Substantial litigation experience, strategic judgment and practical advocacy.

A professional background built around disputes, advocacy and difficult decisions.

Michael’s work has developed across matters where legal analysis has to be translated into a practical course of action. That may involve advising a client before proceedings begin, testing the evidence and risks in an existing dispute, preparing for negotiation or mediation, or conducting a matter through contested court proceedings.

A significant part of his experience has been in family law. That work has included high-conflict and high-risk parenting disputes, relocation and international issues, property settlements and financial agreements, as well as matters involving companies, trusts, business interests, self-managed superannuation funds, forensic financial questions and substantial or complicated asset structures.

His work as an Independent Children’s Lawyer has also involved proceedings where the interests of children must be considered against competing evidence, allegations of risk and entrenched parental conflict. Those matters require independence, careful preparation and an ability to identify what is genuinely important from a large volume of contested material.

Beyond family law, Michael’s practice has included criminal proceedings, domestic and family violence and protection-order matters, commercial and civil disputes, employment-related disputes, probate, estates and succession matters, and mediation. The subject matter changes, but the underlying work is often similar: understand the evidence, identify the risks, advise candidly and decide what needs to happen next.

Before establishing Rodrigues Legal Group, Michael spent close to a decade developing and leading My Legal Crunch Lawyers and Skip the Conflict Mediation Services. As a co-founder and legal practice director, he was involved not only in client matters and advocacy, but also in the operation and growth of a multi-jurisdictional legal practice, including the supervision of lawyers and paralegals, practice management and the delivery of legal services to clients across Australia. That experience has given him a broader perspective on legal practice, client service and the practical demands of managing complex matters within a professional services business.

Where Michael leads a matter through Rodrigues Legal Group, he remains personally involved in strategy, preparation and the key decisions that determine how the matter is conducted.

Direct involvement, candid advice and a clear strategy.

Michael’s approach is to remain close to the substance of the matters he leads. That means understanding the evidence, being candid about risk, helping the client make informed decisions and keeping the strategy connected to the result the client is actually trying to achieve.

Not every dispute should become prolonged litigation. Where a matter can sensibly be resolved through advice, negotiation or mediation, preparation should help create that opportunity. Where court action is necessary, the same preparation should place the client in the strongest practical position to proceed.

Clients and professional referrers should know who is responsible for the strategy and what the next step is. Michael remains personally involved in the key decisions, preparation and advocacy in the matters he leads through Rodrigues Legal Group.