E. Michelle Drake

E. Michelle Drake is a skilled trial lawyer dedicated to advancing her clients' interests and protecting their civil rights.

As a graduate of both Harvard Law School and Oxford University who learned to practice law by trying high stakes criminal cases, Michelle possesses a rare combination of elite academic pedigree and real world trial skills.

Michelle started her career working as a public defender in Atlanta, Georgia. During that time, Michelle was lead counsel in hundreds of felony criminal cases. She tried many cases, including five murder cases, to verdict. After working as a public defender for several years, Michelle founded her own law firm and expanded her practice to include civil cases. In 2007, Michelle moved back to her home state of Minnesota and decided to join Nichols Kaster.

Michelle's dry wit and straightforward speaking style have made her a valued member of the local and national community of employee rights litigators. Her opinions on employment law have been published in the National Law Journal and her current cases were named as "Lawsuits of the Year" by Minnesota Law & Politics in both 2008 and 2009. She has been asked to speak to her peers at continuing legal education seminars and has trained investigators on employment law issues for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Michelle has never lost her desire to spend her career fighting for the rights of individuals. Whether her clients are teenagers who have been falsely accused of a crime in rural Georgia, or a class of thousands of employees who have been denied wages by their employer, Michelle is happiest fighting on the side of the underdog. She is a fierce and fearless litigator and always puts her clients' interests first.

Michelle is currently working on numerous cases representing employees in the class and collective context.

Email: E. Michelle Drake
Phone: 612.256.3249
FAX: 612.338.4878

Admissions

Supreme Court of Minnesota

Supreme Court of Georgia

United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia

United States District Court for the District of Minnesota

Education

B.A., Harvard College 1996
M.Sc., Oxford University 1998
J.D., Harvard Law School 2001

Publications/Speaking Engagements

February 2010 Minnesota Continuing Legal Education Panel on the Impact of Twombly and Iqbal on the Pleading standard.
June 2009 interviewed by National Law Journal regarding recent wave of tip pooling cases.

May 2009, Strategic Discovery: How to Fight Discovery Abuses and Win Discovery Disputes, Minnesota Institute for Continuing Legal Education.

March 2008, Who’s the Boss? Joint employers, successor employers and integrated enterprises, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Investigator training

January 2006, Litigating Capital Cases Under Georgia’s New Discovery Statutes, Advanced Capital Defender Training

July 2005, Responding to changes in Georgia’s Criminal Discovery Statutes, Advanced Capital Defender Training.

Titles/Awards/Memberships

Volunteer Attorney, Children’s Law Center of Minnesota
Minnesota State Bar Association
Minnesota Trial Lawyers Association
Hennepin County Bar Association
National Employment Lawyers Association
Minnesota National Employment Lawyers Association
Minnesota Women Lawyers
American Civil Liberties Union
National Lawyers Guild
Recipient, Thurgood Marshall Defender Award, Massachusetts Committee for Public Counsel Services, 2001
American Bar Association
Federal Practice Committee, U.S. District Court, Minnesota, Member (Appointed 2010)
Federal Bar Association