By Julie Freer
Legal News
There were many reasons Michael Carter landed the job as executive director of the Federal Community Defender’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan back in December of 2020 — among them, according to FCDO Board President Kathy Humphrey, was Carter’s passion for criminal defense work and his ability to listen and connect with people from all walks of life.
Now, Carter will take his experience both in the court room and leading a large legal organization and apply it to challenges faced by clients in the private sector. In May, Honigman announced Carter joined the firm’s Detroit office as senior counsel in the Investigations and White Collar Defense Practice group.
Carter, who earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan and his JD from Wayne State University Law School, said the decision to move to private practice was about embracing a new professional challenge and an opportunity to continue growing as a lawyer.
“I’m incredibly proud of my career in public defense and grateful for the opportunities I had to serve clients, lead an outstanding office, and work alongside some of the best criminal defense lawyers in Michigan,” said Carter. “One of the things that most excited me about joining Honigman was the opportunity to help expand the firm’s white-collar defense and investigations practice. Throughout my career, I have handled complex state and federal criminal matters, conducted extensive investigations, managed high-stakes litigation, and advised clients facing significant legal and reputational risks. I saw an opportunity to bring that experience to Honigman and help clients navigate government investigations, regulatory inquiries, and white-collar matters.”
—————
Drawn to the law and public defense
Carter’s interest in the law was piqued by the late 90s legal drama, “The Practice,” which featured actor Steve Harris portraying Eugene Young, a fiercely committed trial attorney.
“He was brilliant and deeply committed to his clients, and he showed that being a lawyer was about much more than arguing cases, it was about helping people,” said Carter.
After graduating from Wayne Law in 2007, he began his career as a criminal defense attorney at the law office of John Shea in Ann Arbor.
“One of the things I appreciated most about working with Shea was the diversity of his practice,” said Carter. “While he primarily handled criminal cases, he also maintained a civil practice, accepted federal court-appointed criminal cases, and volunteered his time as a cooperating attorney with the ACLU. Seeing that range of work showed me that being a lawyer isn’t limited to a single role, you can advocate for clients in different settings while also giving back to the community.”
In October of 2011, Carter took a job as a staff attorney for Public Defender Services for the District of Columbia (PDS), where he handled hundreds of cases in D.C. Superior Court.
“I was drawn to public defense because I saw firsthand how differently people can experience the justice system depending on their background, resources, and their race,” said Carter. “I was particularly aware of the importance of ensuring that every person—regardless of who they are or where they came from—has a strong advocate standing beside them. Public Defense gave me the opportunity to make the promise of a right to counsel a reality for people who often felt unheard or overlooked.”
In 2016, Carter and his wife Raquel returned to the Detroit area with their young daughter Avery, to be closer to family and friends. He worked as a deputy defender at FCDO for over three years before becoming a supervising attorney at the Neighborhood Defender Services of Detroit (NDS) in 2019.
“Public defense is demanding work, but it is also incredibly rewarding,” said Carter. “It taught me the importance of empathy, preparation, and fighting for every client, regardless of the allegations against them or their circumstances. The work reinforced my belief that everyone deserves a strong defense and meaningful access to justice.”
Applying public defense skillsets to white collar defense
In his role as Executive Director of the FCDO, Carter’s responsibilities expanded well beyond handling cases to include supervising attorneys and staff, overseeing budgets and operations, recruiting and mentoring lawyers, and ensuring that the office continued to provide the highest level of representation to clients. At the same time, he continued to maintain a caseload.
“Balancing those responsibilities was challenging,” said Carter. “As a lawyer, your focus is naturally on your clients and their cases. As Executive Director, you also have to think about the long-term health of the organization and the success of the entire team. It required constantly shifting between the immediate demands of my cases and the broader responsibilities of leadership and administration.”
That experience will now be advantageous in advising his private clients, thanks to the required strategic planning, budgeting, personnel management, and oversight of complex matters involving multiple stakeholders.
“Those leadership experiences align closely with the challenges faced by corporate clients and enhance my ability to understand business objectives while providing legal advice,” said Carter.
Federal public defenders are uniquely positioned for white-collar defense, Carter says, because they spend their careers seeing the federal criminal justice system from the defense side of the courtroom, providing a comprehensive understanding of how federal prosecutors build cases, how agents conduct investigations, what evidence tends to resonate with juries, and where vulnerabilities often exist.
“Federal public defenders also develop an extraordinary breadth of litigation experience early in their careers,” said Carter. “Unlike many lawyers who may focus on a narrow segment of practice, public defenders routinely handle evidentiary hearings, trials, sentencings, and appeals. That experience creates strategic judgment that is valuable long before a case reaches a courtroom. In many instances, the most effective pre-charge advocacy comes from demonstrating a sophisticated understanding of what would happen if the matter were ultimately litigated.”
Although there will be plenty of differences between public defense and white collar defense, one commonality is building a relationship with clients through a foundation of connection and trust.
“Public defense teaches you how to build trust with people from all walks of life,” said Carter. “Many indigent clients have an inherent distrust for public defenders. So, to represent them effectively, you must listen, set your ego aside, understand their perspective, and earn their confidence.
“That ability to connect with people was essential in criminal defense because trust is the foundation of the attorney-client relationship. Clients need to know that you genuinely care about them and are committed to advocating for them. Every case begins with building that relationship.
“The same principle applies in my current role at Honigman. While the subject matter is different, the practice of law is still fundamentally about relationships. My clients in the private sector are facing significant challenges and important decisions. To advise them effectively, I need to understand not only the legal issues, but also their business objectives, concerns, and priorities. The ability to build trust, communicate clearly, and connect with people helps me serve clients more effectively and work collaboratively with colleagues across the firm.”
Legal News
There were many reasons Michael Carter landed the job as executive director of the Federal Community Defender’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan back in December of 2020 — among them, according to FCDO Board President Kathy Humphrey, was Carter’s passion for criminal defense work and his ability to listen and connect with people from all walks of life.
Now, Carter will take his experience both in the court room and leading a large legal organization and apply it to challenges faced by clients in the private sector. In May, Honigman announced Carter joined the firm’s Detroit office as senior counsel in the Investigations and White Collar Defense Practice group.
Carter, who earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan and his JD from Wayne State University Law School, said the decision to move to private practice was about embracing a new professional challenge and an opportunity to continue growing as a lawyer.
“I’m incredibly proud of my career in public defense and grateful for the opportunities I had to serve clients, lead an outstanding office, and work alongside some of the best criminal defense lawyers in Michigan,” said Carter. “One of the things that most excited me about joining Honigman was the opportunity to help expand the firm’s white-collar defense and investigations practice. Throughout my career, I have handled complex state and federal criminal matters, conducted extensive investigations, managed high-stakes litigation, and advised clients facing significant legal and reputational risks. I saw an opportunity to bring that experience to Honigman and help clients navigate government investigations, regulatory inquiries, and white-collar matters.”
—————
Drawn to the law and public defense
Carter’s interest in the law was piqued by the late 90s legal drama, “The Practice,” which featured actor Steve Harris portraying Eugene Young, a fiercely committed trial attorney.
“He was brilliant and deeply committed to his clients, and he showed that being a lawyer was about much more than arguing cases, it was about helping people,” said Carter.
After graduating from Wayne Law in 2007, he began his career as a criminal defense attorney at the law office of John Shea in Ann Arbor.
“One of the things I appreciated most about working with Shea was the diversity of his practice,” said Carter. “While he primarily handled criminal cases, he also maintained a civil practice, accepted federal court-appointed criminal cases, and volunteered his time as a cooperating attorney with the ACLU. Seeing that range of work showed me that being a lawyer isn’t limited to a single role, you can advocate for clients in different settings while also giving back to the community.”
In October of 2011, Carter took a job as a staff attorney for Public Defender Services for the District of Columbia (PDS), where he handled hundreds of cases in D.C. Superior Court.
“I was drawn to public defense because I saw firsthand how differently people can experience the justice system depending on their background, resources, and their race,” said Carter. “I was particularly aware of the importance of ensuring that every person—regardless of who they are or where they came from—has a strong advocate standing beside them. Public Defense gave me the opportunity to make the promise of a right to counsel a reality for people who often felt unheard or overlooked.”
In 2016, Carter and his wife Raquel returned to the Detroit area with their young daughter Avery, to be closer to family and friends. He worked as a deputy defender at FCDO for over three years before becoming a supervising attorney at the Neighborhood Defender Services of Detroit (NDS) in 2019.
“Public defense is demanding work, but it is also incredibly rewarding,” said Carter. “It taught me the importance of empathy, preparation, and fighting for every client, regardless of the allegations against them or their circumstances. The work reinforced my belief that everyone deserves a strong defense and meaningful access to justice.”
Applying public defense skillsets to white collar defense
In his role as Executive Director of the FCDO, Carter’s responsibilities expanded well beyond handling cases to include supervising attorneys and staff, overseeing budgets and operations, recruiting and mentoring lawyers, and ensuring that the office continued to provide the highest level of representation to clients. At the same time, he continued to maintain a caseload.
“Balancing those responsibilities was challenging,” said Carter. “As a lawyer, your focus is naturally on your clients and their cases. As Executive Director, you also have to think about the long-term health of the organization and the success of the entire team. It required constantly shifting between the immediate demands of my cases and the broader responsibilities of leadership and administration.”
That experience will now be advantageous in advising his private clients, thanks to the required strategic planning, budgeting, personnel management, and oversight of complex matters involving multiple stakeholders.
“Those leadership experiences align closely with the challenges faced by corporate clients and enhance my ability to understand business objectives while providing legal advice,” said Carter.
Federal public defenders are uniquely positioned for white-collar defense, Carter says, because they spend their careers seeing the federal criminal justice system from the defense side of the courtroom, providing a comprehensive understanding of how federal prosecutors build cases, how agents conduct investigations, what evidence tends to resonate with juries, and where vulnerabilities often exist.
“Federal public defenders also develop an extraordinary breadth of litigation experience early in their careers,” said Carter. “Unlike many lawyers who may focus on a narrow segment of practice, public defenders routinely handle evidentiary hearings, trials, sentencings, and appeals. That experience creates strategic judgment that is valuable long before a case reaches a courtroom. In many instances, the most effective pre-charge advocacy comes from demonstrating a sophisticated understanding of what would happen if the matter were ultimately litigated.”
Although there will be plenty of differences between public defense and white collar defense, one commonality is building a relationship with clients through a foundation of connection and trust.
“Public defense teaches you how to build trust with people from all walks of life,” said Carter. “Many indigent clients have an inherent distrust for public defenders. So, to represent them effectively, you must listen, set your ego aside, understand their perspective, and earn their confidence.
“That ability to connect with people was essential in criminal defense because trust is the foundation of the attorney-client relationship. Clients need to know that you genuinely care about them and are committed to advocating for them. Every case begins with building that relationship.
“The same principle applies in my current role at Honigman. While the subject matter is different, the practice of law is still fundamentally about relationships. My clients in the private sector are facing significant challenges and important decisions. To advise them effectively, I need to understand not only the legal issues, but also their business objectives, concerns, and priorities. The ability to build trust, communicate clearly, and connect with people helps me serve clients more effectively and work collaboratively with colleagues across the firm.”
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