Michael represents plaintiffs and defendants in complex commercial, insurance recovery, and class action litigation.

Michael has been named as a Superlawyer for Business Litigation each year from 2018 – 2022.

Like all of his colleagues at GTTC, Michael concentrates his practice on complex business litigation. He takes particular pride in applying his strong analytical and writing skills on behalf of his clients, including major dispositive motions and appellate briefs.

Prior to relocating to Seattle, Michael honed his litigation skills in California, including beginning his career as a litigator at O’Melveny & Myers LLP. His experience included representing whistleblowers in lawsuits involving large-scale fraud in government contracting, especially military procurement and Medicare.

After law school, Michael served as law clerk to the Hon. David F. Levi, U.S. District Judge, Eastern District of California, and then the Hon. Proctor Hug, Jr., Chief Judge of the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

REPRESENTATIVE MATTERS

  • Social media defamation lawsuit – Michael recently represented a defendant in a defamation lawsuit brought by a high-profile social media celebrity in federal district court in Seattle.  Michael secured the dismissal of the lawsuit on personal jurisdiction grounds and the case settled shortly thereafter.
  • Unpaid Wages and Stock Options – Michael recently represented a former employee of a technology startup in a dispute over unpaid wages and valuable stock options. He was able to secure a favorable settlement for the client.
  • Class action secures millions in reimbursement for unlawful union dues – Michael represented a class of some 45,000 home health workers in a lawsuit to recover union dues that were taken without the workers’ consent.  After several years of litigation in federal district court and an appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the lawsuit settled and class members received partial refunds of their dues payments.
  • Insurance policies cover costly environmental clean-ups – Simpson Timber Co. is listed as one of the parties liable for cleanup of the Pasco Sanitary Landfill and at Shelton Harbor – large Superfund sites. Simpson turned to GTTC for assistance.  After a careful review of Simpson’s insurance policies, Frank Cordell and Michael Brown recovered insurance proceeds covering the full amount of Simpson’s costs to date.
  • Commercial real estate partnership dispute ends in highly favorable settlement – The two members of a commercial real estate development corporation were at odds and sought to dissolve the company. The 51-percent partner claimed that the 49-percent partner still owed him $850,000, and wanted to deduct this amount from the minority member’s share of the proceeds of a sale of one of its properties. With Michael Brown’s help, the minority member sued for his fair share. The case settled with Michael’s client receiving more than the $850,000 initially in dispute.
  • Substantial Settlement in Nursing Facility Negligence Case – Michael Brown secured a very favorable settlement in a negligence case brought against a nursing facility on behalf of an elderly client who suffered a fall & hip fracture while in the facility’s care.

PROFESSIONAL & CIVIC INVOLVEMENT

  • Childhaven – Classroom Volunteer, 2017-2021
  • Childhaven – Board Member, 2020-2021

PERSONAL

One of the most rewarding things about being an attorney is the satisfaction I get from providing practical help to people who are in difficult situations.

I enjoy being a parent and studying history, psychology and philosophy.