Michael Finkelstein
Associate
Michael Finkelstein is an attorney with Alvendia, Kelly & Demarest, LLC, based in New Orleans, where he advocates for individuals and businesses who have suffered catastrophic personal injury or property damage.
Michael joined the AKD team with a diverse practice background, having represented individuals and businesses involved in disputes in courtrooms, arbitrations, and before administrative bodies, including in trials and on appeals in state and federal courts. His breadth of experience includes handling cases involving personal injury, property damage, insurance bad faith claims, breaches of contracts, employer-employee disputes, employee wage suits including FLSA collective actions, dangerous and defective products, real property disputes, eminent domain, unfair trade practice claims, construction fraud, breach of professional duties, First Amendment and media law issues, defamation, public records and FOIA laws, election law, toxic tort class action claims, international shipping, maritime and Jones Act, contested wills, and successions, among other areas.
LICENSES AND ADMISSIONS
Louisiana, 2014
Texas, 2015
United States District Courts for the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of Louisiana
United States District Courts for the Eastern, Southern, and Western Districts of Texas
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
United States Supreme Court
PRO HAC VICE APPEARANCES
United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama
United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida
United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia
EDUCATION
Louisiana State University, 2010
Bachelor’s of Arts in History and Philosophy
Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center, 2013
Juris Doctor and Diploma in Comparative Law, with pro bono honors
PUBLICATIONS
Rule 30(b)(6)’s New (and Welcome) Changes
69 LA Bar Jnl. 290 (2021)
Your Firm Needs a Tech Philosophy
67 LA Bar Jnl. 252 (2019)
Co-authored with Scott L. Sternberg
Prescription Interrupted by Timely Filing Suit in Federal Court: Arnouville v. Crowe
64 LA Bar Jnl. 315 (2016)
Recent Development: Kelly v. State Farm
63 LA Bar Jnl. 292 (2015)
Fifth Circuit Clarifies the Chandris Temporal Requirement for Seaman Status
63 LA Bar Jnl. 226 (2015)
An Overview of Data Breach Litigation in Louisiana and a Look Into Its Uncertain Future
63 LA Bar Jnl. 106 (2015)
*Winner of the 2016 LSBA Stephen T. Victory Memorial Award
Survival Actions Subject to Prescriptive Rather than Peremptive Period
62 LA Bar Jnl. 141 (2014)
The Summary Judgment Changes That Weren’t (contributed footnotes)
Hon. Lee H. Rosenthal
43 Loy. U. Chi. L.J. 471 (2012)
Illusory Arbitration Agreements: It Takes Two to Arbitrate
25 Tex. App. Advoc. 24 (2012)
Sackett v. EPA: Drowning the Agency Enforcement Scheme
LSU Energy Law Currents (2012)
The “Flavor” of Arbitration: Disclosure and Confidentiality Under ADR Agreements
60 LA Bar Jnl. 150 (2012)
Obamacare On Your Plate: How the ACA Can Bring About Healthier Living in America
Tasty25 Magazine (2012)
Competitive Bargaining Delays 2011-2012 NBA Season
59 LA Bar Jnl. 360 (2012)
(also published on mediate.com)
Mediation, Compromises Save 2011-2012 NFL Season
59 LA Bar Jnl. 195 (2011)
(also published on mediate.com)
CLE PRESENTATIONS, TEACHING OPPORTUNITIES, AND PANEL DISCUSSIONS
Build Your Own Stack — Using Tech to Make Your Firm Smarter (2019)
American Bar Association, Young Lawyers Division Fall Conference
Idea Exchange, Use of technology in Legal Practice (2019), Build Your Brand: Young Lawyers Conference, Louisiana State Bar Association, Young Lawyers Section
Fundamentals of Local Personal Injury Procedure (2018), National Business Institute (NBI)
Ethical Considerations Relating to Evidence and Records (2018), National Business Institute (NBI)
Privacy Lawsuits – Guest lecturer (Spring 2018), Law of Mass Communications, College of Arts and Sciences, Loyola University, New Orleans
Confidentiality Issues with Technology (2017), National Business Institute (NBI)
Information Technology 101 (2017), National Business Institute (NBI)
Avoiding Malpractice Mistakes (2017), Panel organizer and panelist discussing topics of legal malpractice, client engagement and disengagement, information security, and cloud computing, New Orleans Bar Association, Young Lawyers Section
Economics of the Practice of Law and Law Firms – Guest lecturer (Fall 2017), Intermediate Microeconomics, College of Business, Loyola University, New Orleans
Privacy Law and Private Lawsuits – Guest lecturer (Fall 2017), Law of Mass Communications, College of Arts and Sciences, Loyola University, New Orleans
Avoiding Malpractice Mistakes: What Every Young Lawyer Should Know, Panelist discussing topics of legal malpractice, data security, and cloud computing, (2016), New Orleans Bar Association, Young Lawyers Section
Adam, Eve, and the Creation of Tort Law: A Comparison of American and Israeli Products Liability Laws (2016), Partnership Together initiative of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans
Data Breach Litigation and Data Security for the Government Attorney (2015), Louisiana State Bar Association, Government and Public Law Section
Red Rover and Scrambled Eggs: Data Security Basics for Your Business (2015), New Orleans Lawyers Meetup
MEDIA APPEARANCES
NCAA/EA Sports Class Action Litigation and Settlement
July 23, 2015, on Double Coverage on WWWL Radio, 1350AM
PROFESSIONAL HONORS/AWARDS
2020-2024 Louisiana Rising Star (Super Lawyers)
2019-2022 Top Lawyer (New Orleans Magazine)
2017 Ones to Watch – Law (New Orleans City Business Magazine)
2016 Jewish Children’s Regional Service (JCRS) Success Story
2016 Cohen-Jacobs Emerging Leader Award (presented by the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans)
2016 LSBA Stephen T. Victory Memorial Award (presented annually to the most outstanding article published in the Louisiana Bar Journal) for Michael’s article “An Overview of Data Breach Litigation in Louisiana and a Look Into Its Uncertain Future”
CIVIC INVOLVEMENT
Alumnus, Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity (Epsilon Eta chapter)
Co-chair, JNOLA (2017-2019)
Board of Directors, JNOLA (2015-present)
Chair, JNOLA Professional Networking Committee (2015-2017)
Federal Bar Association, New Orleans Chapter (2014-present)
Louisiana Association for Justice (LAJ)
American Association for Justice (AAJ)
Academy of New Orleans Trial Lawyers (2022-present)
504ward Advisory Council (2017-2019)
Board of Governing Members, Jewish Children’s Regional Service (JCRS) (2017-present)
Board of Trustees, Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans (JFGNO) (2017-2019)
Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees, Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans (JFGNO) (2017-2019)
Partnership Together Initiative of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans
General Counsel, New Orleans Dodgeball Association (2014-2018)
Member, Young Leadership Council (YLC) (2015-2016)
Participant, YLC Leadership Development Series (LDS) Class of 2015
Member, New Orleans Track Club (2015-present)
Running buddy and volunteer, Youth Run NOLA (2015-2017)
Member, Baton Rouge Tigers Australian Rules Football Club (2007-2016)
