About Michael Thomas
Michael Thomas Navigato earned his law degree from The Ohio Northern University Pettit College of Law after completing undergraduate studies in psychology at Loyola University Chicago. Those two schools shaped his early approach to law. They gave him classroom experience in both legal doctrine and human behavior.
He began his legal career in the mid-1990s. In 1994 he joined Laraia & Hubbard, P.C. as an associate. He later worked as an associate at William F. Bochte & Associates. By 2003 he was named a partner at BOCHTE, KUZNIAR, & NAVIGATO P.C., a move that put him in a leadership role within a small-firm setting. He has served on a local admissions panel, sitting on the Committee on Character and Fitness for the Second Judicial District from 2013 through 2015.
Navigato is admitted to practice in Illinois and before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Those credentials have informed the kinds of matters he takes on. His practice experience spans pretrial work, motion practice and courtroom appearances in both state and federal forums. He has handled matters that required attention to procedural detail and an ability to prepare cases for trial when necessary.
His professional affiliations include memberships in the Illinois Bar Association (noted since 1993), the Illinois State Bar Association, the American Bar Association, and local bar groups such as the Kane County and DuPage County bar associations. Those associations have kept him connected to developments in Illinois practice and to colleagues across different practice areas.
Colleagues describe Navigato as a practitioner who approaches files methodically. He has worked in both associate and partner roles over a multi-decade career, giving him familiarity with the demands of running cases and managing client expectations. He has moved from early associate positions into a partnership role and has remained active in bar activities and local legal administration.
Today he continues to represent clients in Illinois courts and in the federal district in Chicago. His current practice centers on civil litigation in state courts and in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
