Mike Columbo

Mike’s practice thrives at the intersection of law, government, and politics. He litigates constitutional, civil rights, election, government transparency, and administrative law matters, including whistleblowers cases involving fraud in public contracts and other programs. Mike also has a robust white collar crime and administrative enforcement defense practice, primarily focusing on defense of participants in the political process. And he counsels organizations – including state and federal candidate campaigns, PACs, and nonprofits – on formation, compliance, fundraising, and communications. His clientele includes officeholders, candidates, media organizations, grassroots individuals and groups, national advocacy organizations, political parties, PACs, and political industry professionals. When Mike attacks his client’s challenges, he aggressively hunts for the practical solution considering the letter and spirit of the law, our rights, procedure, precedent, past practice, public policy, the political context, economics, and justice.

Mike is ready to go to the mat for his clients at any time, with first chair experience in over 20 trials taken to verdict before judges and juries in addition to appellate cases, countless contested hearings, and as counsel on both sides of the table in depositions and investigatory interrogations. In over two decades of law practice, Mike has been immersed in the interplay of law, government, and politics from multiple perspectives. After serving as a law clerk to a civil trial judge, he prosecuted crimes as an Assistant United States Attorney, defended corporations in high-profile corruption investigations, investigated allegations of federal campaign finance violations as an FEC attorney, served as counsel to an FEC commissioner, counseled corporations, nonprofits, government officials, and high net worth individuals on compliance with state and federal political law rules, and has defended clients in federal and state ethics enforcement actions, Congressional investigations, and criminal prosecutions. He has filed suit to challenge unconstitutional government programs and intervened in lawsuits to defend states’ commonsense election integrity laws. Mike is admitted to practice in California, New York, and the District of Columbia.

Imbued with a love of country, liberty, and the law, Mike frequently speaks and writes passionately about pressing legal issues and developments, especially the regulation of politics and political activity. Originally a native of New York, he lived and worked in Japan, England, Washington state, Florida and Washington, D.C., before moving to California’s North Bay region.

Michael is a member of the board of directors of the Republican National Lawyer’s Association and the California Political Attorneys Association, and a Senior Fellow with the Institute for Free Speech.