Michael Lockamy has a diverse legal practice, having tried a variety of cases in state and federal courts.
His litigation practice has covered numerous areas of substantive law, including commercial contracts, professional malpractice, labor and employment, real estate and land use, antitrust, patent, family law, product defect, and personal injury.
Michael was recently part of a legal team that represented the Duval County School Board against the City of Jacksonville. Through the litigation, the School Board established its independence from the City with the judge ruling that the School Board was not merged or consolidated into the City of Jacksonville and finding that the School Board had the authority to hire independent counsel and sue the City of Jacksonville. The lawsuit ultimately allowed for Duval County voters to approve a $1.9 billion plan to rebuild, renovate, and secure Jacksonville’s public schools.
In 2020, Michael was honored with The Florida Bar President’s Pro Bono Service Award for assisting the Office of Public Defender in a case implementing a recent U.S. Supreme Court opinion. The team’s efforts led to the client’s release after almost thirty years of imprisonment.
Background
Michael was raised in Jacksonville and graduated from Wolfson High School. He attended Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, where he earned a degree in business administration. After graduation, he worked for the international accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). While at PwC he assisted with a forensic audit of one of the nation’s largest hospital chains where almost $3 billion of fraudulent accounting transactions were uncovered.
Michael left PwC to attend law school at the University of Florida. During law school, Michael was an editor of the Journal for Law and Public Policy. He also clerked for acclaimed criminal defense attorney Larry G. Turner. Michael graduated UF Law with honors and then joined the Bedell Firm. Michael and his wife, Melodie, have four sons: Chase, Maddox, Hudson, and Reece.
Accomplishments
Michael is Martindale-Hubbard AV-Preeminent Rated, the highest peer-reviewed rating standard, signifying that he demonstrates the highest level of professional excellence for legal knowledge, communication skills, and ethical standards.
He has also been recognized annually by Super Lawyers and Florida Trend magazines as one of the state’s elite lawyers.
In 2019 and 2020, he was honored by The Best Lawyers in America for commercial litigation excellence.
Community Involvement
Michael is actively involved in groups that serve the legal profession and community.
Michael was appointed by Jacksonville’s City Council President to serve on the City’s Task Force on Open Government.
For several years he served as a governor on The Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division Board of Governors. The YLD Board of Governors oversees programming for Florida’s 26,000 young lawyers.
He has served as chair of a grievance committee in the Fourth Judicial Circuit, where he was responsible for investigating possible lawyer misconduct.
Michael regularly provides legal services pro bono to caregivers and relatives who seek guardian advocacy over children with developmental disabilities.
Michael was one of the founders of the Ribault High School Future Lawyers Program. That mentorship initiative, which pairs college-bound students from an underprivileged high school with area lawyers, has won multiple awards including the Jacksonville Business Journal’s Innovators in Education award.
BEDELL LAW FIRM
The Bedell Firm is the oldest law firm in continuous existence in Florida. Our core practice areas include civil, criminal, and family law litigation. Call us at (904) 353-0211 for more information on the services we provide.
