Michael Spano

Michael Spano is a criminal defense attorney in Syracuse, New York. Mr. Spano handles all forms of criminal matters, including those involving drug crimes, DWI, federal crimes, sex crimes, traffic tickets and more. He represents clients throughout the Syracuse metropolitan area.

After earning a bachelor’s degree in economics from Nazareth College in Rochester, New York, Mr. Spano graduated from Syracuse University College of Law. He has been licensed to practice law in the state of New York since 1993 and is rated AV Preeminent* by the peer review group Martindale-Hubbell.

Following law school, Mr. Spano gained legal experience as a criminal defense attorney and later became an assistant district attorney for the Onondaga County District Attorney’s Office. In this role, he became chief assistant district attorney and was in charge of the office’s homicide bureau. He now practices as a private criminal defense attorney.

Over the course of his career, Mr. Spano has worked on both the prosecution and defense side of criminal matters and has extensive litigation experience. He has been involved with many significant cases and prosecuted the first hate crime in Onondaga County in 2003.

Using his legal knowledge to educate others, Mr. Spano has trained officers from both the Onondaga County and Syracuse police departments and presented at various continuing legal education courses for prosecutors. He is involved in his local legal community as an active member of the Onondaga County Bar Association and also belongs to national groups, including the National Board of Trial Advocacy and the American College of Board Certified Attorneys.

*AV®, AV Preeminent®, Martindale-Hubbell Distinguished and Martindale-Hubbell Notable are certification marks used under license in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies. Martindale-Hubbell® is the facilitator of a peer review rating process. Ratings reflect the anonymous opinions of members of the bar and the judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Rating™ fall into two categories – legal ability and general ethical standards.