In 1997, Michael J. Kowalski argued a case of first impression before the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania that ultimately changed state law regarding what constitutes the rendering of or failure to render professional health care services. The case, Physicians Insurance Company v. Pistone, et al., has since been cited extensively on that issue. In 2004, Michael was elected to the Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association (now known as the Pennsylvania Association for Justice) Board of Governors where he served through 2007. He is also an officer in the Northeastern Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association and an active member of the Wilkes-Barre Law & Library Association Civil Rules Committee.
Michael is a past recipient of the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Outstanding Leadership Award. He has been selected as a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer every year from 2009 to present. He was also selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2019 to present, highly regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. His selection is for the practice areas, Medical Malpractice and Personal Injury. Michael has been recognized by the National Trial Lawyers as one of the top 100 trial lawyers since 2013; American's Top 100 High Stakes Litigators since 2017 and Best Lawyers in Pennsylvania as recognized by the Wall Street Journal, March 2019. Michael was recognized by “Lawyers of Distinction” in 2023 for “Excellence in Medical Malpractice Law”. He was also inducted into the Million Dollar Advocate’s Forum, recognized as one of the most prestigious groups of trial lawyers in the United States. Membership is limited to attorneys who have won million-dollar and multi-million dollar verdicts, awards, and settlements. Fewer than 1% of U.S. trial lawyers are members. Michael is recognized by the Worldwide Registry and has gained inclusion for the 2014 - 2015 edition recognizing executives, professionals, and entrepreneurs. In 2022, Martindale-Hubbell named Michael to 2022 AV Preeminent Attorney - Judicial edition.
Since 2015, Michael received an AV Preeminent Rating by Lexis Nexis Martindale-Hubbell. The AV Preeminent Rating is the pinnacle of professional excellence earned through a strenuous peer review rating process that is managed and monitored by Martindale-Hubbell. The AV Preeminent Rating is the highest possible rating in both legal ability and ethical standards.
Michael has also been selected as a member of the Nation’s Top One Percent by the National Association of Distinguished Counsel. NADC is an organization dedicated to promoting the highest standards of legal excellence. Its mission is to objectively recognize the attorneys who elevate the standards of the Bar to provide a benchmark for other lawyers to emulate. Members are thoroughly vetted by a research team, selected by a blue-ribbon panel of attorneys with podium status from independently mutual organizations, and approved by a judicial review board as exhibiting virtue in the practice of law. Due to the incredible selectivity of the appointment process, only the top one percent of attorneys in the United States are awarded membership in NADC. This class of advocates consists of the “finest leaders of the legal profession from across the nation”.
Michael J. Kowalski is admitted to practice before all of Pennsylvania’s state courts, the United States District for the Eastern and Middle Districts of Pennsylvania, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court. He is a 1994 graduate of the Dickinson School of Law, where he was a member of the National Trial Moot Court Team and the Appellate Moot Board. While at Dickinson, Michael received the Governor Arthur H. James Memorial Scholarship for academic achievement. A resident of Moosic, Pennsylvania, Michael enjoys spending time with his family and pursuing numerous outdoor activities including golf and ATV riding.
