Michele D. Hall joined Brown, Goldstein & Levy in October 2023. She previously served for five years as a public defender at the Maryland Office of the Public Defender. During her time at OPD, Michele worked as a trial and appellate attorney. As a trial attorney, Michele represented children in Prince George’s County charged in juvenile court and children charged as adults. As an appellate attorney, Michele worked on general criminal appeals and focused on statewide juvenile appellate strategy. She regularly argued before both the Appellate Court of Maryland and the Supreme Court of Maryland. In addition to her case work, Michele was an advocate for ending the school-to-prison pipeline. She represented her clients in school disciplinary and special education proceedings, was a member of the Prince George’s County Board of Education School to Prison Pipeline Workgroup, and conducted trainings for juvenile defenders across the country on addressing school policing as part of their individual representation.
At the Office of the Public Defender, Michele also engaged in statewide policy work, regularly testifying before the Maryland General Assembly, meeting with legislators, and working with fellow stakeholders. She supported several juvenile policy initiatives including the Juvenile Justice Reform Act, ending the practice of automatically charging children as adults, and the fight to remove police from schools. During the 2023 legislative session, Michele worked closely with legislators in the Maryland General Assembly to pass House Bill 1071, which prohibits law enforcement from relying on the odor of cannabis to conduct a stop or search of a person or vehicle. Michele won OPD’s annual Bryan Stevenson award for her work to pass HB 1071.
Michele attended Harvard Law School and graduated cum laude in 2017. While at HLS, Michele was a member of the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau, where she represented low-income tenants in eviction proceedings in Boston Housing Court. Michele was also a proud member of the Harvard Black Law Student Association. After graduating law school, Michele clerked for the Honorable Catharine F. Easterly on the D.C. Court of Appeals.
Representative Cases
In re M.P., Supreme Court of Maryland, September 2023: new jurisdictional rules for Juvenile Justice Reform Act apply to children whose cases were pending at the time of the Act’s passage. Also determined that an order denying the motion to dismiss was immediately appealable under the collateral order doctrine.
Everett Smith v. State, Supreme Court of Maryland, August 2022: depiction of “thin blue line” symbol on face mask of courtroom bailiff was inherently prejudicial to defendant’s right to a fair trial. Conviction reversed for a new trial.
Obtained dismissal of an assault case against a person, who had previously served 30 years for a wrongful murder conviction.
Awards
News & Insights
-
Michele Hall was selected as a Wasserstein Public Interest Fellow at Harvard Law School for her extraordinary public interest law career.
-
BGL’s Criminal Defense Section hosted criminal defense lawyers and changemakers for “Cocktails and Off-the-Record Conversations” at Maketto in DC.
-
13 BGL attorneys were named to Lawdragon’s Leading Litigators in America guide for 2025.
Articles & Publications
“Time to end police stops, searches prompted by marijuana odor.” The Baltimore Banner. March 14, 2023.
“Dismiss Minor Misdemeanors During the Pandemic.” The Atlantic. August 15, 2020.
Media Mentions
Michele D. Hall was quoted in The Daily Record article, “Juvenile Justice Reform Act applies to cases pending when law took effect, MD Supreme Court rules,” published on April 25, 2024.
Presentations
“How to Lose: Perspectives on Strategies for Long-Term Change as a Public Interest Lawyer” Wasserstein Public Interest Fellows Program at Harvard Law School, September 19, 2024.
“Making Amici Your Friend!” Maryland State Bar Association Legal Summit and Annual Meeting, June 5, 2024.