Todd J. Michaels
Partner
Todd Michaels Esq, a lifelong Miami-Dade resident, joined The Haggard Law Firm in 2009. In May 2014, he was named a partner. Todd handles a wide array of the firm’s cases involving wrongful death and catastrophic personal injury, representing clients who were injured through the negligence of others. His practice primarily involves negligent security throughout the State of Florida and nationwide. Todd is the immediate past president of the Florida justice Association, has twice been named the Daily Business Review’s Most Effective lawyer, and has been named Best Lawyers in America’s Lawyer of the Year for Miami-Dade County.
Todd has been a frequent speaker on various aspects of negligent security law to different legal and security industry groups and has had articles relating to negligent security cases published. In addition to his negligent security work, Todd also handles rideshare (Uber/Lift) liability, premises liability, aviation, pool drowning, auto accident and other injury cases.
In 2019 Todd Michaels tried a medical malpractice wrongful death case alongside co-counsel Daniel Harwin that resulted in a $24.5 million verdict in Broward County Court. The case involved the death of a mother of four children due to avoidable complications during childbirth caused by a condition the medical team responsible for her care was aware of. The jury took two hours to deliberate after a four day trial. Todd was lead counsel in the negligent security case of Snell vs. Family Food Saver. The trial resulted in a verdict of $5.7 million for the Snell family. It was the largest premises liability verdict in the State of Florida that year. Michaels has been lead counsel on numerous other trials leading to eight figure verdicts.
Michaels has been named several times to the Best Lawyers in America and Super Lawyers lists, including the Top 100 Super Lawyers for the State of Florida multiple times, among several other annual honors. Michaels has been recognized numerous times as a Bronze, Silver, and Gold Eagle recipient by the FJA for his relentless dedication to the preservation of the civil justice system in Florida. In 2018 Michaels was selected by his peers to become one of the distinguished and exclusive Fellows of The Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers, and is a member of ABOTA, along with several other organizations.
Nevertheless, Todd Michaels often says that his greatest accomplishment was becoming a father to his two sons, Ashton and Jackson Michaels. Before joining The Haggard Law Firm, Todd served as an assistant public defender for nearly five years. During his last year with the public defender’s office, he worked as a felony training attorney, supervising other felony trial lawyers. After leaving the public defender’s office, Todd served as a federal public defender and a private criminal defense practitioner. He has tried in excess of fifty trials in both the State and Federal Court systems.
Attorney Profile for Todd J. Michaels
Practice
- Partner, The Haggard Law Firm, (2014-Present)
- Associate (2009-2014)
- Assistant Federal Defender, Law Offices of the Federal Defender (2009)
- Associate, Law Offices of Mark Seiden (2008-2009)
- Associate, Law Offices of Milton Hirsch (2007-2008)
- Assistant Public Defender, Law Offices of the Public Defender, 11th Judicial Circuit (2002-2007)
Admissions
- State Bar of Florida
- Southern and Middle Districts of Florida
Civil and Social Memberships
- Presenter, Florida Justice Association Workhorse Seminar
- Presenter, American Society of Industrial Security’s (ASIS) 61st annual seminar
- Volunteer, Redemption Project
- Volunteer, Community Partnership for the Homeless
- Coach and Sponsor, Little League Baseball
- Role Model and Mentor, 5000 Role Models of Excellence Program
- Board Member, Carma Haiti Foundation
- Board Member, Scholars Today Leaders Tomorrow
- Speaker, Miami-Dade Police Department Police Academy
Speeches
- Speaker, Florida Justice Association – Ski Seminar, Workhorse Seminar, Master of Justice, Annual Covention
- Program Chair Seminar – Florida Justice Association Annual Convention
- Speaker/panelist, National Crime Victim Bar Association
- Panelist, International Association of Professional Security Consultants
- Panelist, Dade County Bar Association
- Speaker, Southern Trial Lawyers Convention
- Panelist, American Association of Justice
- Speaker, ASIS Convention (2015 to present)
Professional Memberships and Honors
- Florida Justice Association
- President (2024-2025) – President-Elect – Secretary – Premises Liability Section, Chair – Bronze Eagle Award Winner – Board Member – Executive Committee Member (Since 2015) – Fellow – Budget Chair (2018 to present) – PAC, President – PAC Trustee
- Member, American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA)
- Most Effective Lawyer, Daily Business Review (2016 & 2019)
- Listed, Florida Trend Legal Elite
- Listed, Florida Trend Elite Up and Comer
- Listed, Florida Super Lawyers Top 100
- Listed, Florida Super Lawyers
- Listed, Florida Super Lawyers Rising Star
- Listed, Best Lawyer in America
- Member, The National Trial Lawyers: Top 40 Under 40
- Young Lawyer Director, The Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- Member, Florida Bar Grievance Committee
- At-large board member, Florida Justice Association Young Lawyers Section
- Member, American Association for Justice
- Board of Governors
- Member, Miami-Dade Justice Association
- Member, Dade County Bar Association Young Lawyer Minority Mentoring Program
- Board Member, National Black Law Students Association Advisory Boar
Education
- University of Miami School of Law, Juris Doctorate (2002)
- University of Michigan, Bachelor of Arts (1999)
Contact Todd J. Michaels
Haggard Law lawyer Todd Michaels explains the feeling of winning a jury trial
South Florida personal injury attorney Todd Michaels explains the feeling of winning a jury trial. Michaels has represented hundreds of crime victims who seek justice for lost loved ones.
Why a personal injury attorney should always plan and prep for trial
Florida based trial lawyer Todd Michaels talks about how the very best personal injury and wrongful death attorneys aren’t looking for settlements in cases, they are planning and preparing for trial.
Todd Michaels discussed $1.3 Million Settlement in airbnb drowning case
16 year old Cameron Brown did not have to die in a drowning. If his family knew there was a significant slope between the shallow and deep and if there was a safety rope across the pool tied to in-place metal circles. But Airbnb and the homeowner did not warn the Brown family. We are grateful to his family for their willingness to allow our trial lawyers to share their story so we can warn the public of the lack of regulation in the short term vacation rental space.
The Haggard Law Firm’s Todd Michaels discussed the case with FOX Jacksonville following the $1.3 Million settlement in the Fatal Drowning Case.
Medical Malpractice aboard cruise lines
Investigative reporter Jim Defede of CBS Miami produced a special edition of “Facing South Florida” on the topic of medical care aboard cruise ships. The Haggard Law Firm’s Todd Michaels was joined by two of our clients, the Radowski and Puchalski families, providing personal insight during the program.
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*prospective clients may not obtain similar results. Amounts stated within this website are before deductions for fees, cost of attorneys and third party providers such as medical providers.
Copyright © 2025 Haggard Law Firm
*prospective clients may not obtain similar results. Amounts stated within this website are before deductions for fees, cost of attorneys and third party providers such as medical providers.
Copyright © 2025 Haggard Law Firm