Michele’s experience includes representing chemical and energy clients in complex oil and gas and environmental matters.

Her experience includes defending clients in state cost-recovery and enforcement actions and prosecuting and defending contractual indemnity litigation involving historical environmental contamination. Michele’s experience also includes PRP allocation matters for CERCLA, RCRA and state analogous claims for Superfund and environmental sites across the country both seeking to recover costs incurred from potentially responsible parties and defending her clients to minimize their share of the total liability. Michele has experience defending energy clients in multiple putative class actions related to alleged environmental contamination, operation of injection wells and compressor stations, and underpayment of royalties.

Michele is knowledgeable in the field of e-discovery and using technology to manage discovery in “mega” party litigation. She presently serves on The Sedona Conference Working Group on Electronic Document Retention and Production.

Michele also has experience in the prosecution of patent applications primarily in the chemical and mechanical fields. She has prosecuted trademark applications and defended client’s trademark rights for a wide range of goods and services.

Representative Experience

• Defended energy clients against multiple putative class action proceedings brought by mineral interest owners for alleged underpayment of royalties in connection with natural gas operations in the Fayetteville Shale
• Defended energy clients in multiple overtime wage lawsuits brought by oilfield workers
• Defended energy clients in putative class action proceeding for alleged subsurface trespass and unjust enrichment claims related to the operation of multiple injection wells in the Fayetteville Shale
• Defended clients against claims brought by state agencies to recover alleged damages for contamination in the Newark Bay Watershed including cleanup costs, property damage, and economic loss
• Prosecuted cost recovery and contribution action against multiple PRPs and state municipalities for “mega” environmental Superfund site
• Defended energy clients in putative class action proceeding for alleged contamination and property damage related to compressor stations in natural gas operations in the Fayetteville Shale

• Defended energy company in multiple putative class action proceedings for alleged groundwater contamination and property damage related to fracking in natural gas operations in the Fayetteville Shale
• Negotiated terms of natural resource damages consent decree related to a chemical manufacturing facility in Texas
• Represented energy clients in bankruptcy and adversary proceedings 
• Advised chemical and energy clients on e-discovery issues and managed litigation discovery and Internet-based document repositories on multiple large environmental and commercial matters
• Consultation with clients on e-discovery and electronic documentation retention requirements in connection with investigation by the Department of Justice
• Defended clients in contractual indemnification litigation seeking to recover costs incurred in connection with an Ohio Superfund site including contribution for CERCLA cleanup costs, natural resource damages, and cost share under WRDA cleanup projects
• Defended clients in six week PRP allocation of cleanup costs for soil, groundwater, and sediment contamination in connection with a settlement of litigation brought by the Port of Houston Authority
• Prosecuted on behalf of an energy client a contractual indemnity claim against the former owner of the pipeline in west Texas and New Mexico

Bar Admissions

Education
JD, Washington University in St. Louis School of Law, 2002BS, Chemistry, University of Iowa, 1999