Over the years, Michael has successfully litigated thousands of cases, and has been a pioneer in the areas of contract, employment, and first-party insurance law. Michael paved the way in Florida’s State and Federal Courts for hospitality workers to recover unpaid wages owed to them for non-tipped labor, improper tip pools, and other illegal wage practices commonly ignored. His successful rulings in this area have had national influence in the field of hospitality law. A former server and bartender himself, Michael has been a consistent friend to Florida’s hospitality workers. In 2020, he founded OrlandoTipPool, a charity organization which raised thousands of dollars for hospitality workers out of work due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Michael has also been a trailblazer for Florida small businesses and homeowners’ first-party insurance claims in the use of “assignments of benefits”, which allowed Florida homeowners to have their homes repaired without having to deposit any money with their contractors, and Florida restoration contractors to hold greedy insurance companies accountable for not properly paying their claims. During the early years, he was responsible for dozens of the most early, and significant, Florida court rulings on this issue, shaping Florida law for years to come. His draft of a proper “assignment of benefits” has been used by dozens, if not hundreds, of Florida contractors.

Michael proudly hails from Cleveland, Ohio, where he earned his B.A. from John Carroll University, and his J.D. from Cleveland-Marshall School of Law. As an undergraduate student, he was a nationally ranked member of the JCU policy debate team, where he earned multiple first place victories and speaker awards, and was a finalist at the American Debate Association national tournament. After graduating, Michael continued his involvement in collegiate debate, serving as Assistant Debate Coach at John Carroll University and the University of Las Vegas, Nevada (UNLV).

As a law student, Michael was a recipient of the Cleveland-Marshall Public Service Award in 2005 & 2006 for his volunteer work with Cleveland communities and public interest work, including his service as President and founder of the Cleveland-Marshall chapter of the National Lawyers Guild. He also served as a guest speaker at the 2005 ACLU Conference on Student Rights.

Michael’s commitment to public service and compassion for his community is beyond reproach. In addition to his commitment to public interest work while a student, he has spent his life involved in various community projects, including serving as editor of the Cleveland Independent Media Center, a volunteer with the Coalition for the Homeless, community organizer with the Tremont Action Group, and volunteer with Second Harvest and Four Square food banks. He has served as a guest speaker for multiple organizations throughout Florida, including the University of South Florida and guest lecturer for the University of Central Florida College of Business.

Michael has appeared on Orlando’s WFTV News Channel’s 9 and Spectrum News 13 multiple times for his legal and charity work in Florida’s communities. He is licensed to practice law in the State of Florida, as well as the Northern, Middle, and Southern Federal District Courts of Florida.

In his spare time, Michael volunteers as a child advocate for foster children through Orlando’s legal aid. He enjoys tennis, golf, performing stand-up comedy, and mentoring younger attorneys/law students.