
PRACTICE AREAS & QUALIFICATIONS
Practice Areas
Admissions
Mississippi (2013)
United States District Courts of Mississippi (2013)
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (2013)
Alabama (2014)
Education
B.A., International Studies, Croft Institute for International Studies, University of Mississippi, 2010
J.D., University of Mississippi School of Law, 2013 cum laude
LL.M., Admiralty Law, Tulane University School of Law, 2014 with distinction
ABOUT MICHAEL
Michael focuses his practice on governmental representation matters and currently serves as the City Attorney for the City of Pascagoula, through which he regularly addresses issues such a zoning, development ordinances, economic development incentives, and a variety of other issues. Michael's experience also includes insurance coverage and defense litigation, as well as medical and dental malpractice defense.
Michael joined the firm in 2014, after receiving his Masters of Law degree in Admiralty law with distinction from Tulane University School of Law. Michael received his J.D. cum laude from the University of Mississippi School of Law, and he received his undergraduate degree from the Croft Institute of International Studies at the University of Mississippi.
Upon his admission to Tulane University School of Law, Michael received the Harry F. Stiles, Jr. Scholarship. He was also a member of the Maritime Law Society. While attending the University of Mississippi School of Law, Michael served as a co-author for the ABA Admiralty and Maritime Law Committee survey and was a member of Phi Delta Phi.
During law school, Michael interned for the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, the Office of the Attorney General of Mississippi, and the United States Senate. Each of these opportunities provided Michael with valuable experience and a balanced understanding of the legal process.
REPRESENTATIVE DECISIONS
Smith v. Mississippi Coast OB/GYN, et al., 2019-CA-01058-COA (Miss. Ct. App. June 29, 2021)
Span v. Nichols, 2018-CA-01332-COA (Miss. Ct. App. May 12, 2020)
Rudd v. State Farm Fire & Cas. Co., 2018-CA-01390-COA (Miss. Ct. App. May 5, 2020)
West v. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co., et al., 282 So. 3d 1223 (Miss. Ct. App. 2019)
Greenwich Ins. Co. v. Capsco Industries, Inc., 934 F.3d 419 (5th Cir. 2019)
McGlothin v. State Farm Mut. Ins. Co., 925 F.3d 741 (5th Cir. 2019)
Mears v. Jones, 756 Fed. Appx. 404 (5th Cir. 2018)
Forrest General Hospital v. Upton, 240 So. 3d 410 (Miss. 2018)
Singing River Hospital v. Vermilyea, 242 So. 3d 74 (Miss. 2018)
Isom v. Valley Forge Ins. Co., 716 Fed. Appx. 280 (5th Cir. 2017)
Seibert v. Jackson County, Mississippi, 851 F.3d 430 (5th Cir. 2017)
Continental Cas. Co. v. Allstate Prop. & Cas. Ins. Co., 235 So. 3d 40 (Miss 2017)
Briggs v. State Farm Fire & Cas. Co., 673 Fed. Appx. 389 (5th Cir. 2016)
Ross v. Wallack, 188 So.3d 597 (Miss. Ct. App. 2015)
Williams v. Rogers, 2015 WL 5794419 (S.D. Miss. Oct. 1, 2015)
Castigliola v. Mississippi Dept. of Rev., 162 So. 3d 795 (Miss 2015)
PROFESSIONAL & COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
Mississippi Maritime Museum, Board Member, 2019 - 2022
Mississippi Enterprise for Technology, Board Member, 2019 - present
Jackson County Bar Association; Treasurer, 2018 - 2019; Vice President 2019 - 2020; President 2020 - 2021
First Presbyterian Church, Elder, 2018 - 2021
Rotary Club of Pascagoula, Mississippi
Maritime Law Association of the United States
Southeastern Admiralty Law Institute
Mississippi Bar Association
Jackson County Bar Association
Jackson County Young Lawyers
Mississippi Defense Lawyers Association
Defense Research Institute
American Bar Association