Recognized on numerous occasions as one of the “Top 100 Lawyers” in Florida, Mike brings diverse litigation experience to his mediation practice.  He has represented clients in almost every category of commercial litigation, everything from shareholder derivative and corporate disputes to consumer protection claims to intellectual property cases to Constitutional law cases.  He has tried complex land use, products liability, telecommunications, and personal injury cases, and he has litigated numerous class action lawsuits, both as counsel for the plaintiff and the defendant.  Mike also has devoted considerable attention in recent years to cybersecurity, privacy laws, and electronic discovery matters.  If your case involves some type of business or commercial dispute, chances are that Mike has handled something similar at some point.

Mike is also a recognized leader in bar association and other professional activities.  He served eight years on the Board of Governors of The Florida Bar and is a Past President of the Hillsborough County Bar Association (HCBA).  He also has served as President of both the Federal Bar Association (Tampa Bay Chapter) and The Hillsborough County Bar Foundation.  In 2016, he received the HCBA’s “Outstanding Lawyer Award” for the exemplary example he set in the practice of law and his high level of professionalism.  In 2018, he received the Tampa Bay Inn of Court’s “Abraham Lincoln Award,” recognizing legal excellence, civility, and ethics in the practice of law.  He is also a past recipient of the Federal Bar Association’s “George C. Carr Memorial Award,” and the HCBA Trial Lawyers Section’s “Michael A. Fogarty In The Trenches Award,” which recognize excellence in federal legal practice and in civil practice, respectively.  He is also recognized by his peers as one of Florida’s “Super Lawyers” and has been included in “The Best Lawyers in America” listing every year since 2001.

In addition to his professional accomplishments, Mike has been active in community and charitable causes his entire career, serving as President of the American Heart Association, Chair of the University of Tampa’s Board of Counselors, and President of the Henry B. Plant Museum.  He currently serves as a Board Member and as Treasurer of the Tampa Theatre.  Outside the office, Mike applies his attention to detail in restoring vintage automobiles.  His “hands-on” restorations of a 1955 Corvette and a 1965 Corvette both received the highest concours award bestowed by the National Corvette Restorers Society.