A litigator and legal scholar, Michael provides streamlined solutions to his casualty clients’ most complex litigation challenges. With a focus on product liability, premises liability, automobile and other personal injury claims, he provides counsel to manufacturers of consumer goods, regional and national retail chains, manufacturing facilities, restaurants/bars, commercial landowners, pharmacies and more. Michael has experience in all aspects of defense litigation, from initial claim investigation through discovery and trial. Michael has also assisted in the defense of class actions involving various subject matters, ranging from alleged product failures to data breach claims.
Michael prioritizes efficiency, achieving favorable outcomes, and ensuring the best possible results for his clients. By dissecting the key issues in litigation, he aims to avoid unnecessary complexities and legal disputes. He approaches every client matter strategically, by first assessing the case; identifying critical legal arguments; and creating a well-informed legal strategy.
An avid reader and life-long student, he keeps abreast of legal topics pertinent to his clients, so he can better understand the current legal landscape and how it may impact their cases. A prolific writer, he has published substantive articles in The Pennsylvania Lawyer, The Legal Intelligencer and Law360.
Michael’s scholarship and devotion to the law has not gone unnoticed. In 2023, he was selected to serve a five-year term on the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania’s Civil Jury Instruction Subcommittee, which drafts jury instructions used by trial judges throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Admitted to practice in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Michael is a member of the Pennsylvania, Philadelphia and New Jersey State Bar Associations. He is additionally a member of the Defense Research Institute where he has served as an editor for its Product Liability Defenses, a State-by-State Compendium.
Prior to joining the firm, Michael served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Timothy G. Farrell of the Superior Court of New Jersey. In that capacity, Michael managed the judge's dockets, drafted opinions and orders, and served as a mediator in Small Claims and Special Civil Part cases.
Michael earned his juris doctor at Villanova Law School, where he graduated in the top 10% of his class, was a member of the Order of the Coif, and served as an Associate Editor of the Villanova Law Review. He earned his bachelor's degree in history from Villanova University, where he graduated first in his class with a 4.0 GPA.
Michael resides in South Jersey with his wife and twin boys.
Honors & awards
Pennsylvania Super Lawyers Rising Star
2024-2025
Year joined
2012
Results
Received Precedential Decision from PA Superior Court in Venue Transfer Case
General Liability
Appellate Advocacy & Post-Trial Practice
October 30, 2023
We secured a unanimous, precedential decision upholding a venue transfer from Philadelphia to Butler County under forum non conveniens, setting a new standard for defendants after a series of appellate reversals.
Car dealership dismissed from lawsuit for lack of personal jurisdiction.
December 16, 2022
We obtained dismissal of our client, a car dealership, from a suit pending in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, on the basis of a lack of personal jurisdiction. The plaintiff, who had addresses in Pennsylvania and Florida, had purchased a used Range Rover that allegedly experienced ongoing maintenance issues. The plaintiff sought repairs from various car dealerships, including our client. When the repairs were unsuccessful, she brought claims for breach of warranty, breach of contract and unfair trade practices against each of them.
Defense prevails in workplace injury/premises liability case.
Premises & Retail Liability
August 24, 2020
The defendants were two family-owned companies that grow, process and sell mushrooms. One defendant, our client, owned the property, and the other operated the business there. The plaintiff worked for an independent company that was contracted to load compost into the defendants’ mushroom beds. The plaintiff encountered a problem with the equipment used to lift the compost (the source of the problem is in dispute).
Product Liability Case Dismissed for Lack of Personal Jurisdiction Over a National Corporation.
Product Liability
May 11, 2018
In this complex lawsuit, the plaintiff suffered traumatic injury when the steering column of his tractor trailer became unyoked, rendering it uncontrollable and causing it to crash. The manufacturer is a Delaware LLC headquartered in North Carolina, but it manufactured the truck at its plant in Virginia. The plaintiff, a Pennsylvania citizen, crashed while driving it in Texas. The suit was filed in Philadelphia, as the LLC’s sole corporate parent is a Pennsylvania corporation. Based upon that, the plaintiff argued that the LLC should be deemed a citizen of Pennsylvania.
Thought Leadership
Third Circuit Court of Appeals Holds a Product Liability Plaintiff Does Not Need an Expert to Survive Summary Judgment in Certain Cases
Philadelphia - Headquarters
Product Liability
October 1, 2025
Product liability suits often involve complex machinery or detailed questions of product design and engineering. Thus, when defendants seek to preclude a plaintiff’s experts from testifying, they often try to kill two birds with one stone.
Marshall Dennehey Announces 2025 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers and Rising Stars
May 22, 2025
Thirty-three attorneys across Marshall Dennehey's five Pennsylvania offices have been selected to the 2025 edition of Pennsylvania Super Lawyers magazine.
Court Affirms Dismissal of Product Liability Claim Over Absence of Driver-Assistance Features
Philadelphia - Headquarters
Product Liability
April 1, 2025
This product liability action centered on a fatal auto accident; a head-on collision that the plaintiff claimed could have been prevented if the vehicle had been equipped with a “lane departure” warning or other driver-assistance feature. Case Law Alerts, 2nd Quarter, Apri
Federal District Court Applies Recently Revised Rule 702 Standard Regarding Experts.
Philadelphia - Headquarters
Product Liability
October 1, 2024
This product liability case involved a fatal helicopter crash, which the plaintiffs alleged was caused by a defective helicopter engine. Each side filed Daubert motions to preclude their opponent’s experts. Case Law Alerts, 4th Quarter, Octo
Marshall Dennehey Announces 2024 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers and Rising Stars
May 17, 2024
Twenty-eight attorneys across Marshall Dennehey's six Pennsylvania offices have been selected to the 2024 edition of Pennsylvania Super Lawyers magazine.
Classes/Seminars Taught
Strategies to Mitigate Risk and Avoid Litigation, Marshall Dennehey Client Presentation, May 14, 2025
Panel Member, Nuts and Bolts of Litigation Practice Under the Fair Share Act, Pennsylvania Bar Institute, April 2016.
Litigation Pointers for Defending the Supermarket Slip and Fall Case, Liberty Mutual Insurance, February 2015
Media Commentary
"'A Titanic Decision': Pa. Supreme Court's Ruling Makes Venue Challenges Harder," The Legal Intelligencer, November 29, 2023
