Michael Finkelstein
Attorney
Email: mfinkelstein@panditlaw.com
Phone: (504) 313-3800
Areas of Practice:
Michael Finkelstein advocates for individuals and businesses who have suffered catastrophic property losses.
Michael joined Pandit Law with a diverse practice background, having represented individuals and businesses in cases involving property damage, insurance bad faith claims, breaches of contracts, employee wage suits including FLSA collective actions, personal injury, dangerous and defective products, toxic tort class action claims, unfair trade practice claims, fraud, breach of professional duties, First Amendment and media law issues, defamation, public records and FOIA laws, election law, international shipping, maritime and Jones Act, contested wills, and successions, among other areas.
When he’s not in the office, he enjoys travel, a good meal, live music, playing tennis, and spending time with his fiancé Lauren.
BAR & COURT ADMISSIONS & PRO HAC VICE APPEARANCES
- Licensed in Louisiana and Texas
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana
- United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana
- United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
- United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas
- United States District Court for the Western District of Texas
- United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit United States Supreme Court
- 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
- United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
PUBLICATIONS & PRESENTATIONS
- 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 Preemptive 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)
- 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
EDUCATION
- Louisiana State University, Bachelor’s of Arts in History and Philosophy
- Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center, Juris Doctor and Diploma in Comparative Law, with pro bono honors
HONORS & AWARDS
- NCAA/EA Sports Class Action Litigation and Settlement
- July 23, 2015, on Double Coverage on WWWL Radio, 1350AM
- 2020-2024 Louisiana Rising Star (Super Lawyers)
- 2019-2023 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”