About Mr. Michael John
Mr. Michael John Gannon built a steady legal career that moves from federal clerkship to law firm leadership. He entered law after an undergraduate degree in English literature, history and politics from the State University of New York at Binghamton, where he completed a B.A. in 1976. He earned his J.D. from Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law in 1982.
He began his professional life inside the federal judiciary. In 1983 he served as a judicial law clerk for the United States Courts. That experience preceded a move into private practice. In 1984 he joined Downs Rachlin Martin as an associate. Three years later he became a partner at Pierson Affolter & Wadhams. In 1994 he took on the role of senior partner at Affolter Gannon, a position that reflects a long tenure in private practice.
Throughout his career he has maintained admissions that span state and federal forums. He is admitted to practice in Indiana and Vermont, and he holds admissions to the Second and Seventh U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeal as well as to the U.S. Supreme Court. Those credentials have informed both trial and appellate work over decades.
His professional affiliations are long-standing. He has been a member of The International Society of Primerus Law Offices since 1999 and joined the American Trial Lawyers Association in 2002. Those memberships have placed him in networks focused on civil litigation practice and professional standards across firms of varying sizes.
Colleagues describe a lawyer who blends courtroom experience with firm management. His early clerkship provided courtroom procedure and research skills that carried into complex case work and appellate filings. Time spent as an associate and then partner shaped how he approaches case strategy and client counseling. The record of positions—judicial law clerk, associate, partner, senior partner—tracks a conventional progression rooted in litigation practice.
He practices from Affolter Gannon. His work spans trial litigation and appeals, and his court admissions support cases that proceed to higher federal courts. He remains active in professional organizations and continues to handle litigation matters at the firm. His current practice focuses on civil litigation and appellate matters.
