Mikaela McDermott has more than two decades of legal experience and focuses her practice on workplace investigations, employment law, municipal law, and legal research and writing. She has deep experience in all of these areas.

Immediately prior to starting her own law practice, Mikaela served for eight years as City Solicitor in New Bedford, MA. As City Solicitor, she headed the legal department in a city of 100,000 people and regularly advised the mayor, boards and commissions, and other city personnel on a wide range of legal issues. She oversaw numerous significant matters during her tenure, including complex environmental litigation that resulted in more than $10 million in settlement payments to the city, high-stakes litigation with the city’s solid waste hauler, and the city’s legal responses to a ransomware attack and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Before serving as City Solicitor in New Bedford, Mikaela practiced law for nearly a decade as a litigator and employment lawyer at law firms in New York City and Washington, D.C. At the beginning of her career, Mikaela worked for nonprofit organizations on human rights and democracy programs in the Middle East, Africa, and Central Asia.

Mikaela is committed to public service and served as a commissioner on the Massachusetts Judicial Nominating Commission from 2023 to 2024. She has also handled numerous pro bono matters during her career.

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Contact Mikaela to learn how she can assist you, your business, or your municipality.