Biography

Mike's practice is commercial dispute resolution.  Mike counsels clients who find themselves in many different types of legal problems.  A typical day may find Mike's time split between handling a basic landlord-tenant matter for a legal aid client before concentrating his efforts on the more complex disposition of a trade secret, ERISA, or antitrust dispute.  Mike also represents clients who find themselves the target of more complex class actions.  To achieve desired results for his clients, Mike employs varying methods of dispute resolution, including mediation (with or without a third party neutral) and arbitration.  When these alternative methods are unsuccessful or undesirable, and a trial or traditional "litigation" is required, Mike's clients find that he is an exceptional pre-trial, trial, and appellate advocate.

Mike is best described as a pragmatic and passionate advocate who is both aggressive and principled in his approach to resolving problems.  As a first matter, Mike works with a client's adversary to find an efficient solution to a business problem. Much of Mike's practice consists of emergency business disputes.  Mike is many times called upon to help defend “bet the company” lawsuits and suits seeking the protection and preservation of a company's assets (including its people, trade secrets, and confidential information). These disputes include covenants not to compete, trade secret issues, intellectual property, breach of contract, interference in business relations, antitrust disputes, and a host of other issues. Mike also leads GH&R's employee benefits (or ERISA) litigation team, which practice includes disputes over disability insurance benefits.

Throughout his professional career, Mike has achieved significant success for clients.  Just within the past year, Mike has obtained multiple $1+ million dollar verdicts and/or settlements.  At the same time, Mike has also successfully defended clients who have been the targets of suits seeking damages in excess of $1 million dollars. Examples include: (i) Mike's representation of a client company and its president (who formerly served as president of the plaintiff) in a trade secret misappropriation and Lanham Act suit wherein Mike obtained the dismissal of all claims brought against his clients without any financial considerations; and (ii) Mike achieved a similar result (agreed dismissal with prejudice without any financial considerations of a claim seeking in excess of $1 Million in damages) in an arbitration proceeding before the AAA involving the sale of a business.

Mike also is GH&R's pro bono coordinator and was honored in 2000 with the Lawyer of the Year Award by the Legal Aid Society of the Cincinnati Bar Association. 

Mike is recognized throughout the community as a gifted trial attorney and, based on the grading and comments of his peers, he earned an AV Rating, the highest rating given to lawyers by Martindale-Hubbell.

Mike was a 2-sport athlete in college: participating on both the Notre Dame Men’s Varsity Swimming team and the Notre Dame Water Polo club.  While in law School, Mike served as Notre Dame's Assistant Men's and Women's Swimming Coach.  Since 1990 Mike has continued his coaching passion at his family's parish.

Michael has been married to his wife, Melanie, since 1994. They have two children.  When not working, Mike can most likely be found at his children's school reading to the class, having lunch in the cafeteria, or coaching basketball. 

Outside of work, Mike has attempted to maintain a competitive and athletic lifestyle. He has participated in several marathons of the conventional kind and in 2003, Mike and his four brothers successfully swam the English Channel to raise awareness for a genetic disorder that has affected their sister. 

Law School

J.D., University of Notre Dame, 1990

Education

B.S., Pre-Professional Studies, University of Notre Dame, 1986

Bar Admissions

Supreme Court of Ohio
U.S. District Court, Northern and Southern Districts of Ohio
Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals

Affiliations

Boys Hope Sponsors
Catholic Inner-City Schools Education Fund (CISE)
Cincinnati Habitat for Humanity, Officer and Board Member 1996-2003
Kicks for Kids, Officer and Board Member 1998-present 
"Team in Training" Marathon Team to benefit the Leukemia Society
The Cincinnati Marlins, Inc.
The Notre Dame Club of Cincinnati