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Michael Colombo

Michael Colombo

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Biography

Michael Colombo was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, to Italian immigrant parents. Mike grew up in Connecticut, attending Fairfield College Preparatory High School due to the hard work and blue-collar lifestyle from his parents. Mike's mom, Lydia, was a famous seamstress in the late 1960's, constructing custom dresses for celebrities Jacqueline Kennedy, President Lyndon B. Johnson's daughters, Happy Rockefeller, Ben Gazzara, and Natalie Wood. Lydia's stunning custom-made wedding dress for Lynda Bird Johnson in 1967 has been seen by millions. Lydia left behind the glamour of NYC to raise her kids in Connecticut. Mike's father was also a blue-collar worker, installing and fixing furnaces in neighborhoods all throughout the community.

Mike grew up watching his parents work long hours, well into the night, in order to put food on the table and send him to school. Mike's upbringing taught him family values, loyalty, hard work, integrity, and character. Mike received a bachelor's degree from the University of Scranton (PA) in Psychology, with a concentration in Criminal Justice.

Mike went to Quinnipiac University School of Law, in Hamden, CT., graduating in the top 1/3 of his class, in May 2000. Mike passed the Connecticut bar in July 2000 and quickly began a noteworthy career as a trial attorney, working for the State Attorney's Office in Connecticut, never losing a jury trial in 4 years. Mike then wanted to learn other areas of the law, working as a criminal defense attorney and civil plaintiff's attorney for several years. Mike argued in front of the Connecticut Supreme Court in 2008 on a civil law issue, where Mike took on a massive insurance company, continuing to fight for his client's rights for years. Mike also took on the City of Stamford on behalf of a firefighter for employment discrimination, where his work created a new precedent for firefighter promotional testing. Early in his career, Mike demonstrated a proven track record of fighting against some of the giants in the legal industry.

In June 2009, Mike took a job with the Department of Homeland Security, as a Special Agent. After going through their rigorous background screening and gaining Top Secret Clearance, Mike dedicated the next years of his life to public service. Mike was stationed on the Northern Border and handled a wide variety of cases as an agent. During this time, Mike was sworn into the Florida Bar, after passing the Florida Bar on his first attempt. Injuries forced Mike to go back to his trial lawyer skills and brought him to SW Florida, to be near his wife's family.

In May 2012, Mike began his journey in SW Florida as an Assistant State Attorney. Over the next 10+ years, Mike handled thousands of cases as a prosecutor and his work affected the lives of hundreds. His work over the years ranged from low level misdemeanors to multiple life sentences. Mike took on any challenge he was given. In addition to handling a wide variety of criminal cases, Mike spent several years working in the Special Victim's Unit, as well as teaching CLE's to the State Attorney's Office, teaching at the national "Krimes Against Kids" Conference in Orlando, and helping to train SANE nurses at a local hospital in Charlotte County.

Mike has over 17 years of law enforcement experience and has been a trial attorney in 2 different States, which encompasses over two decades of legal experience.

Mike was always best known for his fairness, work ethic, litigation skills, and professionalism while he worked at the State Attorney's Office.

Mike has 3 boys who are all into sports and keep him very busy. Mike's wife, Susan, has been the family uber driver for years, with all 3 boys into travel baseball. We are proud to have Mike join our team to protect your rights. He's ready to give you his expertise and is only a phone call away.

Education

  • Quinnipiac College School of Law, Hamden, Connecticut
    • J.D. - 2000
    • Honors: Rules of Professional Responsibility (American Jurisprudence Award)
  • University of Scranton, Scranton, Pennsylvania
    • B.S. - 1994

Bar Admissions

  • U.S. District Court Southern District of Florida, 2023
  • Florida, 2011
  • Georgia, 2009
  • U.S. District Court District of Connecticut, 2005
  • Connecticut, 2000

Classes & Seminars

  • Mastering Motions (State Attorney’s Office), CLE presenter & speaker, December 2022
  • Krimes Against Kids Conference (Orlando, FL), presenter & speaker – Motion Practice & Case Law, September 2022
  • Sexual Assault Response Team (SART), presenter & speaker, September 2021
  • Sexual Assault Nurse (SANE) Training, presenter & speaker, Fawcett Memorial Hospital, July 2021
  • Human Trafficking Symposium (Florida Gulf Coast University), presenter & speaker, March 2017
  • Children’s Advocacy Center, Fort Myers, training & roundtables, 2017-2019
  • Understanding K9 Searches—Training, Reliability, and Legal Issues Surrounding Dog Sniffs (State Attorney’s Office), CLE presenter & speaker, January 2016
  • Ave Maria Law School, Moot Court Competition, Judge & speaker, October 2015
  • Quinnipiac University School of Law, Dispute Resolution Competition, Judge & speaker, January 2008
  • Quinnipiac University School of Law, Death Penalty Debate, speaker, January 2004
  • Krimes Against Kids Conferences, Orlando FL (multiple trainings)
  • Florida Prosecutors Attorney Association (FPAA) & National District Attorney Association (NDAA), multiple trainings, Florida and South Carolina
  • Child Abduction Response Team (CART) training, Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE)

Pro-Bono Activities

  • Olympic Trials Wrestling (freestyle), 1996 National Qualifier - Gold & Silver Medalist; Northeast Regional Events.
  • Wrestling Official/Referee, State of Connecticut (C.I.W.O.A), 2004-2009
  • Collegiate Baseball & Wrestling Captain (Division III), University of Scranton, 1993-1994

Past Positions

Office of the State Attorney Assistant State Attorney, May 2012- January 2023

  • Assistant State Attorney, served in both Charlotte and Lee Counties
  • Special Victim’s Unit (SVU)

Department of Homeland Security (DHS-ICE) Special Agent (criminal investigator, series 1811), June 2009 to May 2012

  • Operation Predator enforcement; investigated, participated and arrested child & human traffickers, suspected child exploitation predators, and child pornographers.
  • Immigration Identify and Benefit Fraud team; investigated, participated and arrested individuals involved in, or associated with fraud rings.
  • Narcotics border enforcement; investigated, participated and arrested individuals trafficking high quantities of illegal narcotics along the U.S. border, to include undercover operations and Title III wiretap enforcement.
  • Terrorism & National Security Threats; assisted the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) with surveillance, intelligence gathering, and border enforcement.
  • 2010 Times Square Attempted Bombing investigation of Faisal Shahzad; lead special agent, collateral investigation.
  • Undercover agent in narcotics and human trafficking investigations.
  • Law Office Practice Private Attorney, January 2005-June 2009, Norwalk and Stamford, Connecticut
  • Trial Attorney in Criminal Law, Civil Law, Family Law, and Employment Law
  • City of Stamford Police Department, Union/Employment Attorney
  • Trial Attorney in both civil plaintiff’s cases and criminal defense cases
  • Connecticut Supreme Court, argument & brief; see Stiffler v. Continental Insurance Company, No. 17761 (July 2008); served as both lead Trial Attorney and lead Appellate Attorney in Oral Argument regarding a personal injury lawsuit involving permanent injuries, contractual obligations, penalty judgment interest, and bad faith.
  • Lead Trial Attorney in CHRO ex. Rel. Lenotti v. City of Stamford, landmark decision (April 2008); see 49 page opinion online; Connecticut Human Rights & Opportunities (CHRO) ruled in favor of a firefighter for disability discrimination committed by the City, holding that learning & mental disabilities must be accommodated on promotional tests.

Office of the State Attorney Assistant State Attorney, Stamford, Connecticut, January 2001-January 2005