About Michael Joseph
Michael Joseph Wilson grew up studying the sciences but found law during college and pursued a change in direction that led to a J.D. at Michigan State University College of Law in 2005. He earned a Bachelor of Science at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in 2001, where he studied biology and psychology. Those early studies inform a methodical approach to cases and an interest in the factual and human elements of criminal litigation.
Wilson began his legal career in appellate defense. In 2008 he worked as an Assistant Appellate Defender at the Office of the State Appellate Defender in Chicago. That role placed him in the thick of post-conviction litigation and appeals, tasks that demanded attention to record, precision in brief writing and an ability to frame legal issues for higher courts. In 2009 he took a position as a lawyer at Shafer & Shapiro, expanding his courtroom work and experiencing broader trial and post-trial practice.
Across his career Wilson has maintained steady ties to criminal defense and appellate practice. He is licensed in Nebraska and admitted to practice before the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. He serves on the Criminal Justice Act Panel, a role he began in 2014 and continues to hold. That appointment involves representation in federal criminal cases for clients who cannot afford private counsel.
Wilson has also been involved in innocence work. He served on the board of the Nebraska Innocence Project from 2013 to 2018 and currently sits on the Nebraska regional board for the Midwest Innocence Project. Those positions exposed him to cases testing forensic evidence, witness credibility and the procedures that can lead to wrongful conviction. He brings those lessons back to his appellate and trial work.
He belongs to the Nebraska Criminal Defense Lawyers Association and the Nebraska State Bar Association’s Appellate Section. Membership in those groups keeps him connected to developments in state and federal criminal law and provides a forum for ongoing professional education and discussion with colleagues.
Wilson practices out of Berry Law offices in Omaha, Lincoln and Seward. His background in appellate defense and time on the CJA Panel shape the work he accepts. He handles appeals and criminal defense matters, and he continues to take cases that involve claims of innocence and complex post-conviction issues. His current practice focuses on criminal defense and appellate representation.
