J. Michael (Mike) King
Top rated Employment Litigation attorney in Washington, Washington DC
Law Offices of Peter C. Hansen, LLC
Practice Areas: Employment Litigation, Employment & Labor, International; view more
Licensed in Washington DC since: 2016
Education: University of Denver Sturm College of Law

Law Offices of Peter C. Hansen, LLC
1725 I Street NWSuite 300
Washington, DC 20006 Phone: 202-349-3907 Email: J. Michael (Mike) King Visit website
Details
Mike specializes in employment law and international law. He represents employees in all stages of litigation and in alternative dispute resolution including arbitration, mediation, conciliation, and informal settlement negotiations. Mike handles disputes involving a wide range of issues including harassment, discrimination, hostile work environment, retaliation, whistleblowing, wrongful termination, wrongful discharge, removal, suspension, redundancy, suspension and revocation of security clearance, non-selection for position, denial of promotion, demotion, involuntary reassignment, wage and hour, workplace safety, performance reviews, reasonable accommodations, disability determinations, workers' compensation, employee benefits, severance agreements, and noncompete agreements. He also represents employees in internal investigations involving allegations of misconduct.
Mike represents staff of international organizations including the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, African Development Bank, Islamic Development Bank, and United Nations organs in international civil service employment disputes at the administrative review, grievance, appeal, and arbitration stages. He also represents employees of embassies, consulates, and other foreign missions located in the United States in employment-related claims.
Mike also advises employees of numerous federal government agencies in a wide range of matters including Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) complaints, adverse actions, whistleblower complaints, prohibited personnel practices complaints, administrative grievances, ethics complaints, and management reviews. These matters have included claims and/or appeals filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), Office of Special Counsel (OSC), Offices of Inspector General (IG), and Department of Labor's Office of Workers' Compensation Programs (OWCP). He also represents employees of the Government of the District of Columbia, private businesses, and nonprofits.
At the federal and local courts in D.C., Mike has experience litigating a diverse range of civil matters including employment disputes, contracts claims, torts, Administrative Procedure Act (APA) cases, and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Privacy Act claims.
Prior to joining the Law Offices in 2012, Mike served as a Consultant (2009-2010) and Legal Counsel for Institutional Matters (2010-2012) at the World Bank Group's International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). He advised ICSID's Secretary-General and senior management on institutional matters including governance, policy, public relations, document management, annual meetings, conferences, and publications. He also served as Staff Editor (2009), Managing Editor (2010-2011), and Associate Editor (2012) of ICSID's scholarly journal, the ICSID Review Foreign Investment Law Journal.
In his free time, Mike enjoys hiking with his wife and two dogs, gardening, fossil hunting, and playing drums and bass guitar.
Practice areas
Employment Litigation: Plaintiff, Employment & Labor: Employee, International, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Appellate, Civil Litigation: PlaintiffFirst Admitted: 2009, Colorado
Professional Webpage: https://www.peterhansenlaw.com/profiles/j-michael-king/
- Member, DC Bar Association
- Member, Bench-Bar Committee, Metropolitan Washington Employment Lawyers Association
- Member, Washington Foreign Law Society
- U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
- Law License, District of Columbia, 2016
- Law License, Colorado (inactive), 2009
- V.V. (No. 2) v. International Monetary Fund, Judgment No. 2023-4, International Monetary Fund Administrative Tribunal (Dec. 22, 2023), https://www.imf.org/external/imfat/pdf/j2023_4.pdf (finding that denial of contractor's workers' compensation claim "was marked by a failure of the [IMF] to meet its duty of care," awarding compensation for intangible injury consequent to that failure, and awarding majority of attorneys' fees and costs), 2023
- R.A. v. African Development Bank, Judgment No. 173, African Development Bank Administrative Tribunal (Oct. 27, 2023), https://www.afdb.org/en/about-us/organisational-structure/administrative-tribunal/judgments/2023/01-65376 (finding that non-confirmation of employee's contract was unlawful due to procedural irregularities, awarding compensation for those irregularities, and awarding partial attorneys' fees), 2023
- Won favorable judgment at DC Court of Appeals affirming trial court's order allowing client appellee to seize appellant's property by writ of fieri facias to satisfy fee award that appellant owed appellee following successful trial defense of client against false allegations of sexual assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress, 2023
- V.V. v. International Monetary Fund, Judgment No. 2023-3, International Monetary Fund Administrative Tribunal (Mar. 30, 2023), https://www.imf.org/external/imfat/pdf/j2023_3.pdf (denying IMF's motion to dismiss contractor's claim for workers' compensation), 2023
- Won favorable judgment at DC Court of Appeals affirming trial court's (1) dismissal of plaintiff's claims against client defendant of tortious interference with contract and intentional infliction of emotional distress, and (2) awarding of attorneys’ fees and costs in favor of client, 2023
