

The rescue devices at an apartment complex swimming pool were not up to code, leading to the drowning of an eight-year-old girl.

$1,250,000

$

Police Brutality

An unarmed woman was wrongfully shot multiple times inside of her vehicle by the Dearborn Police Department, causing her death.

$600,000

$

3rd Party Auto

Woman was rear-ended on Woodward Avenue by a semi-tractor trailer vehicle resulting in traumatic brain injury along with cervical and lumbar disc herniations.

$450,000

$

Motorcycle/3rd Party Auto

A motorcyclist was rear-ended by a motor vehicle and catapulted from his bike causing the client to suffer disc herniations, disc bulges, and spinal fusion surgery.

$303,000

$

Pedestrian/3rd Party Auto

Pedestrian was struck by a motor vehicle resulting in a traumtic brain injury and fractured skull.

$280,000

$

Pedestrian MACP

Pedestrian was struck by a motor vehicle and the driver fled the scene. Client suffered a fractured skull, cervical disc herniation, and multiple lumbar and thoracic disc bulges. Because neither the Client nor any relatives in his household had insurance, Client filed a claim with the Michigan Assigned Claims Plan.

Meet Our Award-Winning Team

A. Vince Colella

Founding partner of Moss & Colella, P.C.

David Moss

Senior partner and co-founder of Moss & Colella, P.C.

Matthew McCann

Senior appellate counsel at Moss & Colella, P.C.

Melanie Duda

Trial attorney at Moss & Colella, P.C.

Ryan Piekarski

Senior litigation attorney at Moss & Colella, P.C.

Free Case Evaluation

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About the Firm

The attorneys of Moss & Colella have carefully chosen their career paths to fight for those that have suffered from injury and wrongful death. We believe every citizen should have the right to hire the best lawyer who will actively advocate for their case.

David Moss and Vince Colella have over 60 collective years of personal injury trial experience that provides you a level of legal services and success unmatched by other firms. By working together, we have the ability to find creative, effective, and efficient solutions to even the most complex cases. No matter what situation you face, we will help you get through it.

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