Catherine M. Michael - Attorney

Email: CMichael@hzlegal.com | Phone: 317.348.6723 | Fax: 317.569.2202

Catherine Michael's practice focuses exclusively on education law, representing parents throughout the state of Indiana, Texas, Michigan and nationwide through local counsel. Catherine has extensive experience with - Special Education Due process and Section 504 hearings under state and federal law, Teacher and student discipline and dismissal matters, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), personal injury of children in schools and other civil rights matters. She has appeared in the national news on numerous occasions for her cases focused on special needs children or abuse in schools. Catherine has appeared on a number of television and radio programs and was a frequent guest on legal and education issues on the Montel Williams Show. In 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012 Catherine was named to the prestigious list of Super Lawyers® Rising Stars by Law & Politics Magazine and Indianapolis Monthly. In 2010 Catherine was awarded The Honorable Viola J. Taliaferro Award by the Indiana State Bar Association for her work addressing the unmet legal needs of children. Catherine hosted the Fox 59 segment "Education Matters" for over five years. She was the co-host of "Crime Beat" with radio station WIBC. She is a nationwide author and speaker, conducting numerous presentations and training programs for parents, schools, and education organizations across the nation.

Catherine is an adjunct professor for the Nova Southeastern School of Law in Florida, where she works in the Education Law Masters Program. Catherine also helped develop and now teaches the Parent Advocate Training and Certification Program for the Autism Education and Training Center, Inc. located in Carmel, Indiana. She has assisted children with many different needs, including children with speech and language disorders, visual and hearing impairments, mobility problems, retardation, communication disorders, autistic spectrum disorders, non-verbal learning disabilities, standard learning disabilities, dyslexia, and ADD/ADHD in getting the education and/or accommodation plans to appropriately meet their needs. She also works with families whose children have faced abuse in a school setting in civil actions for damages.

She is a nationwide author and speaker.
Her topics include -

• Student discipline
• Indiana's article 7, the No Child Left Behind Act
• Educational due process
• Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA)
• Section 504 and other state and federal laws
• Special education student issues

Education

• Indiana University School of Law, J.D.
• Western Washington University, B.A., Political Science

Awards and honors

• Super Lawyers® Rising Stars, (2012, 2011, 2010, 2009)
• The Honorable Viola J. Taliaferro Award, (2010)

Legal organizations

• Indiana State Bar Association
• Indianapolis Bar Association
• Hamilton County Bar Association

Civic organizations and volunteerism

• Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA)

To speak to Catherine M. Michael about your family law issue, call Hollingsworth & Zivitz at (317) Divorce or click here to contact us online.