Norman Yatooma, America’s David Against Corporate Goliath

Date: December 02, 2005
Source: Chaldean.org

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Speak softly but carry a big stick, seems to be Norman Yatooma’s motto. The Chaldean Michigan attorney has been relentless in defending the rights of others. His passion to help others is obsessive and his desire for justice is infectious. Crains Detroit Business had it right when they listed this legal all-star as one of Michigan’s top business achievers under the age of 40.

Yatooma’s legal firm, Norman Yatooma & Associates, P.C., boasts a dozen of the most skilled business attorney’s, and a support staff nearly doubling the amount of attorneys. The firm practices in most every aspect of law. From alternative dispute resolution – to zoning, Norman Yatooma & Associates, P.C., offers clients significant advantages. The Firm’s website offers a complete list of their expertise and diverse legal range.

Yatooma’s leadership and capability became international news in early 2000, in a $1.9 billion fraud and racial discrimination lawsuit against Burger King. Witnessing first hand the nimble way they were being picked apart, and fearing a possible judgment against the goliath corporation, Burger King wisely settled for $30 million in 2001. Time and again, Yatooma successfully represented victims in lawsuits from a few hundred thousand to the billions.

More impressive are the Fortune 500 corporate giants that the Firm took on for the cause of justice. Names like, Adidas North America, Inc. American Express, Ameritech/SBC, AT&T, CIGNA Corporation., ExxonMobil, Federal Express, Fujitsu, McDonalds, Mercedes-Benz, Microsoft, Pizza Hut, Prudential Financial, Sears, Roebuck and Company, Shell Oil, Sprint Communications, Sunoco, Inc., and Verizon Communications to name a few.

Mr. Yatooma has been featured by The Franchise Times and recognized as one of the nation’s preeminent franchise lawyers. Mr. Yatooma has been interviewed by 60 Minutes, ABC, CBS, and NBC Affiliates, as well as People Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Times, Money Magazine, Fortune Small Business, CNBC Business News, INC. Magazine, Entrepreneur Magazine, Associated Press, Newsweek, BE Magazine, Bloomberg News, The Franchise Times, Crain’s Detroit Business, Detroit News, and Detroit Free Press.

Yatooma was once asked about how he can represent both franchisees and franchisors in which he replied, “We represent who’s right. That’s it.”

The tenacity of Yatooma started at a young age. Yatooma grew up in Michigan’s Oakland County area, the eldest of four sons. His father, Manuel, came to the United States from Iraq, fleeing persecution against Chaldean Christians. Yatooma attended the same school, Southfield Christian, from first grade to graduation. He met his wife Nicole, when they were just five years old, he said. “We went to school together from 6th grade on. I followed Nicole to college, and finally sealed the deal in our mid-20s.” They have 4 year and 7 month old daughters, named Olivia and Gabriella.

It was during his college years at Taylor University in Indiana that Yatooma suffered what was the most traumatic moment of his life—his father was shot and killed in a car-jacking incident. Several of his father’s business partners took advantage of the chaos swooped in to claim a piece of what they thought was a large estate.

“My father was a real entrepreneurial spirit; he had a lot of businesses, a lot of business partners, a lot of clients,” he said. “Within a year after he passed away, 63 claims were filed against his estate. …We went through something of a indescribable hell.” Yatooma grew to “detest” attorneys. “What the claimants didn’t take from us, the attorneys stole from us,” he said. “We had quite a few attorneys that beat us up pretty badly.”

Persevering, Yatooma remained in college, and used school loans to help pay bills for the family. Bruised and battered by the ordeal, Yatooma began studying law to better understand the issues. He quickly discovered becoming a lawyer was “a natural fit” for him. “My father always called me, ‘My son the attorney,’ long before I ever had the schooling for it,” he said. “I was just a talker.” After graduating, he returned to Michigan beginning his career with one of Michigan’s largest law firm’s, Butzel Long PC. With the Chaldean entrepreneurial sprit, he left to start his own firm, Norman Yatooma & Associates, based in Birmingham, Mich. in August of 2000.

In the end, though, he takes his greatest satisfaction by just simply helping people out, he said. “What’s most rewarding is to find a client in shambles, and to leave them in good standing with their lives back,” he said. “And likewise, this Firm has made a lot of opportunities for me to engage in the charitable work that we do. I suppose that’s every bit a personal goal as a professional one.”

Yatooma’s aggressiveness in the courtroom is offset by his involvement in his community as a mentor, inspirational speaker, and philanthropist. He founded and is the Chairman of, For The Kids Foundation, a non-profit organization that helps children who have lost a parent. He is also the Chairman of Charity Motors, an organization dedicated to helping the underprivileged with transportation.

A life story made for a Hollywood film, Yatooma is truly a Chaldean Rising Star.