Michael Naughton is an attorney and partner at North Coast Legal, PLC. Michael is one of the leading legal authorities on digital privacy, corporate privacy compliance and electronic communication. Widely regarded as one of the top attorneys in his region, Mr. Naughton provides unmatched representation and support to a diverse range of clients throughout Traverse City and the greater Detroit metro region who have legal needs involving any of the following:
Criminal defense
Civil litigation
Criminal, civil and administrative law appeals
Tax appeals
Corporate governance and general counsel
Employment law for corporations and small businesses
Municipal litigation
Election law
Artificial Intelligence and the Law
Technology and litigation support
Health care law
Estate planning
He represents clients in federal and state courts across the country and has represented public officials in high-profile matters in the City of Detroit. Michael has successfully argued at the United States Supreme Court, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, the Michigan Supreme Court and the Michigan Court of Appeals. He has also successfully tried cases in state and federal courts across the State of Michigan. In 2020, Michael won two cases in the Michigan Supreme Court: People v. Warren and Sondra Hardy v. Jocelyn Benson, et al.
Over the course of his legal career, Mr. Naughton has established himself as a recognized authority on digital privacy, corporate privacy compliance, and electronic communication. He has successfully handled multiple trials before various state and federal courts across his region, and he has represented the City of Detroit and other notable clients with their complex civil disputes. He also has extensive appellate experience and has argued before the United States Supreme Court, the Michigan Supreme Court, the Michigan Court of Appeals, and the United States Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit.
In 2018, he was recognized as a "40 Under 40" in the Traverse City Business News and has been named a "Superlawyer" by Superlawyers Magazine. He was honored as a "Rising Star" for (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019). Michael served as the president of the Grand Traverse Leelanau Antrim Bar Association and served as the treasurer of the Grand Traverse County Economic Development Corporation. Michael also served on the board of the 20 Fathoms incubator and is an officer of TCNewTech.
Michael has been an early member of the Michigan Technological University exploratory committee. He is a frequent writer on and guest in local media regarding the Traverse City economy, rural economic development and creating a 21st century infrastructure for Northern Michigan businesses.
A 2002 graduate of Wayne State University with a Bachelor of Arts in English and member of the National Honor Society, Mr. Naughton attended the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, where he served as member of the moot court. He obtained his Juris Doctor in 2007, and he is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan and the Northern District of Illinois as well as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit.
Affiliations and Associations
Michigan Judicial Institute, Generative AI Task Force, (Present)
ACLU of Michigan, Board of Directors (2023 - Present)
Grand Traverse Leelanau Antrim (GTLA) Bar Association, President (2018 - 2019)
Recognized as 40 Under 40, Traverse City Business News (2017)
Grand Traverse County Economic Development Corporation, Treasurer, appointed by the Grand Traverse County Commission to a six-year term (2017 - 2023)
Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan, District 3 Representative (2015 - 2018)
Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan, Chairman of Technology Committee (2012 - Present)
Superlawyer (2019 to Present)
Superlawyer's Rising Star (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018)
TCNewTech, Board (2016 - 2020)
Utopia Foundation, Vice President (2015 - 2020)
20Fathoms, Board (2018 - 2019)
Bar Admissions
Western District of Michigan
Eastern District of Michigan
Northern District of Illinois
Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals
State Bar of Michigan
Presentations and Publications
Michigan Judicial Institute, Generative AI and Michigan Courts Working Group Member (2024)
Generative, Augmented and Multimodal: Michigan Criminal Defense Practice and Emerging Technologies, Michigan State Appellate Defender's Office (June, 2024)
AI Uses and Challenges In Trial Practice, Virginia State Bar Conference (May, 2023)
Understanding Generative AI, Grand Traverse Bar Association Lunch and Learn (April, 2024)
Arkansas Public Defender's Association, Update on Artificial Intelligence for Arkansas Public Defenders (November, 2023)
Privacy 2021: You May Have to Think Twice with that Phone Recording, ICLE Family Law Institute (November, 2021)
Appeared on Detroit ABC affiliate WXYZ as an expert for a live, in-studio interview on the Target credit card breach (December, 2013)
Buttressing Your Investigation with Cell Phone Data, Institute for Criminal Justice Education, Auburn University, Alabama (September, 2013)
Seeing is Believing: Presenting Electronic Evidence to a Jury, Upper Michigan Legal Institute (May, 2013)
ESI as a Teaching Tool for Juries, Michigan Young Lawyers Section (June, 2013)
Opening the Large Paper Case in the Digital Age, CJA Panel Attorneys Seminar (September, 2012)
FBA Panel Discussion with Judge Robert Cleland, Judge David Lawson, Daniel Lemisch, Chief of the Criminal Division (U.S. Attorney’s Office, Detroit), FBI Special Agent Matthew Zentz and Joseph Richotte on ESI and federal criminal practice (May, 2012)
Criminal Defense Series: Trial Strategy and Tactics, ICLE (June, 2012)
The Nimble and the Lazy: ESI and Criminal Practice, Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan Spring Conference (March, 2012)
Advanced Overview of New Forms of Electronic Discovery, Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan Fall Conference (November, 2011)
Electronic Discovery, Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan, Spring Conference (March, 2011)
