Michael DeHaven
Of Counsel
Location:
Annapolis Office
Phone: 202-381-1261
Fax: 888-235-8405
Email: Contact Us
Michael DeHaven has been litigating cases for over 30 years. Michael began his career as an Assistant State’s Attorney, where he gained invaluable experience trying cases before Baltimore County Judges & juries. In 1995, Michael entered private practice, primarily representing members of the Maryland State Teachers Association in criminal and civil matters. In 1996, he joined Bodie, Nagle, Dolina, Smith & Hobbs and was the managing partner in 2002 & 2003. Although Michael’s practice at Bodie initially focused on handling multi-million dollar product liability claims, he developed a passion for family law.
Michael understands the emotional and financial impact that protracted litigation (especially divorce litigation) can have on a client, and thus he always tries to negotiate a fair and amicable resolution of family law matters. Michael believes that a divorcing couple should make every effort to decide what is in their child’s best interest and how to equitably distribute their property. To reach a compromise in a divorce case, the parties and their lawyers must focus on the big picture and negotiate in good faith. Michael always adopts that approach, but if the opposing party or attorney is unreasonable, he relies upon his courtroom experience to zealously advocate for his clients.
Areas of Practice
- Family Law
- Criminal Defense
- Personal Injury
Bar Admissions
- Maryland
Education
- University of Baltimore, Maryland, 1990, JD
- Frostburg State College, Maryland, 1986, BS
Past Employment
- Smith, Gildea & Schmidt, Partner
- Bodie, Nagle, Dolina, Smith & Hobbs, Partner
- Morrow & Hassani, Associate
- Office of the State’s Attorney for Baltimore County, Assistant State’s Attorney
Honors and Awards
- AV Peer Review Rating by Martindale-Hubbell
- Super Lawyer 2015 – 2021
- AVVO 10/10
- Managing Partner of Family Law Division voted inner of the Maryland Daily Record Reader Rankings for Best Family Law practice
Published Works
- How to admit social media posts into evidence – Maryland Daily Record
Seminars
- A Quick Guide to Family Law and Practice (National Business Institute “NBI”), 2020
- Financial Divorce Settlements from Start to Finish (NBI), 2020
- Trial Preparation: Objections/hearsay/evidentiary issues that commonly arise, 2020
Guest Lecturer, University of Baltimore School of Law, Advance Certificate in Family Law, 2020 - Applying the Rules of Evidence (NBI), 2019
- Discovery Tactics for Expert Witnesses. Lecture for Staff Attorneys of the Maryland Legal Aid Bureau, 2019
- Social Media, Email & Text Evidence (NBI), 2019
- Litigating Civil Cases From Start to Finish (NBI), 2019
- Social Media and Other Electronic Data – How to Get it Admitted In Criminal, Family, And Other Civil Cases (Bar Association of Montgomery County), 2018
- Internet, Social Media, Smartphone Evidence & More (NBI), 2018
- Applying the Rules of Evidence (NBI), 2018
- Getting Emails into Evidence and Relevant Case Law (Baltimore County Bar Association “BCBA”), 2017
- Advanced Family Law (NBI), 2017
- How to Get Your Social Media, Email & Text Evidence Admitted (NBI), 2017
- Hearsay, Email, Business Records & Social Media (NBI), 2016
- Advanced Issues in Family & Divorce (NBI), 2016
- Evidentiary issues that attorneys face when trying to admit social media before the court (BCBA), 2016
- How to Get Your Social Media, Email & Text Evidence Admitted (NBI), 2015
- Tips for Representing a Client in a Custody Proceeding When There is an Allegation of Abuse or Neglect of a Minor Child (BCBA), 2014
