A civic-minded Phoenician, Mike was the Arizona Host Committee Chairman for Super Bowl XLII, is a member of the Executive Committee for the Arizona Host Committee for Super Bowl XLIX, is a member of The Thunderbirds, served as Chairman of the Phoenix Open, has been President of the Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation since its inception, served as President of the Maricopa County Bar Association and the Arizona Association of Defense Counsel, and was an inaugural member of the Maricopa County Bar Association Hall of Fame. Mike has been consecutively recognized as a “Best Lawyer” by Best Lawyers in America from 2005 to the present and by Chambers USA since 2003. Acknowledged by Southwest Super Lawyers since 2007, Mike was honored as a “Super Lawyer” in 2013 in all of his practice areas: General Commercial Litigation, Professional Liability Litigation and Representation of Professional Sports Teams.
REPRESENTATIVE EXPERIENCE
- Handled a variety of contested matters for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Arizona Cardinals
- Represented several Arizona law firms in legal malpractice actions
- Served Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. as national coordinating counsel defending asbestos claims and in other matters around the country
- Represented an international uranium mining company in response to NEPA/NHPA/FLPMA challenges to operation of its mines in northern Arizona
- Represented an Arizona refinery in litigation involving NEPA/NHPA claims
- Obtained a $500 million dollar judgment on behalf of a group of California, New Mexico and Arizona electric utility companies challenging the constitutionality of a property tax imposed on the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station
ASSOCIATIONS & MEMBERSHIPS
- Maricopa County Bar Association, President, (1986-1987)
- State Bar of Arizona, Board of Governors, (1987-1989)
- Arizona Association of Defense Counsel, President, (1985-1986)
- Sandra Day O'Connor Inn of Court, Founding Member, (1982)
- Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference, Lawyer Delegate, (1991-1994)
- Commission on Appellate Court Appointments, Member, (1989-1993)
- Arizona Bar Foundation, Founding Fellow
- Arizona Superior Court, Judge Pro Tem, (1984-2003)
- Judicial Performance Review Commission, Member, (2004-2008)
- Arizona Board of Trial Advocates, Member
HONORS & AWARDS
- Lawdragon 500, "Leading Lawyers in America," (2006)
- Southwest Super Lawyers®, General Commercial Litigation, Professional Liability Litigation and Representation of Professional Sports Teams, (2007-2021)
- Maricopa County Bar Association Hall of Fame, Inaugural Member, (2008)
- Best Lawyers in America®, Commercial Litigation and Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs, (2005-2021); Professional Malpractice Law - Defendants, (2016-2021); Sports Law (2017-2021)
- Best Lawyers in America®, Phoenix Lawyer of the Year, Professional Malpractice Law - Defendants, (2021)
- Best Lawyers in America®, Phoenix Lawyer of the Year, Sports Law, (2019)
- Benchmark Litigation, Local Litigation Star - Arizona: Professional Liability, (2015-2020); General Commercial (2016-2021)
- Chambers USA®, (2003-2020)
- Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent Peer Review Rating
- Phoenix Business Journal, Most Admired Leader Honors and Lifetime Achievement Award, (2018)
- Best Lawyers in America®, Phoenix Personal Injury Litigation Lawyer of the Year, (2012)
- Arizona's Finest Lawyers, (2011)
- Arizona Business Leaders Magazine, AzBusiness Leaders - Sports, (2018-2020)
- Arizona Business Magazine, Top 100 Lawyers in Arizona - Business Litigation, (2018-2020); Civil Litigation, (2017); Professional Liability, (2018-2020); Sports Law, (2017-2020); Commercial Litigation (2013)
- The Phoenix Business Journal, Business Journals’ Influencers: Law, (2019)
- Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation, Community Service Award, (2008)
- American Junior Golf Association, Digger Smith Award, (2010)
- The Phoenix Business Journal, "Super Bowl Most Valuable Power Player", (2007)
- Arizona Cardinals, "Honorary Community Captain", (2007)
- The Phoenix Business Journal, "Power Player", (2006)
- Greater Phoenix Convention & Visitors Bureau, Visitor Industry Champion Award, (2008)
- Arizona Foothills Magazine, "Valley's Most Influential People", (2008)
- Founder's Society, Duke University
- Significant Sig Award - Sigma Chi Fraternity, (2012)
- Oakwood High School, Distinguished Alumni Award, (2011)
COMMUNITY & PHILANTHROPY
- Arizona Super Bowl XLII Host Committee, Chairman, (2005-2012)
- Arizona Super Bowl XLIX Host Committee, Executive Committee, (2012-2021)
- Phoenix Open, Chairman, (1994)
- Phoenix Thunderbirds, President (1995) and Member (1984-2021)
- Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation, President, (1998-2021)
- Thunderbird International Junior Golf Tournament, Chairman, (2000-2021)
- Phoenix Zoo, The Pride Campaign, Capital Campaign Cabinet, (2019)
