Before establishing The Smith Appellate Law Firm in 2009, Michael F. Smith was the primary appellate litigator at one of Michigan's largest law firms, practicing in Michigan and Washington, D.C. For more than two decades his practice has focused on appellate litigation and trial-level consulting. Mike also has extensive experience in management-side labor and employment law.
Mike is a graduate of the University of Michigan Law School (J.D., 1994), where he earned a Dean's Scholarship, along with Book Awards in Criminal Appellate Practice and Professional Responsibility. He has an M.S. in Journalism from Northwestern University (1987) and a B.S. in Foreign Service, cum laude, from Georgetown University (1986). Prior to attending law school, he was a reporter and writer at daily newspapers in Pontiac and Flint, Michigan.
Martindale-Hubbell has awarded Mike its prestigious, peer-reviewed "AV" rating, and he has been named a Super Lawyer in Washington, D.C. for 2019 and 2020. Mike is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States, a majority of the federal Circuit Courts of Appeals, and the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan, Maryland, and the District of Columbia. He is licensed to practice in Michigan, Maryland, the District of Columbia, and Arizona.
Mike is a member of the State Bar of Michigan (Appellate Practice section), the District of Columbia Bar, the Federalist Society, and the Incorporated Society of Irish-American Lawyers. He also is a Member of Advocates Guild of the Michigan Supreme Court Historical Society.
Before establishing The Smith Appellate Law Firm in 2009, Michael F. Smith was the primary appellate litigator at one of Michigan's largest law firms, practicing in Michigan and Washington, D.C. For more than two decades his practice has focused on appellate litigation and trial-level consulting. Mike also has extensive experience in management-side labor and employment law.