Our Latest Featured Speaker is Michael E. Dutko, Jr.!

Our latest Featured Speaker is Michael E. Dutko, Jr. of Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC!

Michael is speaking at our Mastering the Deposition 101: The Nuts and Bolts (FL), on November 10 and 12, 2026!

Geared for the newer Florida litigator, this comprehensive two-part program teaches you how to take, defend, and use depositions effectively. Your faculty will also provide depo demonstrations for most of the critical sessions to illustrate their points.

Michael teaches two sessions, one on each day of the program. On November 10, he teaches “Expert Witness Depositions,” with Shawn T. Jewell commenting, covering both preparing your expert witness and taking the opposing expert’s deposition. The session will also include demonstrations by the speakers.

On November 12, he teaches “Impeaching the Witness – Practical Advice and Strategies,” with comments from Daniel E. Smith II, which covers when you should impeach and when you shouldn’t, using prior inconsistent statements effectively, showing bias or motive, challenging competency, attacking credibility for truthfulness, and deposition impeachment vs. trial impeachment (key differences and strategies). You’ll also see demonstrations of impeaching a witness during a depo and during trial.

If your attorneys can’t attend live, the full program is available via OnDemand Streaming or Recorded Package Downloads. Group licenses are available for firms and agencies.

Click here for full details and registration.

Michael has spoken for us before, most recently co-teaching “Depositions” at our 15th Annual Circuit Court Boot Camp (FL) this May.

Michael is a litigator with significant jury trial experience who has successfully managed a diverse array of civil and criminal matters. His background includes both statewide and local government experience, and he has taken over 75 jury trials to verdict. Michael focuses his practice on complex commercial litigation, with particular emphasis on administrative, regulatory, investigative, and government-related matters. Michael represents both governments and private individuals in litigation disputes.

Before entering private practice, Michael served as Assistant State Attorney with the Palm Beach State Attorney’s Office. During his time in the State Attorney’s office, he gained notable trial experience, handling an array of cases, including multiple homicide cases, to jury trial verdict. Michael was quickly promoted to the office’s Public Corruption Unit, a specialized prosecution division that handled the investigation and prosecution of politicians, police officers, and public employees. Michael also previously served as Assistant City Attorney for the City of Delray Beach, Florida. Michael was the city’s chief litigator in lawsuits arising during his tenure, including election qualification challenges. Additionally, he worked closely with the city’s planning and zoning department, and he was the primary attorney responsible for the preparation and evaluation of government contracts, review and drafting of solicitations for competitive procurements and bids, ethics and Sunshine Law consultation, and labor and collective bargaining negotiations.

Michael utilizes his comprehensive litigation experience to represent clients in many government-related areas. He represents private clients in administrative matters before all Florida agencies, including but not limited to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the Florida Commission on Ethics, the Florida Elections Commission, the Florida Housing Finance Corporation, and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and he is well-versed in Florida Division of Administrative Hearings proceedings and formal administrative hearings. Michael has represented both elected officials and candidates for office during ballot and qualification challenges and in investigations related to elections and ethics matters, notably serving as a member of the election recount team for a current United States Senator. Additionally, Michael has represented both local governments and individuals adverse to local governments in litigation matters, including property development challenges, competitive solicitation and bid protests, and civil rights violations.

In addition to complex commercial and administrative litigation, Michael has experience in matters related to government relations and public policy, procurement and government contracts, zoning, land use and development, code enforcement, and real property litigation. Michael regularly represents private clients during governmental and police investigations, both criminal and regulatory.

Michael was selected for inclusion in the Florida Super Lawyers® list in 2025. He has been named to Best Lawyers in America Ones to Watch annually since 2021. He was named to South Florida’s 2024 Top Lawyers, published by the Miami Herald and chosen by peer review, and was selected as a 2024 Distinguished Member by Lawyers of Distinction. He was named to Palm Beach Media Group’s list of Top Lawyers in 2023. He also has been recognized as a “Top Up and Comer” in the South Florida Legal Guide in 2020 and 2021; an “Up and Comer” in South Florida Business and Wealth in 2021; and an “Up and Comer” in Florida Trend’s Legal Elite in 2021. He was named Top Lawyer in Government Relations and Land Use and Zoning Law by Fort Lauderdale Magazine in 2021. In 2019, Daily Business Review named him among the honorees of the Florida Legal Awards in the category of On the Rise. He was also named “Superstar” by Attorney at Law Magazine in 2018. Michael was recently chosen as a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America, a peer-selected and diverse honorary society of 3,500 of the best trial lawyers in the country, representing less than one-half of one percent of U.S. trial lawyers.

Welcome back, Michael! We’re thrilled to have you teaching two sessions for us this time.