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Michael l. Brooks, J.D.

Michael L. Brooks has a unique background and skillset that sets him apart from other Oklahoma trial lawyers.

 

Born and raised in Oklahoma, Michael obtained his undergraduate degree from the University of Oklahoma before attending the University of Oklahoma College of Law. At OU Law, Michael served as Editor-in-Chief of the Oklahoma Law Review and earned numerous awards and honors. In 2010, Michael graduated first in his class with what was then the highest GPA in the history of the law school.

 

After law school, Michael moved to Denver, Colorado, where he served a one-year term as a law clerk to the Honorable David M. Ebel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.

Michael decided to return to Oklahoma following completion of his federal appellate clerkship. He joined a major law firm in downtown Oklahoma City, where he represented insurance companies and other big businesses in complex litigation and appeals. This experience provided valuable insight that Michael uses in his current practice helping ordinary people fight against powerful corporations.

 

Michael became a partner in the Brooks Law Firm in 2016. Since that time, he has focused on medical malpractice, wrongful death, and other cases involving serious personal injury. Michael has aggressively advocated for his clients against big insurance companies and recovered millions of dollars for Oklahoma families harmed by the negligence of others.

 

Michael has also maintained an active appellate practice, briefing and arguing appeals in state and federal courts across the country. Other lawyers often bring Michael in to be lead counsel in their appeals.

 

Michael has been selected by Super Lawyers as a “Rising Star” in both Appellate Practice and Medical Malpractice.

 

Michael previously taught civil practice and procedure as an adjunct professor at the Oklahoma City University School of Law. He has lectured to various bar organizations on both civil rights and appellate practice. Michael formerly served as Chair of the Oklahoma Bar Association Appellate Practice Section and represented indigent criminal defendants on appeal as a member of the Tenth Circuit Appellate Criminal Justice Act Panel. Michael also spent several years coordinating the Pro Bono Progam of the Federal Bar Association Oklahoma City Chapter.

 

Michael is currently the Oklahoma City reppresentative on the Tenth Circuit Appellate Criminal Justice Act Standing Committee.

The Brooks Law Firm Oklahoma City - Michael Brooks JD.jpg

Bar Admissions

  • Oklahoma

  • Iowa

  • U.S. Supreme Court

  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit

  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit

  • All U.S. District Courts in Oklahoma

Notable Appellate Cases

  • Kipfinger v. Great Falls Obstetrical & Gynecological Associates, 525 P.3d 1183 (Mont. 2023) – obtained reversal of district-court order granting summary judgment against family of child who suffered severe birth injury
     

  • R.P. v. First Student Inc., 515 P.3d 283 (Kan. Ct. App.), review denied (Kan. 2022) – won affirmance of district-court order determining that private company that provided busing services to a school district was not entitled to governmental immunity on claim by special-needs student who was sexually assaulted on company’s bus
     

  • Gutteridge v. Oklahoma, 878 F.3d 1233 (10th Cir. 2018) – secured reversal of district-court order granting summary judgment against disabled foster child on state tort claim
     

  • United States v. Titties, 852 F.3d 1257 (10th Cir. 2017) – Criminal Justice Act appointment; won reversal of 188-month prison sentence imposed under the Armed Career Criminal Act
     

  • Musket Corp v. Star Fuel of Oklahoma, LLC, 606 F. App’x 439 (10th Cir. 2015) – obtained reversal of district-court order vacating $1.67 million jury verdict on fuel wholesaler’s claim for breach of contract against fuel retailer; successfully defended jury verdict of more than $400,000 on wholesaler’s claims for fraud, constructive fraud, misappropriation of trade secrets, and unfair competition
     

  • Burns v. State of Florida, Department of Legal Affairs (Fla. 5th DCA 2014) – won reversal of trial-court order authorizing county sheriff to seize and pursue forfeiture of financial accounts worth more than $80 million; obtained award of appellate attorney’s fees for sheriff’s bad-faith conduct

Publications

  • Timing Is Everything: Post-Judgment Motions and the Time for Appeal in Federal Civil Cases, 84 Okla. B.J. 2130 (Oct. 12, 2013)
     

  • Uncharted Waters: The Supreme Court Plots the Court to a Constitutional Bright‑Line Restriction on Punitive Awards in Exxon Shipping Co. v. Baker, 62 Okla. L. Rev. 497 (2010)
     

    • Judge John R. Brown Award for Excellence in Legal Writing, National Runner-up

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