Full Biography: Michael L. Tooley

Mike Tooley is a general employment law counselor who concentrates his practice in representing employers who do not have sizable in-house legal staffs, but who have all the labor and employment issues of those who do. Mike acts as counselor, advisor, and advocate for employers of all sizes – both union and non-union, public and private, blue collar and white collar -concerning the wide range of labor and employment issues they face, including day-to-day employee challenges, collective bargaining, arbitration, administrative proceedings before the NLRB, EEOC and other federal and state agencies, and employment-related litigation in state and federal courts.

In addition to his work with business executives and human resource professionals, Mike also works closely with in-house counsel from larger companies who need assistance in meeting their clients' needs, whether in defending employment lawsuits in state or federal court or in handling other complex employment matters.

Because most employers believe that the most successful workplace dispute is the one they never have, Mike spends a considerable amount of his practice coaching and training human resource professionals and other business executives on how to comply with the various employment laws that affect them, while still getting the best from their workforce. Mike presents frequent training sessions to supervisors, managers and human resource professionals on such crucial employment issues as sexual harassment prevention and investigation, interviewing skills, conducting effective workplace investigations, union awareness, effective communication skills, and dealing with injured employees under various state and federal laws.

When disputes prove unavoidable, Mike is an experienced advocate for employers in court, in arbitration, and in front of various administrative agencies. Mike has defended employers in legal proceedings in over 16 states.

In addition, Mike is a frequent public speaker at seminars for human resource professionals, business executives, and other lawyers on a wide variety of topics, both legal and non-legal.

Mike is a past Chair of the Council of the Labor Law Section of the Indianapolis Bar Association, as well as being a member of the Indiana State and the American Bar Associations. He has also been named as an Indiana Super Lawyer in 2004, 2005 and 2006.

Mike is Chair of Ice Miller's Labor and Employment Group and is a member of the Firm's Strategic Planning Committee. Mike joined Ice Miller in 1991 after graduating from law school and has practiced labor and employment law exclusively since that time.

Mike was born in Henderson, Kentucky, and received his B.A. from Vanderbilt University in 1988 graduating summa cum laude. He holds a J.D. from Duke University School of Law, where he graduated with high honors in 1991. While in law school, he was a member of Law & Contemporary Problems and the Moot Court Board.