Michael E. Dutko, Jr.

How Michael Helps Clients

Michael is a litigator with significant jury trial experience who has successfully managed a diverse array of civil and criminal matters.  His background includes both statewide and local government experience, and he has taken over 75 jury trials to verdict. Michael focuses his practice on complex commercial litigation, with particular emphasis on administrative, regulatory, investigative, and government-related matters. Michael represents both governments and private individuals in litigation disputes. 

Before entering private practice, Michael served as Assistant State Attorney with the Palm Beach State Attorney’s Office. During his time in the State Attorney’s office, he gained notable trial experience, handling an array of cases, including multiple homicide cases, to jury trial verdict. Michael was quickly promoted to the office’s Public Corruption Unit, a specialized prosecution division that handled the investigation and prosecution of politicians, police officers, and public employees. Michael also previously served as Assistant City Attorney for the City of Delray Beach, Florida. Michael was the city’s chief litigator in lawsuits arising during his tenure, including election qualification challenges. Additionally, he worked closely with the city’s planning and zoning department, and he was the primary attorney responsible for the preparation and evaluation of government contracts, review and drafting of solicitations for competitive procurements and bids, ethics and Sunshine Law consultation, and labor and collective bargaining negotiations.

Michael utilizes his comprehensive litigation experience to represent clients in many government-related areas. He represents private clients in administrative matters before all Florida agencies, including but not limited to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the Florida Commission on Ethics, the Florida Elections Commission, the Florida Housing Finance Corporation, and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and he is well-versed in Florida Division of Administrative Hearings proceedings and formal administrative hearings. Michael has represented both elected officials and candidates for office during ballot and qualification challenges and in investigations related to elections and ethics matters, notably serving as a member of the election recount team for a current United States Senator. Additionally, Michael has represented both local governments and individuals adverse to local governments in litigation matters, including property development challenges, competitive solicitation and bid protests, and civil rights violations.

In addition to complex commercial and administrative litigation, Michael has experience in matters related to government relations and public policy, procurement and government contracts, zoning, land use and development, code enforcement, and real property litigation. Michael regularly represents private clients during governmental and police investigations, both criminal and regulatory.

Michael has been named to Best Lawyers of America Ones to Watch annually since 2021. He was named to South Florida’s 2024 Top Lawyers, published by the Miami Herald and chosen by peer review, and was selected as a 2024 Distinguished Member by Lawyers of Distinction. He was named to Palm Beach Media Group's list of Top Lawyers in 2023. He also has been recognized as a “Top Up and Comer” in the South Florida Legal Guide in 2020 and 2021; an “Up and Comer” in South Florida Business and Wealth in 2021; and an “Up and Comer” in Florida Trend’s Legal Elite in 2021. He was named Top Lawyer in Government Relations and Land Use and Zoning Law by Fort Lauderdale Magazine in 2021. In 2019, Daily Business Review named him among the honorees of the Florida Legal Awards in the category of On the Rise. He was also named “Superstar” by Attorney at Law Magazine in 2018. Michael was recently chosen as a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America, a peer-selected and diverse honorary society of 3,500 of the best trial lawyers in the country, representing less than one-half of one percent of U.S. trial lawyers.

What Clients Can Expect

Michael is an analytical, energetic, and detail-oriented attorney with deep experience in complex litigation and administrative, regulatory, and investigative matters. Michael is able to rely on his broad range of government experience to counsel clients through stressful political climates, navigating the overarching political concerns to reach positive resolutions in litigation.

Outside the Office

Michael was born and raised in Ft. Lauderdale and has been immersed in the legal community since childhood.  Michael spends most of his free time with his wife, Dana, and their two children, Ethan and Hope. He is an avid sports fan, and he enjoys playing golf, fishing, scuba diving, and coaching his children’s sports teams. Michael also enjoys reading, playing tabletop board games, and attending live music concerts. 

Proof Points

• Represented the then-Property Appraiser of Broward County, Florida in a budget dispute with the County, prevailing on all issues and ensuring full funding for the Property Appraiser’s office. 
• Represented multiple solid waste disposal facilities in permitting disputes with the State of Florida Department of Environmental Protection, both defending facilities against third-party permit challenges as well as prosecuting cases on behalf of facilities for permit denials.
• Represented cannabis industry clients both in permitting and enforcement disputes with the State of Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, as well as in monitoring ongoing changes to the State’s regulatory framework for cannabis products and assisting the Buchanan Government Relations team’s work with that process.
• Represented public officials at both the investigative and hearing stages of Florida Commission on Ethics complaints, with many complaints being successfully disposed with findings of no probable cause.
• Represented parties in competitive solicitation or bid protests, both at the state and local government levels.
• Supervised a team of six detectives from various police agencies in all aspects of the investigation and prosecution of public officials, from initial complaint intake, to investigative issues, to charging, and finally to trial.
• Represented a group of disenfranchised voters in the successful ballot challenge of a write-in candidate who had effectively closed what would have otherwise been an open South Florida primary election.
• Represented a current U.S. Senator in a general election recount, ensuring all legal aspects of the recount process were appropriately followed.
• Represented the City of Miami in a high-profile, federal civil rights case related to the City’s code enforcement efforts. 
• Represented the former president and CEO of a publicly traded company against several, simultaneous actions related to a securities purchase agreement, including four shareholder derivative suits in multiple jurisdictions, two federal securities fraud actions, two bankruptcy adversary proceedings, a state receivership, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) investigations, and multiple other state court actions.