Mike speaks frequently on matters affecting the freedom of the press, and his writings about First Amendment issues have appeared in a variety of publications.

Mike previously served as a law clerk to the Honorable David B. Sentelle on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and worked on Capitol Hill for the late Senator Paul D. Coverdell (R. Ga.). Mike joined LSKS when the firm opened its Philadelphia office in 2005. He previously practiced law at Dechert LLP, where he was a member of the firm’s media law and white collar criminal defense practice groups.

Notable Representations

Raintree Homes, Inc. v. Birkbeck (Monroe Cty C.C.P., Pa. Sept. 8, 2011). Mike and Gayle Sproul successfully defended The Pocono Record (a Dow Jones publication) in a defamation trial in which the plaintiffs claimed that the newspaper falsely accused them of selling homes at inflated prices using inflated appraisals, often leading buyers into foreclosure. After a nine-day trial in which the plaintiffs were seeking over $27 million in damages, the jury unanimously decided in under two hours that the articles were true.  The trial court subsequently denied the plaintiffs' motion for a new trial, rejecting each of plaintiffs' post-trial challenges and affirming the jury's verdict.

Kendall v. Daily News Publishing Co.,  --- V.I. ---, 2011 WL 4434922 (V.I. Sept. 21, 2011). Mike, Michael Sullivan, and Celeste Phillips successfully represented The Virgin Islands Daily News in a defamation suit by a local judge. Following a two-week jury trial, the trial court entered judgment  in the newspaper’s favor. The Virgin Islands Supreme Court subsequently affirmed that decision. 

Cholowsky v. Civiletti, 887 N.Y.S.2d 592 (N.Y. App. Div. 2009). Mike and Dave Schulz successfully represented Times/Review Newspapers in a defamation case arising from its reporting on inaccurate information contained in a permit application. The court dismissed the claims against the newspaper because the reports were fair and accurate summaries of official proceedings, and that ruling was affirmed on appeal.

Anderson v. Suiters, 499 F.3d 1228 (10th Cir. 2007). Mike and Dave Schulz won dismissal of intrusion, publication of private facts, and constitutional invasion of privacy claims brought against an Oklahoma-based television station after a police officer allowed a reporter to copy portions of videotape evidence of a rape that had been provided to police, and the station subsequently broadcast excerpts from the tape in a news report.