Michael I. Madden focuses in the area of workers' compensation law. For over 30 years, Michael has fought to protect the rights of thousands of injured workers in Ohio.  Recently, in 2016, Michael received the Martindale-Hubbell® Distinguished Peer Review Rating for High Professional Achievement.

My Story

If you want to know how the fish are biting, just check with Mike Madden. “I learned to fish before I could walk,” he laughs. “My grandfather was an avid fisherman and taught all his grandchildren how to fish. His legacy lives on with my own two sons.”

Once a year Mike, along with assorted cousins and close friends, travels up to Western Ontario to catch walleye, pike and small mouth bass. “Along with a great enjoyment of the sport, fishing has taught me some valuable life lesson,” says Mike. “I’ve learned patience, the ability to look at a problem from many sides, and a love for pristine, natural environments.”

Mike is doing his part to keep the environment safe and clean for the next generation. He has been involved with efforts to clean up Lake Erie and has become an environmental watchdog. He also is concerned about global warming, nuclear warfare and energy conservation “Being a father, I want my children to grow up in a safe, healthy world,” he says. “I’ll do my part to help make that happen.”

Working to make the world a better place, coupled with the promise he made to his grandmother to practice honesty, has served Mike well. “As an attorney I am totally open with my clients and always work for their best interests,” he says.

It was this sense of honesty and fair play that drew the workers’ compensation specialist to the field of law. “My dad was a lawyer, and among his many attributes was the honest, forthright way he dealt with his clients,” says Mike. “I worked my way through Miami University and Cleveland Marshall School of Law so I could follow his example. I enjoy my work and value the fact that my clients place their trust in me.”

While on staff at the firm, the fisherman made with his most prized “catch.” He met his wife Lynne at the firm. “Lynne was the office manager and she needed a partner for her swing dance class,” says Mike. “I volunteered, and, the rest is history. We have been married for fourteen wonderful years. This was an office romance that worked out beautifully.”

Bar Admissions

Ohio, 1985
United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, 1986

Education

Cleveland State University, Cleveland-Marshall College of Law (J.D., 1985)
Miami University (B.A. History, 1981)

professional Memberships/Associations

Lake County Bar Association
Ohio State Bar Association

Honors/Awards

Martindale-Hubbell® Distinguished Peer-Rated for High Professional Achievement (2016)

fraternities

Alpha Epsilon Pi

Representative Cases

• Michael appealed the Industrial Commission’s denial of temporary total disability to the Ohio Supreme Court. The Ohio Supreme Court reversed the decision and granted his client temporary total disability. 

• Michael obtained an award of permanent total disability from the Industrial Commission.  The Bureau of Workers’ Compensation requested a reconsideration of the Industrial Commission’s decision. After hearing the case, the Industrial Commission granted the reconsideration request and overturned the Staff Hearing Officer’s decision, but still granted the client’s permanent total disability application because it believed the injured worker was permanently and totally disabled.

• Michael appealed the Industrial Commission’s denial of a client’s medical treatment relating to his work injury on the grounds that there was no medical evidence upon which to deny the request. The case was ultimately appealed to Ohio Supreme Court.  The Ohio Supreme Court found in favor of the client, and as a result, there is now a legal requirement that the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation must have a medical opinion to deny treatment to an injured worker.