L. Micha Ordway, Jr.

“I think that clients have come to know that I’m looking out for their best interests even when I am insistent on the way that certain things must happen.  No one hires the litigation attorney to be a nice guy. My clients know that I am smart and tough. I’ll go out and do the difficult—and occasionally unpleasant—work on their behalf.”

Micha Ordway is an experienced litigator with over twenty years of experience representing clients in and out of the courtroom. Micha’s advocacy has made him a sought-after attorney for corporations and individuals alike, whether it be for commercial litigation, labor and employment or many other types of litigation.

A skilled courtroom attorney, Micha has litigated a wide range of matters from inception all the way to the New York’s highest Appellate Court. His experience includes:

  • Business disputes
  • Complex commercial litigation
  • Construction law
  • Contract disputes
  • Employment discrimination and retaliation claims.
  • Labor and employment matters
  • Product liability claims 
  • Uniform Commercial Code
  • Wage and Hour claims
  • Whistleblower suits

Micha also practices in the areas of alternative dispute resolution through arbitration and mediation. 

From 2000-2001, Micha was a judicial law clerk to the Hon. Howard G. Munson, Senior United States District Judge for the Northern District of New York. Between 1998-2000, he was the judicial law clerk to the Hon. Gary L. Sharpe, who was a United States Magistrate Judge for the Northern District of New York. 

Experience

  • Defended hospital in a commercial dispute claiming breach of contract and other non-contract-based claims;
  • Defended contractor in commercial dispute with consultant;
  • Represented developer in commercial dispute with subcontractor;
  • Defended a local physician’s office building in the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York for alleged overtime violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act;
  • Defended hospital in labor arbitration and obtained dismissal of charge;
  • Defended corporation in an action brought in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York for alleged violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act;
  • Represented corporation seeking to enforce the terms of a settlement agreement;
  • Obtained summary judgment dismissing claim for breach of employment agreement by employer;
  • Successfully argued appeal in the New York State Court of Appeals regarding an insurance coverage dispute on behalf of the insured;
  • Obtained summary judgement for contractor in arbitration before American Arbitration Association dismissing claim for breach of contract claim seeking 10 million in damages. Arbitrator directed plaintiff to reimburse client fees and expenses;
  • Argued appeal before United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit on behalf of the employee in Title VII discrimination claim, which resulted in reversal of decision by the District Court;
  • Obtained probable cause determinations for multiple individual employees in employment-based discrimination matters.

Affiliations And Acknowledgements

  • Fourth Judicial District’s Part 146 Roster of Neutrals, Panel Member
  • Northern District of New York Federal Court Bar Association
  • New York State Trial Lawyers Association
  • New York State Bar Association
  • Onondaga County Bar Association
  • The Central New York Business Journal’s “40 Under 40”, 2007 Honoree
  • Best Lawyers in America (2017-2024) – Litigation – Labor and Employment, Litigation – Real Estate
  • Super Lawyers – Upstate New York Edition, 2015-2019; 2021-2023

Community Involvement

  • Erie Canal Museum, Trustee
  • Baldwinsville Community Scholarship Foundation, Associate Member

Education

J.D., Albany Law School, 1997
B.A., Hamilton College, 1990

Admissions

New York
Massachusetts
United States District Court, Northern and Western Districts of New York



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