About Us

Why Clients Hire Michael Siddons

People think they hire a law firm. They do not. They hire a lawyer. The firm’s name on the door does not take the deposition, argue the motion or stand up in front of the jury. One person does, and the outcome turns on that person’s judgment, preparation and nerve. Those come from years in courtrooms, and from a temperament that no law school teaches. Many lawyers, including many at large firms, have never tried a case and are afraid to. They settle because they must. I try cases, and the other side knows it, which is why my clients’ cases settle on better terms, or do not have to settle at all.

I am a trial lawyer admitted in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Maryland and the District of Columbia. Few lawyers in the mid-Atlantic can walk into a courtroom in all five, and it matters more than it sounds: disputes in this region cross state lines all the time, and a client should not have to change lawyers when the case does.

Litigation is the core of this practice. Everything else is built around it. Over the years that has meant defending contractors, suing insurers who would not pay, recovering for people hurt in crashes and by bad medicine, representing investors against companies that misled them, litigating tax disputes, fighting for debtors in bankruptcy court and guiding whistleblowers through the federal programs that reward and protect them.

That courtroom focus is also why clients bring me their transactional work. A contract, a lease, a deed, a trust, a settlement agreement is only as good as it will look to a judge when the other side breaks it. I draft every document as if it will be scrutinized in litigation, because the ones that matter eventually are. A lawyer who has never had to defend a clause under cross-examination does not know which words will hold and which will not.

People hire me for the personal attention. I read the whole file before I give an opinion. When you call, you get me, and when I write to the other side, it is in plain English that a judge, an adjuster or an opposing lawyer cannot misread.

I am selective about the cases I take. I do not accept a matter I cannot try, I do not take a case because it is easy to sign, and I do not promise outcomes. That selectivity is why the clients I do take get my full attention. But every inquiry gets a fair and objective look. If I think your case is strong, I will tell you. If I think it is weak, or that another path serves you better, I will tell you that too, and why.

If you have a legal problem in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Maryland or Washington, D.C., email msiddons@siddonslaw.com with a few sentences about it. I will tell you whether it is something I handle and what I need to see to evaluate it.