Michael

F.

Schleigh

Michael F. Schleigh ("Mike") received his Bachelor of Arts in Political science from the University of Pennsylvania in 1998. Thereafter he obtained his Juris Doctorate from the Rutgers University School of Law in Camden, where he served as President of his class in 2001. Seeking to hone his trial skills, he went on to earn a Masters of Laws Degree (LLM) from Temple University's Beasley School of Law. Mike is the author of various articles featured in the American Bar Association Journal and the Philadelphia Legal Intelligencer on civil litigation issues and is frequent lecturer for the National Business Institute.

Michael interned with the late Honorable Myrna Field of the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and clerked for the late Honorable William J. Cook of the Superior Court of Camden, New Jersey. In both position he honed legal research and writing skills in drafting judicial opinions that were upheld by higher courts.

Before joining Hardin Thompson, PC, Mike worked for various litigation firms in his career and developed expertise in admiralty, transportation law, defense of personal injury and death cases under Jones Act and state law, insurance coverage litigation, bad- faith defense, dram shop cases, general liability, products liability, commercial litigation, creditors' rights, estate litigation and will challenges, bankruptcy litigation, foreclosure and nursing home litigation.

Mike has served as first or second chair in various trial in a wide variety of litigation areas, including Lanham Act/trademark, auto accidents, premises liability, nursing home litigation, amd construction litigation. He has handled hundreds of arbitration matters.

Mike has extensive experience handling a variety of maritime and transportation cases, including the arrest/attachment of vessels, defense of wrongful death, injury, cargo damage, casualty investigations and collision cases.

Mike has been appointed Solicitor for the Delaware County Office of Services for the Aging, an older adult protective service agency as well as the Fair Acres Geriatric Center, a skilled nursing facility operated by the County of Delaware. Mike represents professional guardians appointed by the Courts to manage the affairs of disabled persons and has litigated important end of life cases. This experience informs his estate planning and estate administration practice in Pennsylvania and New Jersey where he has probated wills and engaged in litigation before Orphans Courts in a five-county area.

Mike is politically active at the local and state level, and has served as a Municipal Solicitor for several suburban towns, and was the President of the Council for his home town of Lansdowne, PA. As a result of the knowledge and connections fostered in these government affairs, Mike has a unique perspective which is invaluable when dealing with government agencies on behalf of our clients. Mike has also acted as a zoning Solicitor.

Mike is a certified Mediator from his time clerking for the Superior Court of New Jersey, and has served as an arbitrator for the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia. He has served as a Judge Pro tem (Settlement Master) for the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia, and is available to help you settle your matter as a neutral mediator or arbitrator.

Mike lives in Lansdowne, Delaware County, Pennsylvania where he volunteers for his daughter's girl scout troop.