Mikhail N. Pappas, Esquire (“Mik” to his friends and clients) is a criminal defense and civil rights litigator from Pittsburgh, PA.
Mik is a criminal defense and civil rights litigator with the law firm Gross & Patterson, LLC. He also practices in the areas of consumer debt relief and corporate law for creative entrepreneurs, small businesses and charitable organizations.
Mik was raised in the East Liberty neighborhood of Pittsburgh, PA. He attended Pittsburgh Public Schools (East Hills & Frick) and Central Catholic High School. Throughout his youth Mik excelled in athletics, playing as many as three sports every season including basketball, football, hockey, soccer and baseball. Even as a kid Mik was known as a fierce competitor with a deep passion for the game.
At the same time, Mik was something of a troubled youth. Growing up in a single-parent household and a challenging inner-city environment taught Mik how to read and understand people, be adaptable and self-motivated, and to love his community unconditionally. It was at Central Catholic and through the mentorship of his step-father that Mik learned to control how he expressed his frustrations and channel his energies into academic pursuits. Mik was rewarded for this important accomplishment with a generous academic scholarship to the prominent Lehigh University of Bethlehem, PA.
At Lehigh, Mik worked for the Office of Community and Government Affairs, was a member of Alpha Chi Rho fraternity (Philanthropy Chair) and the Progressive Student Alliance (Vice President), majored in American Studies, and minored in Economics. After college, Mik set his focus on attending law school, but was determined to first gain "real world" experience. Even as a young adult, Mik knew that being a successful attorney requires more than simply knowing the law; it requires knowing his clients, their communities, their hopes and needs, and the root causes of their legal challenges.
With this in mind, Mik returned to Pittsburgh and skillfully developed a successful career in community organizing, public policy and social entrepreneurship, as well as a reputation as a strong advocate for progressive values. Mik founded a youth mentoring initiative (PGH TASK) and a social purpose marketing company (Object Communication), and organized voter registration workshops in low-income neighborhoods and the Allegheny County Jail (The League of Young Voters). As a Policy Director for the Senate of Pennsylvania (State Senator Jim Ferlo), Mik advocated at every level of government, wrote laws and regulations, and raised millions of dollars for innovative community projects.
Around the same time that Mik and his wife started a family, Mik sensed that it was time to transition to his legal career. Mik proudly accepted an invitation to attend the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, where he struck a successful balance between the workload of a full time law student and his existing obligations to work and family. Mik's accomplishments at Pitt Law included participating in a world renown international law moot court competition (Jessup), and earning a Certificate in International and Comparative Law. After graduation, Mik accepted a position with the Law Firm Gross and Patterson, LLC. Working for a small firm is a perfect fit for Mik at this stage in his career because it gives him the opportunity to develop a client base and law practice that is consistent with his own character and values.
Mik's clients and colleagues will tell you how hard he works for them. Mik takes great pride in, and would never compromise, his unique approach to practicing law that emphasizes innovation over tradition, intelligence and strategy over force and aggression, and character or valuing people over "the business of law as usual." Whether defending the accused from the overwhelming power of the state, calling out discriminatory employers, tussling with big banks that are "too big to get it right," or coaching creative entrepreneurs to avoid legal problems while managing a business entity, there is nothing that Mik enjoys doing more than helping his friends and clients.
