Editorial Board Member: Michael Martin

• Pages: 6-6
• Date: 01 January 2026
• Published date: 01 January 2026
• Subject Matter: Derecho Público y Administrativo

6THE BRIEF ❭Winter 2026

Editorial Board Member: Michael Martin

Michael Martin serves as legislative

counsel for the Texas Municipal

League in Austin, Texas. In his posi-

tion, he provides guidance to city ocials across

Texas on a variety of legal and policy issues,

including land use, procurement, personnel,

economic development, federal grants, open

government, and municipal legislation and

governance. He also advocates on behalf of

Texas municipalities before state and federal

governmental entities.

Michael is a self-proclaimed government

nerd at heart. As a kid, he used to watch

C-SPAN and political talk shows. He shad-

owed the city planner of his hometown as

part of a program to get kids interested in local government.

Two of Michael’s most prized possessions are signed letters

from then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Sta Colin Powell

and then-Senator Minority Leader Tom Daschle. Predictably,

Michael chose to attend college in the Washington, D.C., area

(Marymount University) and majored in political science.

Michael also has a passion for the law. After graduation, he

spent nine years as a litigation paralegal at some of the largest

law firms in Washington, D.C. Focusing on patent and antitrust

litigation, Michael got the opportunity to be part of several

high-profile cases and support some of the best patent and

antitrust lawyers in the country. Working alongside such talented

attorneys helped motivate him to decide to go to law school.

Michael attended Tulane University Law School in New

Orleans, Louisiana. While in law school, Michael really leaned

into his passion for government. He interned for the National

Labor Relations Board and a New Orleans city councilmember.

Michael also joined the Tulane Public Law Center’s Legislative

Advocacy Clinic, where he drafted, found a sponsor, and advo-

cated for a bill to improve private-sector employee whistleblower

protections in the Louisiana House of Representatives. In addition

to his interest in government service, Michael also found time

to mix in his love of sports—earning a sports law certificate and

serving as an editor for the Tulane Sports Lawyers Journal.

Since law school, Michael has shifted between policy and

traditional legal positions. These include serving as the chief of

sta for a New Orleans city councilmember and an assistant city

attorney for the City of New Orleans. As chief of sta, Michael

supported the New Orleans city council’s passage of a citywide

smoke-free ordinance, sound ordinance, and ordinances regulating

food trucks, transportation network companies, and short-term

rentals. As an assistant city attorney, Michael helped draft, review,

and negotiate contracts for over $100 million in federally funded

capital construction projects. He also provided legal guidance

on several city policy initiatives, including local

procurement eorts, contractor minimum wage,

streetlight funding, and stormwater management.

Following his time with the City of New

Orleans, Michael worked for a law firm that

specialized in antitrust claims against name-brand

pharmaceutical manufacturers for anticompet-

itive practices designed to delay the entry of

generic drugs into the market. While there,

Michael participated in multiple successful

multi-million-dollar litigations involving

high-profile brand-name pharmaceutical prod-

ucts, resulting in lower prescription drug prices

for Americans.

In 2018, Michael’s practice shifted back

toward municipal law. From 2018 through 2023, Michael served

as an assistant city attorney for several Texas cities. His practice

included providing legal advice to city ocials and serving as a

municipal prosecutor. He also represented cities in state court

and federal court in substandard property and eminent domain

proceedings, as well as civil litigation involving takings, Section

1983, and Voting Rights Act claims. In his current position,

Michael provides general legal and policy guidance to over 1,150

Texas cities. He also advocates in person and in writing on behalf

of Texas cities before the Texas Legislature and state agencies.

Michael is thankful to have had the opportunity to support

government ocials on the local, state, and federal levels, observ-

ing, “Their passion and dedication to serving their constituents

and improving their communities continue to inspire me and

make my work so rewarding.” Michael is also very thankful to

the talented attorneys and policy professionals who have helped

him develop and hone his skills, reflecting, “I have been very

fortunate to work alongside some of the best attorneys and policy

professionals in the country. Their instruction, guidance, and

mentorship have taught me how to be an eective advocate for

my clients on the ground, at the legislature, and in the courts.”

Michael is licensed to practice in Texas and Louisiana

(currently inactive). He is a graduate of the 2023–2024

American Bar Association Tort Trial and Insurance Practice

Section (TIPS) Leadership Academy. Michael also serves as a

vice-chair of the Cannabis Law and Policy Committee, where

he has written several articles on cannabis-related issues and

contributed to the committee’s annual cannabis law survey.

Michael is currently in the executive master in public

leadership program at the University of Texas at Austin

LBJ School of Public Aairs. When not at work or in class,

Michael is an avid sports fan (Go Detroit Lions!), collects

vintage baseball cards and jerseys, and enjoys historical and

true crime documentaries. Z

Profile

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