Top Rated Business Litigation Attorney in Cleveland, OH

Honors/Awards:

• Recently named the highest ranking attorney in Ohio (out of approximately 44,000 active attorneys) for the third consecutive year on the 2015 Ohio Super Lawyers list.
• Consistently included in Best Lawyers in America® (2006-2015) ranking and also recognized as the “2014 Securities Litigation Lawyer of the Year.” Best Lawyers designates only one lawyer per practice area as Lawyer of the Year in the nation’s largest legal markets. 
• Selected in 2015 as one of the top 100 Trial Lawyers in the country by Benchmark Litigation, which also recognized Mike as a "state litigation star," defined as an attorney who is recommended consistently as a reputable and effective litigator by clients and peers (2014/2015).  
• Rated AV Preeminent® by Martindale-Hubbell®, its highest available rating for legal ability and professional ethics.
• Recognized in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business (2007-2014) and ranked in Band 1 (the highest of 6 bands) for General Commercial Litigation (only 6 other Ohio attorneys - and only 1 other from Cleveland - earned this ranking). According to client feedback obtained during the selection process, Mike was described as “a razor-sharp litigator and all-around high class guy.” Chambers USA further described Mike as a “go-to attorney,” noting that his practice is “geographically wide-ranging and his expertise includes arbitration and consumer class actions.”

Bar/Professional Activity:

• Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Foundation (Member and Fellow)
• Appointment by Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor of the Supreme Court of Ohio to Task Force on the Funding of Ohio Courts (2012)
• Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association (Past President, 2010-2011; Board of Trustees, 2007-present; Executive Committee; Member, Court Rules Committee and Legislation Committee; Chair, Judicial Selection Committee, 2005, 2006; Vice Chair, Judicial Selection Committee, 2002-2004; Chair, Litigation Section, 2000-2001; Chair, Litigation Institute, 1999; Vice Chair, Litigation Section, 1999; Chair, Presidential Special Committee on Judicial Excellence 2011-2012)
• Ohio State Bar Association (Litigation Section; parliamentarian of the Association's Council of Delegates)
• American Inns of Court (Founding Member of a Cleveland Chapter)
• American Bar Association (Litigation Section; Commercial and Banking Litigation and Business Torts Committee)
• Securities Industry Association (Member, Compliance & Legal Division)

Pro bono/Community Service:

• Teach 10th Grade Civics Classes as part of 3 R's Program ("Rights, Responsibilities, Realities" 2006-present)
• The Mandel Jewish Community Center of Cleveland (Board of Trustees; Board of Directors)
• Appointed by U.S. District Judge Kathleen O'Malley to the Merit Selection Panel for the Reappointment of Incumbent Magistrate Judge James S. Gallas (1999)
• Transition '90 (Member, Cleveland Mayor Mike White's transition team) 
• City of Cleveland Heights (Chair, Planning Commission, 1999-present)

Scholarly Lectures/Writings:

• "A Mock Securities Arbitration: As Close as You Want to Get" (2005-2014), Speaker and Faculty Member, The Wharton School, Philadelphia, PA, Securities Industry Institute

Educational Background:

• Boston University, B.A., cum laude, 1981