Mike is a principal of the firm’s Labor & Employment, Appellate Law, and Litigation & Dispute Resolution practice groups.
He focuses his practice almost exclusively on labor and employment issues and has represented clients large and small, public and private, in state and federal courts in the Mid-Atlantic and beyond. Mike has counseled employers on handling all aspects of employment claims, from internal management, proceedings with state and federal agencies such as the EEOC or DOL, and through litigation, trial and appeal. While litigation is sometimes unavoidable, Mike emphasizes a proactive and preventative approach to employment issues in an effort to minimize the costs and disruptions litigation can impose on a business. Mike is a presenter at Woods Rogers Vandeventer Black’s annual Labor and Employment Seminar series.
Mike holds Martindale-Hubbell’s AV Preeminent rating—the highest possible—in both legal ability and ethical standards. This honor is bestowed from confidential surveys of members of the Bar and Judiciary. He has also been recognized as a Virginia Super Lawyer since 2016 as a Virginia Business magazine “Legal Elite” since 2018.
Mike is an active member of Christ Episcopal Church in Roanoke, Va. Mike has served in various roles with the Virginia Bar Association, including Regional Chair for the Young Lawyers’ Division, and Chair of the Model Judiciary Program where high school students from across Virginia try mock cases before real judges, including Virginia Supreme Court Justices.
In his time at Washington and Lee University School of Law, Mike served as a Lead Articles Editor on the Washington and Lee Law Review, won the John W. Davis Appellate Advocacy Competition and placed fourth in the Nation in the American Bar Association’s Negotiation Competition. After graduating from law school, Mike had the privilege of clerking for the Hon. Jackson L. Kiser in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia.
Thought Leadership
Publications
Cannabis Cans & Can’ts: How Employers Should React to Legal Marijuana in Virginia, VBA Journal, Spring 2022
Can a Business Be Liable to Its Employees for LGBT Discrimination?, Lynchburg Business, February 2018
Attorney Perspectives
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Open Registration: HR2023 Back on Track: WRVB’s 42nd Annual Labor & Employment Seminars
September 22, 2023 -
More COVID-19 Legal Developments
December 30, 2021 -
COVID-19 Legal Round Up and Looming 2022 Deadlines
December 21, 2021 -
Virginia’s COVID-19 Enforcement Efforts: An Inside Look
October 26, 2021 -
Can Employers Follow CDC’s “Vaccination or Mask” Rule?
May 25, 2021 -
Virginia’s New Overtime Wage Act: Employee Classifications Matter More Than Ever
April 29, 2021 -
FFCRA Update! Mandatory FFCRA Leave Stops on December 31, 2020
December 22, 2020 -
Parents Not Eligible for FFCRA Leave for Remote Learning if In-Person Learning is Offered (Coronavirus and the Law)
August 28, 2020 -
Virginia’s COVID-19 Workplace Safety Standards Are Effective NOW! (Coronavirus and the Law)
July 27, 2020 -
Virginia Adopts COVID-19 Workplace Safety Standards (Coronavirus and the Law)
July 16, 2020
Speaking Engagements
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Open Registration: HR2023 Back on Track: WRVB’s 42nd Annual Labor & Employment Seminars
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Franklin County Human Resources Association | 2023 Legal Update
October 3, 2023 -
Winchester Area SHRM | Common Legal Mistakes that Lead to Lawsuits
September 27, 2023 -
Winchester Area SHRM Annual Employment Law Update | Yes, the NLRB Should Matter to You
September 27, 2023 -
Roanoke Valley SHRM | Legal Update Panel
August 22, 2023 -
HR Virginia 2023 Annual Conference | 10 Legal Commandments
April 25, 2023 -
Virginia Society for Healthcare HR Administration | 2023 Legal Updates
April 19, 2023 -
Medical Advisory Group | Workplace Violence
February 3, 2023 -
Blue Ridge Human Resources Association | Employment Law Seminar 2022
March 9, 2022 -
Virginia Bar Association | Marijuana in the Workplace
November 5, 2021 -
Franklin County HR Association | Marijuana in the Workplace
October 5, 2021 -
HR Virginia Annual Conference 2021 | Airtight Writing: Protect Your Workplace with Better Job Descriptions
April 14, 2021 -
United Way Roanoke Valley Smart Beginnings | COVID-19 Legal Update
March 17, 2021 -
Blue Ridge Human Resources Association | BRHRA Employment Law Seminar
March 10, 2021 -
Richmond SHRM | Will It Stay or Will It Go? Planning for the New Administration
March 4, 2021 -
Charlottesville SHRM | 2021 Legal Update
February 9, 2021 -
Charlottesville SHRM | Airtight Writing: Protect Your Workplace and Your Employees with Better Job Descriptions
November 10, 2020 -
Virginia Tech Roanoke Center | Airtight Writing: Protect Your Workplace and Your Employees with Better Job Descriptions
August 12, 2020 -
Virginia Tech Roanoke Center | Emergency Leave and FLSA: Post COVID-19 and Beyond
July 29, 2020 -
Blue Ridge HR Association | Virginia’s New Workplace Laws
July 15, 2020 -
Blue Ridge HR Association | Legal Seminar
March 11, 2020 -
Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police | 2020 New Chiefs/Deputy Chiefs Training School: FLSA, ADA, & FMLA
March 4, 2020 -
Virginia MGMA | HR-Employee Evaluations, Interview Techniques, Hiring the Right Person
September 23, 2019 -
SW Virginia SHRM | Negligent Hiring & Negligent Retention
March 28, 2019 -
Blue Ridge HR Association | Employment Law Seminar
March 13, 2019 -
Virginia Employment Commission | Wage & Hour, FLSA, and FMLA
May 15, 2018 -
Va. Association of Chiefs of Police | Employment Law Update
March 28, 2018
Seminars + Events
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Open Registration: HR2023 Back on Track: WRVB’s 42nd Annual Labor & Employment Seminars
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Stronger Together: WRVB 2022 Labor & Employment Seminars
October 6 - October 24, 2022 -
40th Annual Labor & Employment Webinar Series
October 7 – November 4, 2021 -
HR LifeLine: 2020 Labor & Employment Webinar Series
Every Thursday in October, 2020 -
Employee Handbooks
June 13, 2019 -
2019 Labor and Employment Seminar Series
October 2 - November 5, 2019 -
37th Annual Labor & Employment Seminar Series
September 20 - October 17, 2018 -
Employee Handbook: 2018 Update Seminar
March 29, 2018
Recognition
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Open Registration: HR2023 Back on Track: WRVB’s 42nd Annual Labor & Employment Seminars
September 22, 2023 -
Best Lawyers in America Recognizes 70 WRVB Attorneys
August 17, 2023 -
Eighteen Woods Rogers Attorneys Selected as 2020 Virginia Super Lawyers
April 15, 2020 -
“Legal Elite” Ranking Lists 30 Woods Rogers Attorneys
December 10, 2019 -
Twenty-two Woods Rogers Attorneys Named 2019 Virginia Super Lawyers
April 11, 2019 -
Virginia Business Names 26 Woods Rogers Attorneys as 2018 “Legal Elite”
December 5, 2018 -
Twenty-three Woods Rogers attorneys awarded honors by Virginia Super Lawyers Magazine
April 20, 2018 -
Twenty-one Woods Rogers attorneys awarded honors by Virginia Super Lawyers Magazine
May 1, 2017