Today we are spotlighting Michael Drews, the Managing Partner of Tyson & Mendes’ Denver and Connecticut offices. He has a wealth of experience and enjoys the challenge of handling cases that draw from diverse practice areas. With 20 years of law practice, Michael’s zeal for successfully representing his clients has not been feathered. Learn more about Michael’s extensive resume and his niche music preferences below!

T&M: As Managing Partner for both the Denver and Connecticut offices – what do you enjoy most about your role?

MD: Despite being based in Colorado, maintaining my east coast licenses in New York and Connecticut has allowed me to stay connected to my old jurisdictions, colleagues and clients.  I love the challenge of practicing in different locales, with all the different procedures, customs, and practices.

I have been practicing law for over 20 years now, and strongly feel my role as Managing Partner allows me to lead by example, and to convey to my team members the strong work ethic and commitment to excellence that I approach all my cases with.

T&M: What draws you to working in a diverse set of practice areas rather than just one specialty?

MD: I am a very curious person who likes to know all there is to know about a subject.  I have intentionally sought out cases that would expose me to new areas to satisfy that curiosity.  For my first six years out of law school, I was an assistant district attorney in New York and was immersed in criminal law.  In my private practice ever since, I have been lucky to handle so many different types of cases: medical and legal malpractice, construction defect, transportation law, products liability, creditor-side bankruptcy, commercial litigation (with all the diverse areas it includes) and real estate.

T&M: Compared to other firms you have worked for, what makes Tyson & Mendes so unique?

MD: For me, it has always been Tyson & Mendes’ meritocracy.  If you put in the effort, strive for excellence every day, and win for the client, you will get noticed here – even at a large 200-attorney national firm.  I have never felt like just a “billing center” at Tyson & Mendes.  I feel like I matter as a valued member of the staff and, consequently, my overall satisfaction here has been unparalleled.

T&M: Tell us about your biggest accomplishment or most significant trial win?

MD: As a prosecutor, I had several significant trial wins, but I concluded a trial on June 16 that I had been working on for two and a half years.  It was a products liability case.  While on the surface the case appeared relatively straightforward, there were so many complexities running underneath.  I had worked so closely with the client representatives over the years and really wanted to achieve a great result for them.  It was incredibly satisfying to achieve a defense verdict for them.

T&M: If you could have dinner with any historical legal figure, who would it be and why?

MD: In my off-work hours, of which there are few, I try to slip into my personal interests and avoid the law.  I am passionate about music, sports and stand-up comedy.  I have some pretty avant-garde musical tastes for the profession I am in, loving early 80s hardcore punk, 90s grunge and the genres of thrash metal, shoegaze, noise rock, and post-rock and post-metal.  As far as sports go, I have been a lifelong Bills, Sabres, and Mets fan, and all of the initial hope and subsequent misery that comes from being part of those amazing yet suffering fanbases.  But, to answer the question, I would want to have dinner with my favorite musician, Greg Dulli.  In October I will have the chance to meet him, despite having seen him in his various bands live over 20 times over the years.  So, it won’t be dinner, but I will get a chance to tell him how important his music has been to me since I was a teenager.

T&M: How did your experience as a student-athlete prepare you for your career as an attorney?

MD: The biggest thing is the need to be prepared.  The more practice you put into a sport – in my case, it was/is lacrosse – the better you get.  The same is true for a trial attorney.  The more prepared you are, the better the outcome can be.  I still stay connected to my alma mater, Fairfield University, and have been fortunate to mentor the lacrosse team to help them as they graduate and move into the professional phases of their lives.

T&M: Where can we find you on the weekends?

MD: On the weekends I am typically at my sons’ and girlfriend’s son’s sports events.  I am fortunate enough to still be able to play the sport I love, lacrosse.  So, on most Sundays, you can find me playing.

T&M: What do you have streaming regularly on your TV?

MD: I love stand-up comedy, so I am usually looking for new specials from my favorite comedians (I try to get to Comedy Works as often as I can for live shows).  As I mentioned, I am diehard Bills, Sabres, and Mets fan, so those are my priorities, but after that, I pretty much just rotate through binging Letterkenny, Shorsey, Parks & Recreation, The Office, Scrubs, 30 Rock, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Breaking Bad, and, of course, the amazing Better Call Saul.

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