A major focus of Mike’s practice is serving the construction industry, with clients that include a number of the nation’s top general contractors as well as regional developers and subcontractors, architects, and engineers. A Board Certified Construction Lawyer with over a decade of experience handling construction defect claims, he frequently defends construction firms and professionals against claims involving a host of allegations and building issues as well as lumberyard owners and other supplier-level entities in product matters. A small sampling of the issues he has handled in construction litigation include defective building materials; general design and structural issues; complex insurance coverage issues; constructability; truss manufacture and installation; roofing; window assembly, design, and installation; concrete design, mix, and curing procedures; fenestration issues; soil compaction; and wind loading.

Mike has been national counsel for numerous suppliers in the defense of Chinese drywall litigation, concluding in a global settlement, and he has achieved defense verdicts and zero or trivial amount settlements in truss collapse matters, one of which involved a death. He also defends construction-site accident claims involving property damage as well as personal injury to employees and third parties. These cases have involved crane collapses, forklift, and heavy equipment and machinery issues, roof and truss collapse, and building collapse.

Mike applies his extensive construction knowledge and risk-management perspective to his representation of insurers as well. He provides coverage analysis, issues coverage opinions, and reservation of rights and disclaimer letters, crafts effective policy wording, and evaluates claim files and past handling scenarios for bad faith and extra-contractual damages issues. By aggressively pursuing insurance subrogation claims against actual tortfeasors, he helps carriers and large, self-insured clients recover policy amounts they have paid out.

Professionals from construction-related disciplines and other fields turn to Mike for protection against professional liability claims. He has extensive experience defending architects and engineers, particularly in connection with defense, indemnity and coverage issues, and design defect issues. He also represents insurance agents and brokers, lawyers, accountants, real estate professionals, corporate officers, and others in employment practices and professional errors and omissions claims.

Mike defends employers in employment-related litigation around the country in state and federal jurisdictions. His experience in this area includes handling wrongful termination and whistleblower claims, wage and hour issues, Americans with Disabilities compliance, Veteran and Disabled Individual Affirmative Action, and age/race/gender discrimination claims.

On a national basis, Mike represents numerous clients in all aspects of general casualty matters. Much of this work involves the lumber industry, with matters including premises liability, automobile and trucking, employment matters, contract disputes, point of sale/box products liability, rental equipment, wrongful death, truss design and manufacturing, and construction and product defect.