David Michels

Dave Michels has extensive litigation experience, with a focus on motion practice, strategic discovery and complex legal disputes. His background also includes contract negotiation and enforcement, judgment recovery and statutory and regulatory compliance. A significant portion of his career has been devoted to public-sector work, including representing government agencies and serving in administrative and regulatory roles. His practice experience includes negligence defense, contract disputes, employment matters and judgment recovery.

During and after law school, Dave served as Assistant General Counsel for the Massachusetts Department of Industrial Accidents, where he handled civil litigation on behalf of the agency and matters involving the state’s workers’ compensation system. He also served as General Counsel to the Massachusetts Health Care Services Board, helping facilitate the development of utilization review guidelines governing appropriate care for injured workers. In that role, he also participated in the adjudication of complaints against medical professionals involving alleged patterns of overutilization, discrimination or abuse.

Dave relocated to the Pacific Northwest in 2025 and entered private practice, representing corporations in Washington and Oregon in employment-related matters.

Representative Experience

• Recovered several million dollars in judgments involving the recoupment of state funds from negligent parties

• Established new Massachusetts case law addressing the responsibilities of excess insurance carriers to former employees of bankrupt self-insurers

• Served as a hearing officer in appeals of administrative actions, including issuing written decisions

• Secured favorable judgments in several complex, long-running matters

• Secured judgments in more than a dozen matters through successful summary judgment motions

• Developed organization-wide litigation and regulatory compliance templates and best practices

• MassLegalAnswers.com - Former Volunteer