Michael represents federal contractors, grant recipients, and companies and institutions doing business with or having matters before the U.S. Government.
In a diverse array of matters including Construction Litigation and Labor & Employment, Michael is a tenacious advocate for government contractors. He has extensive experience advising and litigating employment-related matters for federal contractors including Davis-Bacon Act, Service Contract Act, federal contractor Paid Sick Leave, federal contractor minimum wage, and OFCCP matters. Michael represents clients in Contract Disputes Act, Miller Act and breach of contract claims in federal and state trial and appellate courts and in bid protests before the U.S. Court of Federal Claims and U.S. Government Accountability Office. In addition, he advises government contractors, federal grant recipients, educational institutions and foreign governments on Federal Acquisition Regulation compliance, facilities and security clearances, False Claims Act, Buy American Act and debarment/suspension.
Thanks to his appellate training, Michael has a gift for finding the legal vulnerabilities in a case. He views litigation as a complex chess match where he can outsmart opponents not only on the facts of a matter, but also on the legal framework and the finer points of the law in question.
In addition to his work with the complexities of government contracting and labor and employment law, clients appreciate that Michael has significant experience as a commercial litigator, in intellectual property and trademark matters, and challenging federal agency rulemaking and adjudications under the Administrative Procedure Act. Over more than 25 years of practice, he has also defended employers against trade secret misappropriation, breach of noncompetition and nondisclosure agreements, employment discrimination and retaliation (under a variety of federal and state statutes including Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act, Age Discrimination in Employment Act, and False Claims Act), wrongful termination, Fair Labor Standards Act, ERISA, OSHA, and unfair labor practice claims in federal and state trial and appellate courts and administrative hearings.
Clients also appreciate Michael’s pragmatism: he puts himself in the client’s shoes when he’s mapping out a strategy, aiming to ensure that every legal victory truly is a win for the client’s business and budget.