Joseph Michaels

Joseph X. Michaels is an experienced and aggressive advocate for Michigan’s working men and women. Born and raised to a four-generation union family, his commitment to and passion for the rights of workers run deep. He brings that passion—along with a wealth of legal and real-world experience—to the fight for his clients in the American legal system. Joe has successfully litigated dozens of employment and civil rights cases in state and federal court. He handles all types of individual employment claims, including discrimination, retaliation, wrongful termination, non-compete violations, and unpaid wages and overtime. He represents employees exclusively—never employers, governments, or corporations. He also handles complex civil rights cases for violations of the U.S. Constitution and 42 U.S.C. § 1983, including claims for violations of due process, police misconduct and brutality, prisoner suicide, illegal searches and seizures, and the taking of property without just compensation. Joe understands the unique challenges presented when an individual seeks justice against a company or government with unlimited resources. Joe is proud of his client-focused approach to litigation and ensures that each client is advised of the risks of litigation as well as the strategy he will employ to accomplish the client’s goals. This aggressive and client-focused approach to litigation has resulted in outstanding results, including receiving favorable decisions in numerous state and federal courts. Joe also leads CTM’s union-side labor practice. He is trusted counsel for several public and private sector labor unions, representing a diverse group of employees including nurses, electricians, pipefitters, teachers, and university professors. In addition to providing general advice on union administration, contract interpretation, and negotiations, he prosecutes grievance arbitrations, MERC proceedings, and civil litigation on behalf of union members. As a former union organizer, Joe brings a practical and real-world understanding of unions as organizations. He has been an avid supporter of union rights and social justice since he was nine years old and walked the picket line in support of the striking Detroit News and Free Press workers, where his great-grandfather had been one of the founding members of the printers union. Between college and law school, Joe decided to turn this passion into a career and worked as a union organizer, helping childcare workers, food service workers, and county government employees form their own union and negotiate their first contract.