- Greater Phoenix Leadership, (1998-2016)
- Board of Arizona 2016 College Football Championship, (2014-2016)
- Paradise Valley Country Club Board of Directors (2014-2021), President (2018)
- Brophy College Preparatory, Board of Regents, (1999-2012)
- Xavier College Preparatory, Board of Trustees, (1996-1998)
- Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, Board of Directors, (1994-1995)
- National Minority Golf Foundation, Director, (1996-1997)
- Arizona Commerce Authority Board, Member, (2010)
- School of Theology at Claremont, Board of Trustees, (1994-1998)
PRESS RELEASES
- Best Lawyers in America® Recognizes 36 Gallagher & Kennedy Attorneys, August 21, 2020
- Gallagher & Kennedy Achieves Top Rankings in 2020 Chambers USA, May 15, 2020
- Fourteen Gallagher & Kennedy Attorneys Selected for Southwest Super Lawyers 2020, April 6, 2020
- Gallagher & Kennedy Receives Top Accolades in the 2020 Edition of Benchmark Litigation, December 5, 2019
- Mike Kennedy selected as a 2019 Influencer in the American City Business Journal’s National List of 100 Leading Lawyers, August 15, 2019
- Best Lawyers in America® Recognizes 33 Gallagher & Kennedy Attorneys as Leaders in Their Field, August 15, 2019
- Gallagher & Kennedy Achieves Top Rankings in 2019 Chambers USA, April 29, 2019
- Sixteen Gallagher & Kennedy Attorneys Selected for Southwest Super Lawyers 2019, April 15, 2019
- Gallagher & Kennedy Receives Top Accolades in the 2019 Edition of Benchmark Litigation, November 29, 2018
- Best Lawyers in America® Recognizes 35 Gallagher & Kennedy Attorneys as Leaders in Their Field, August 15, 2018
- Gallagher & Kennedy Achieves Top Rankings in Chambers USA, May 17, 2018
- 35 Gallagher & Kennedy Attorneys Recognized as 2018 ‘Best Lawyers in America®’, August 16, 2017
- Gallagher & Kennedy Attorneys and Practice Areas Recognized by Chambers USA, May 31, 2017
- 24 Gallagher & Kennedy Attorneys Named 2017 Southwest Super Lawyers, April 10, 2017
- 33 Gallagher & Kennedy Attorneys Named 2017 ‘Best Lawyers in America®’, August 17, 2016
- Gallagher & Kennedy Receives Top Rankings From Chambers USA, May 27, 2016
- Twenty-Six G&K Attorneys Selected to 2016 Southwest Super Lawyers’ List, April 11, 2016
- G&K Attorneys Named to 2016 ‘The Best Lawyers in America®’ List, August 17, 2015
- Super Lawyers 2015 Recognizes 18 Attorneys, April 10, 2015
- G&K Recognized as a Top Arizona Firm by 2015 Benchmark Litigation & Six Shareholders are Named ‘Local Litigation Stars’ for 2015, October 27, 2014
- G&K Attorneys Named to 2015 ‘The Best Lawyers in America®’ List, August 18, 2014
- Gallagher & Kennedy Achieves Top Rankings from Chambers USA 2014, May 30, 2014
- G&K Attorneys Selected for Southwest Super Lawyers 2014, April 11, 2014
- 36 G&K Attorneys Named to 2014 Best Lawyers in America® List, August 15, 2013
- Gallagher & Kennedy Secures Top Rankings From Chambers USA, June 1, 2013
- Twenty Gallagher & Kennedy Attorneys Selected for Southwest Super Lawyers 2013 and an Additional Nine Attorneys Named Southwest Rising Stars 2013, April 12, 2013
- Nearly Two-Thirds of G&K’s Shareholders Named “Best Lawyers in America”, August 22, 2012
- G&K Secures Top Rankings from Chambers USA, June 7, 2012
- Nineteen G&K Attorneys Named “Super Lawyers”, April 16, 2012
- Four Shareholders Named “Lawyers of the Year” by Best Lawyers, October 5, 2011
- More Than Half of G&K’s Shareholders Named “The Best Lawyers in America”, August 31, 2011
- G&K Secures Top Rankings from Chambers USA, June 10, 2011
- Half of G&K’s Shareholders Named “The Best Lawyers in America”, August 4, 2010
- Twenty-Eight G&K Attorneys Named “Best Lawyers in America”, August 3, 2009
- Mike Kennedy Inducted into MCBA Hall of Fame, October 22, 2008
RELATED NEWS
- G&K Attorneys Among Top 100 Lawyers in Arizona for 2020, March 5, 2020
- 2020 AzBusiness Leaders, January 1, 2020
- Mike Kennedy Shares Advice That Inspired him on his Professional Journey, September 5, 2019
- Michael Kennedy Selected to National List of Attorneys, August 8, 2019
- Phoenix Zoo Pride Campaign Adds Mike Kennedy to Cabinet, May 8, 2019
- Gallagher & Kennedy Achieves Top Rankings by Chambers & Partners, May 1, 2019
- Three G&K Attorneys Named Top 100 Lawyers in Arizona for 2019, March 7, 2019
- Three G&K Shareholders Named AzBusiness Leaders 2019, November 5, 2018
- Law and Order – Here are the Trends and Issues that will Impact an Optimistic Legal Industry in 2019 and Beyond, November 1, 2018
- Michael Kennedy Chosen for Lifetime Award Among Most Admired Leaders, August 28, 2018
- Three G&K Attorneys Named Top 100 Lawyers in Arizona, March 19, 2018
- Four Shareholders Included in AZ Business Top 100 Lawyers, March 24, 2017
- How the Phoenix Open Became the Biggest Party on the PGA Tour, February 2, 2016
- Hosting a Super Bowl a Huge Economic Plum, and Costly, January 25, 2015
- Landing the Big One, November 8, 2014
- Mike Kennedy Prepares for the Future of Arizona Law, January 3, 2014
- Bird of Prey, October 4, 2013