Lucas B. Michelen

Lucas Michelen is an accomplished litigator with more than a decade of experience representing employers in complex labor and employment matters. His practice spans the full spectrum of workplace disputes, including discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and restrictive covenant litigation. Lucas regularly counsels employers on compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws and develops practical, risk-conscious strategies for navigating sensitive workplace issues. He represents clients across a range of industries and is adept at handling matters from pre-litigation counseling through trial.

Lucas also possesses robust commercial litigation practice, representing corporate clients in high-stakes disputes in federal and state courts and in arbitration. His experience includes defending breach of contract and business tort claims, financial services litigation, consumer protection matters, and complex employment-related disputes. He has secured dismissals and favorable summary judgment rulings in multimillion-dollar cases, represented multinational companies in contract and arbitration proceedings, and served as a key member of trial teams in both civil and criminal matters. Lucas also conducts internal investigations involving allegations of fraud, data breaches, and employee misconduct, working closely with clients to manage legal and reputational risk.

Prior to joining Carlton Fields, Lucas served as the acting assistant regional attorney and a trial attorney with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, where he led litigation across Florida, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In that role, he supervised trial teams and served as lead counsel in high-impact cases enforcing federal anti-discrimination laws, including Title VII, the ADA, and the Equal Pay Act.
 

Labor and Employment

• First-chaired five-day federal jury trial for an ADA discrimination case that resulted in a favorable verdict.
• Obtained dismissal of claims brought against two former oil executives in a breach of contract and tortious interference action for $13.5 million involving alleged unpaid profits to a third party.
• Represented multinational software company in a breach of contract action brought by a former executive. Summary judgment granted for $500,000 breach of contract claim.
• Represented both employers and high-level executives in actions involving breaches of restrictive covenants.
• Regularly defend clients in administrative investigation before the EEOC and FCRA.

Commercial Litigation

• Defended personal protective equipment (PPE) manufacturer as lead counsel in a commercial action that resulted in client’s dismissal from the action with no liability after summary judgment briefing. 
• Represented multinational software company in arbitration for a breach of contract action brought by a vendor stemming from an outage at client’s data center. 
• Obtained dismissal of FINRA customer arbitration asserting “trading away” claims in favor of a Chicago-based securities trading company.
• Represented pharmaceutical manufacturer in mass tort proceedings. 
• Defended pharmaceutical manufacturer against unfair trade practices claims brought by state attorneys general. 
• Served on a defense team through trial for a criminal defendant charged with numerous counts of racketeering, conspiracy, wire fraud, and mail fraud in connection with an alleged scheme to further the political and financial interests of a sitting U.S. congressman.

Internal Investigations

• Represented marketing company in an internal investigation following its former employee’s fraudulent use of company funds and credit cards.
• Represented chemical company in an internal investigation stemming from its former employee’s theft of millions of dollars through the falsification of vendor records.
• Represented financial institution in conducting an internal investigation in response to allegations of fraud brought by a high-profile client.
• Represented pharmaceutical company in connection with a data breach that occurred with one of the client’s vendors and resulted in the theft of customers’ sensitive personal information.
• Represented trucking company in an internal investigation concerning its employee’s potential theft of company’s funds through manipulation of its payroll system.

• "ADA and PWFA Updates and Forecast," Hillsborough County Bar Association, Labor and Employment Section (January 22, 2026)
• “Artificial Intelligence: The Use of AI in the Workplace,” HR Tampa Annual Conference and Expo, Tampa, FL (October 4, 2024)
• “EEOC Updates: A National and Local Perspective,” Hillsborough County Bar Association (January 11, 2024)
• “ADA and Mental Health: The Hidden Disability,” EEOC Training Institute (August 9, 2023)
• “The ADA and Emerging Legal Issues,” Florida Court Personnel Institute (February 17, 2023)