Michael D. Collett

Mike is an associate in the firm’s Maritime Section, where he represents and advises clients on admiralty & maritime, government contracts, and labor and employment issues.

Mike’s career merges his military service as a Surface Warfare Officer onboard U.S. Navy warships with his legal experience litigating cases as a JAG and personal injury attorney. 

Mike began his fourteen years on active duty in the U.S. Navy onboard USS ASHLAND (LSD-48), where he deployed to the Middle East and then ushered his ship through an extensive mid-life overhaul in a Hampton Roads shipyard. He then served at Amphibious Squadron Eight (CPR-8) and embarked onboard USS IWO JIMA (LHD-7) for his second deployment to the Middle East. Mike then transferred to the Pentagon, where he oversaw weapon system program budgeting and execution on the Chief of Naval Operations staff.

While at the Pentagon, Mike earned a highly competitive Navy law school scholarship and transferred to the JAG Corps. As a JAG, Mike completed multiple litigation and leadership tours as a military prosecutor and criminal defense attorney, during which he was designated as a military justice litigation specialist.

Following his honorable resignation from active duty, Mike worked at a personal injury firm in Hampton Roads, where he represented clients in a wide variety of complex cases, to include maritime, products liability, catastrophic injury, and wrongful death. He continues to serve in the U.S. Navy Reserve JAG Corps as a Lieutenant Commander, maintaining his commitment to service and legal excellence. 

Mike earned his Juris Doctor from William & Mary Law School in 2016, where he was inducted into the Order of Barristers and received the George Wythe Award at graduation, recognizing his leadership for the law school community. He graduated with merit from the United States Naval Academy in 2009, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in political science. At the Naval Academy, he was inducted into the Pi Sigma Alpha National Political Science Honor Society and played Division I lacrosse. 

Mike’s journey from Naval Officer to admiralty & maritime practitioner demonstrates a seamless integration of his military discipline with legal acumen, through which he offers clients exceptional representation and advocacy.