- T.T. v. International Monetary Fund, Judgment No. 2022-1, International Monetary Fund Administrative Tribunal (June 30, 2022), https://www.imf.org/external/imfat/pdf/j2022_1.pdf (rescinding decision to place employee on administrative leave with pay, awarding compensation for the employer's abuse of discretion, and awarding vast majority of attorneys' fees and costs), 2022
- R.R. v. International Monetary Fund, Judgment No. 2021-2, International Monetary Fund Administrative Tribunal (Dec. 24, 2021), https://www.imf.org/external/imfat/pdf/j2021_2.pdf (rescinding decision not to convert position from fixed-term to open-ended, awarding compensation for procedural violations in non-selection decision, and awarding full attorney's fees and costs), 2021
- Successfully appealed denial of disability insurance benefits for federal employee injured on the job, 2021
- Won favorable judgment at DC Court of Appeals successfully defending individuals against defamation suit, 2020
- Won request for administrative review of performance management decision for World Bank Group employee, requiring upward revision of performance evaluation, 2020
- Won two-week civil trial in DC Superior Court successfully defending individual wrongly accused of sexual assault, won sanctions against plaintiff for tampering with witnesses and documents, and secured award of nearly full legal fees due to plaintiff's constant abuses of the Court's process, 2018
- Won dismissal of civil suit in DC Superior Court defending individuals against defamation allegations, 2018
- Successfully defended World Bank Group employee against allegations of misconduct, 2017
- N.N. v. International Monetary Fund, Judgment No. 2017-2, International Monetary Fund Administrative Tribunal (Dec. 11, 2017), http://www.imf.org/external/imfat/pdf/j2017_2.pdf (awarding compensation and attorney's fees for procedural violations during hiring process), 2017
- D.O. (No. 2) v. International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Decision No. 566, World Bank Administrative Tribunal (Oct. 25, 2017), https://tribunal.worldbank.org/sites/tribunal.worldbank.org/files/Judgments%20and%20Orders/DO%20%28No.%202%29%20v.%20IBRD%20566.pdf (dismissing claims, but criticizing Bank's "lack of transparency" and inconsistent investigative practices, calling on Bank to "provide clear policies and guidelines" on one-party consent recordings, and awarding portion of attorney's fees), 2017
- Secured short-term disability benefits, and later, long-term disability benefits, for World Bank Group employee, 2017
- Won request for administrative review of performance management decision for World Bank Group employee, requiring upward revision of performance evaluation and rating, 2017
- D.O. v. International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Decision No. 546, World Bank Administrative Tribunal (Nov. 4, 2016), https://tribunal.worldbank.org/sites/tribunal.worldbank.org/files/Judgments%20and%20Orders/DO%20v.%20IBRD%20546.pdf (rescinding non-selection decision, and awarding compensation and attorney’s fees for racial discrimination in promotion decision), 2016
- D.I. v. International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Decision No. 533, World Bank Administrative Tribunal (Apr. 8, 2016), https://tribunal.worldbank.org/sites/tribunal.worldbank.org/files/Judgments%20and%20Orders/DI%20v.%20IBRD533.pdf (awarding compensation and attorney’s fees for procedural violations during redundancy process), 2016
- C.T. v. International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Decision No. 512, World Bank Administrative Tribunal (May 29, 2015), https://tribunal.worldbank.org/sites/tribunal.worldbank.org/files/Judgments%20and%20Orders/CT%20v.%20IBRD.pdf (rescinding termination decision, granting reinstatement and awarding attorney’s fees for disproportionate sanction following misconduct investigation), 2015
- Family Advisory Board, Concussion Legacy Foundation
- Organizing Fellow, Organizing for America, 2012
- Honoree, Clients' Choice Award, Avvo, 2021
- Honoree, Clients' Choice Award, Avvo, 2020
- Honoree, Washington, DC Rising Stars List, Super Lawyers, 2019
- Honoree, Clients' Choice Award, Avvo, 2019
- JD, University of Denver Sturm College of Law, 2007
- BA, Duke University, 2004
- Conference, Moderator, Growth Projections of the African Smart Market and the Role of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (Africa Legal Conference 2019: Globalization in 21st Century Africa), American University Washington College of Law, 2019
- Conference, Moderator, Advancements in Environmental Justice and Development in Urban Areas (Africa Legal Conference: Transformations in Environmental Justice, Urbanization, and Business and Social Responsibility), American University Washington College of Law, 2018
- Case Report, Author, IACL Case Report: Transglobal Green Energy, LLC and Transglobal Green Panama, S.A. v. Republic of Panama, ICSID Case No. ARB/13/28, Award (June 2, 2016), Transnational Dispute Management, 2016
- Conference, Panelist, The Role of the East African Rift Countries in the Development and Reform of International Investment Agreements and Investor-State Dispute Settlement (AAIL Annual Conference: International Economic Law and Development in Africa: Challenges and Opportunit, African Association of International Law, 2015
- Article, Author, ICSID on Pace for a Record Year in 2015, with Several Noteworthy Trends, Firsts and Rarities, LinkedIn Pulse, 2015
- Seminar, Lecturer, Environmental Aspects of Energy Projects (Corporate Social Responsibility Strategies for Public and Private Enterprises), Institute for Public-Private Partnerships, 2015
- Seminar, Lecturer, Restructuring and Lessons Learned in Failed Agreements (with Peter C. Hansen) (Tanzania Public-Private Partnership Certification), Institute for Public-Private Partnerships, 2015
- Individuals
- Nonprofits
- Small and Medium Sized Enterprises
Selections
- Super Lawyers: 2023 - 2024
- Rising Stars: 2019