Overview
Michelle A. Freeman is a senior counsel and litigation lawyer with Foley & Lardner LLP. She is a member of the Government Enforcement Defense & Investigations, Business Litigation & Dispute Resolution and Antitrust & Competition Practices. Michelle represents corporations and individuals in criminal, antitrust and regulatory government investigations and white collar criminal defense matters. She conducts internal corporate investigations involving state and federal authorities including the Attorney General’s Office, Department of Justice and Environmental Protection Agency. To that end, Michelle investigates potential violations of state and federal law prior to the government becoming involved and counsels clients on how to avoid future risk. In addition to her work on internal and external investigations, Michelle represents clients on a wide range of commercial litigation issues.
Michelle was a summer associate with Foley in 2014. Prior to joining Foley, she participated in the Geneva Fellowship Program at the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights where she worked on the implementation and enforcement of the United Nations Human Trafficking Protocol. Michelle has held positions as an intern for the U.S. Attorneys Office and judicial intern for the Honorable Judge John W. Darrah, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Michelle worked for several years as a senior policy and advocacy specialist for an internal women’s organization where she focused on the congressional appropriations process and authorizing domestic and international antiviolence initiatives connected to the Violence Against Women Act and related state and federal legislation.
Significant Representative Matters
- Served as pool defense counsel for multiple employees in criminal and civil proceedings conducted by federal and state agencies, regarding environmental emissions from certain automobiles relating to alleged defeat devices, and represented employees in the related multidistrict civil litigation
- Represented advertising agency in a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) criminal antitrust investigation, helping the client avoid criminal and civil liability
- Represented employee in a federal criminal investigation into potential corruption in dealings between an automotive company and the United Auto Workers union
- Represented hospital in a civil dispute with a subcontracting physician health care group
- Investigated allegedly stolen manufacturing goods and represented the company in related state and federal investigations, helping the client avoid any criminal or civil liability
Recognition
- Received, Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch recognition for:
- Commercial Litigation (2022-2024)
- Government Relations Practice (2021-2024)
- Alternative Dispute Resolution (2024)
Education
- Michigan Law School (J.D., 2014)
- Geneva Fellowship Program at the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
- Notes Editor, The Michigan Journal of International Law
- Chaired, Street Law – Safe House Domestic Violence Shelter
- The George Washington University (B.A., magna cum laude, 2008)
- Graduated Phi Beta Kappa
- Presidential Academic Scholarship
- Legislative Coordinator, Student Global AIDS Campaign
- Executive Vice President, The National Society of Collegiate Scholars
- A founder of the Global Voices HIV/AIDS, a nonprofit focused on increasing student political awareness and activism
- Member, Alpha Delta Pi Sorority
Articles
- Co-author, “Bracing For The Next Wave Of Health Care Enforcement,” Law360 (May 11, 2021)
- Co-author, “Multiple Representation of Individuals Acting as Pool Counsel,” Thomson Reuters® Practical Law (June 2020)
- Co-author, “A Checklist for Managing a Dawn Raid in India,” The Anti-Corruption Report (April 17, 2019)
- Co-author, “How to Prepare for the Possibility of a Dawn Raid in India,” The Anti-Corruption Report (February 20, 2019)
Admissions
- Michigan
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan