SEATON, SEATON & GILLESPIE L.L.P.

Attorneys and Counselors at Law

Michael C. Gillespie

Michael C. Gillespie is a partner in the firm. He concentrates his practice in federal and state court civil litigation, the defense of law enforcement agencies and their officers in civil rights and other matters, employment law, domestic law, and general commercial and business matters. He advises and counsels businesses; financial institutions, law enforcement agencies and officers, governmental entities, and individuals concerning a variety of legal issues and problems.

Mike has extensive experience in employment matters, including the defense of discrimination claims against employers and wage and hour issues. He also has developed and revised employee handbooks and policy and procedure manuals for many private and public employers. He has extensive experience in conducting internal corporate investigations.

He also represents employees in federal and state employment discrimination cases against employers and has successfully represented employees and employers in such cases, as well as Kansas unemployment cases.

Mike was co-trial counsel for the Sedgwick County, Kansas Sheriff's Department in Caban v. Sedgwick County Sheriff's Dept., a 14-plaintiff federal civil rights action in which the plaintiffs--all then present or former corrections officers--brought multiple claims of race discrimination against the Department. After a trial lasting almost three weeks, the jury found for the Department on all counts; the National Law Journal recognized the defense team's efforts by declaring the case one of the Top Defense Verdicts in the United States for 2001.

Mike has served as assistant city attorney for various Kansas municipalities and served for several years as the Assistant Director for Legal Affairs and legal counsel for the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center. A frequent lecturer on employment law and law enforcement topics, including management issues and liability/risk management, he has also published various legal articles on a national and local basis. He has also served on national and state law enforcement legal task forces. He is a certified police firearms instructor and certified emergency vehicle driving instructor.

Mike is also a former certified law enforcement officer successfully completed the FBI's National Law Institute, the Bureau's prestigious program for police legal advisors, and also the FBI's Central States Law Enforcement Executive Development Seminar.


Education
J.D., University of Kansas School of Law (1988)
B.S., Kansas State University (1985)

Admissions
Kansas State Courts
U.S. District Courts, District of Kansas
10th Circuit Court of Appeals
United States Supreme Court

Legal Associations
Kansas Bar Association
Riley County, Kansas Bar Association