Darren K. Legato

Darren Legato was born and raised in southeast Michigan, having spent a majority of his childhood in Macomb Township. He graduated from L’Anse Creuse High School – North in 2005.

Following his completion of High School, Darren enrolled at Michigan State University where he double majored and began his education in the law. In 2009, he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration – Pre Law.

Darren traveled out of state for law school, choosing to attend Florida International University’s College of Law in Miami, Florida. In homage to the university’s international focus, he did a Study Abroad program following his 1L year, where he spent almost two months living and studying law in Seville, Spain. He graduated and received his Juris Doctorate in 2012.

While in law school, Darren worked as a Certified Legal Intern for the Miami-Dade Public Defenders Office, which is nationally recognized within the legal community for their excellence and emphasis on training and professional development. During his time at the PD’s office, Darren would assist in the defense of indigent individuals who were accused of crimes ranging in severity from misdemeanors to felonies with a maximum penalty of a life sentence. He would draft Motions, meet with clients, conduct depositions and present oral arguments in Court under the supervision of licensed attorneys.

Darren passed the Florida Bar Exam and has been licensed to practice in Florida since October 2012. However, shortly thereafter Darren returned home to Michigan to be closer to his family and friends. He passed the Michigan Bar Exam as well and has been licenses to practice in Michigan since June 2013.

After obtaining his Michigan license, Darren began working for a small Plaintiff’s firm where he first began to venture into the world of civil litigation, including 1st and 3rd Party Automobile Negligence claims.

In an effort to obtain the training and experience he felt he needed, Darren then accepted a position working as an associate attorney for an insurance defense firm focusing his practice on the defense of claims in the areas of personal injury, premises liability and motor vehicle accidents. He spent the next four years of his career defending these claims on behalf of some of largest insurance companies in the state. During this time, he was trained and developed his abilities to conduct depositions, research and present oral arguments on complex legal issues, as well as objectively identify strengths and weaknesses of cases so as to provide the proper litigation strategies to his clients.

Darren stopped working for the insurance companies in 2018 when he joined Serafini, Michalowski, Derkacz & Associates. His practice in the firm focuses on Personal Injury, Premises Liability, General Litigation, and 1st and 3rd Party Automobile Negligence claims. Darren’s prior experience provides him with a unique prospective, and the ability to think like, and predict the next move of, insurance companies and defense attorneys working on their behalf. He is using this experience and knowledge to aggressively litigate cases on behalf of his clients, refusing to settle for anything less than what the client deserves.

Darren and his family currently reside in Troy, Michigan. He enjoys golfing in the summer months, as well as spending time with his family and friends.