Personal Injury Expert Services in Michigan
KWVRS provides personal injury vocational and life care planning analysis for attorneys handling cases in Michigan. KWVRS provides forensic economic analysis with its affiliated firm, Kincaid Wolstein Economics.
Overview
Personal injury cases encompass a broad range of physical and psychological harms arising from negligence. Vocational, economic, and life-care experts quantify the functional, earnings, and care consequences of the injury.
Vocational and economic impact
A vocational evaluation establishes residual functional capacity, transferable skills, and labor market options consistent with post-injury medical restrictions. The analysis supports earning capacity opinion and accommodation planning.
Damages may include past and future lost earnings, loss of earning capacity, lost household services, lost fringe benefits, and present value of any needed life care plan.
Michigan courts and expert standards
Personal Injury matters in Michigan are litigated in the state's trial courts, with vocational, life care planning, and economic testimony evaluated under Michigan's expert evidence standard. KWVRS prepares reports and testimony that account for these requirements.
Where these cases are heard
- Circuit Court - General jurisdiction; civil cases over $25,000, felonies; its family division hears divorce, paternity, adoption and juvenile cases
- District Court - Civil cases up to $25,000, misdemeanors, small claims, traffic
- Court of Claims - Civil actions against the State of Michigan and its agencies; part of the Court of Appeals
Highest court: Michigan Supreme Court. Federal venues: E.D. Mich., W.D. Mich.
Sources: Michigan Courts, Trial Courts: the circuit court handles civil cases with claims of more than $25,000 and felony cases, and its family division handles divorce, paternity, adoption and juvenile cases; the district court handles civil cases with claims up to $25,000, misdemeanors, traffic violations and, in a division, small claims; the probate court handles wills, estates, trusts, guardianships and treatment orders for mentally ill persons; the Court of Claims is part of the Michigan Court of Appeals (reviewed 2026-10-12); Michigan Supreme Court Learning Center, Learn About Trial Courts: the trial courts include the Circuit Court, the Probate Court, the District Court and the Court of Claims (reviewed 2026-10-12); Michigan Courts, Court of Claims: a statewide, limited jurisdiction court for civil actions against the State of Michigan and its agencies, among them highway defect and medical malpractice claims, located in the Court of Appeals (reviewed 2026-10-12); Michigan Legislature, Revised Judicature Act, circuit court jurisdiction: original jurisdiction of all civil claims and remedies except where exclusive jurisdiction is given to another court (reviewed 2026-10-12); Michigan Courts, About the Michigan Supreme Court: the Supreme Court is Michigan's court of last resort (reviewed 2026-10-12)
Attorney guides for personal injury cases
Other case types in Michigan
Frequently Asked Questions
When is a vocational evaluation warranted in a personal injury case?
A vocational evaluation is typically warranted when the injury is alleged to have reduced the claimant's earning capacity or ability to sustain competitive employment, or when future employability is contested.
What is the difference between lost earnings and loss of earning capacity?
Lost earnings reflect actual wages the claimant did not receive. Loss of earning capacity is a broader vocational concept reflecting the difference between pre-injury and post-injury capacity to earn, regardless of whether that capacity was being fully realized prior to injury.
Are household services losses always included in personal injury damages?
Household services losses are considered when the claimant performed unpaid services (childcare, home maintenance, meal preparation) that the injury now prevents. Valuation uses time-use data and local replacement service rates.
References
- BLS Occupational Employment StatisticsGovernment
- BLS American Time Use SurveyGovernment
- O*NET OnLineGovernment
- Michigan Courts, Trial Courts: the circuit court handles civil cases with claims of more than $25,000 and felony cases, and its family division handles divorce, paternity, adoption and juvenile cases; the district court handles civil cases with claims up to $25,000, misdemeanors, traffic violations and, in a division, small claims; the probate court handles wills, estates, trusts, guardianships and treatment orders for mentally ill persons; the Court of Claims is part of the Michigan Court of Appeals (reviewed 2026-10-12)Government
- Michigan Supreme Court Learning Center, Learn About Trial Courts: the trial courts include the Circuit Court, the Probate Court, the District Court and the Court of Claims (reviewed 2026-10-12)Government
- Michigan Courts, Court of Claims: a statewide, limited jurisdiction court for civil actions against the State of Michigan and its agencies, among them highway defect and medical malpractice claims, located in the Court of Appeals (reviewed 2026-10-12)Government
- Michigan Legislature, Revised Judicature Act, circuit court jurisdiction: original jurisdiction of all civil claims and remedies except where exclusive jurisdiction is given to another court (reviewed 2026-10-12)Government
- Michigan Courts, About the Michigan Supreme Court: the Supreme Court is Michigan's court of last resort (reviewed 2026-10-12)Government
Ready to Get Started on personal injury cases in Michigan?
Contact KWVRS to discuss scope, timing, and the deliverables appropriate to the matter. Plaintiff and defense.