About Patrick Michael
Patrick Michael Megaro grew up studying history and education before turning to law. He earned a B.A. in History and Secondary Education from Hofstra University in 1999 and received his J.D. from the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University in 2002. His academic path set the stage for a career in criminal defense and appellate work.
Early in his career he joined The Legal Aid Society as a staff lawyer in the Criminal Defense Division in 2002. That role put him into courtrooms and into client meetings from the start. He handled trial-level matters and learned the mechanics of criminal practice on the ground. Those years informed the parts of law he would later pursue in appeals and federal practice.
Over time Megaro developed practice across state and federal benches. He is admitted to practice in multiple states, including New York, New Jersey, Florida, Texas and Washington, and before many federal circuits and the U.S. Supreme Court, including the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 11th and other circuits. That range allows him to move cases between trial courts and appellate panels and to bring federal writs when necessary.
His professional memberships reflect a career centered on criminal defense. He holds memberships in the New York, Florida, New Jersey and Texas Associations of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and has been active in local bar groups such as the Nassau County and Queens County bar associations. He serves on assigned counsel plans in New York and Nassau County and is part of the Criminal Justice Act Panel for the Middle District of Florida. He is also listed as pro bono counsel for the National Rifle Association and has been a member of the Washington Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers since 2015.
Today he practices with Appeals Law Group, which maintains offices in Orlando and in Raleigh and Charlotte, North Carolina. His work is primarily appellate in character, carrying records from trial courts into briefed appeals and oral argument. He represents clients in both state and federal appeals and files petitions and briefs across a wide spectrum of criminal matters.
Clients and colleagues describe Megaro as methodical and direct in court. He spends time on record review, crafting appellate briefs, and preparing for argument. He now focuses his practice on appellate criminal defense and federal appeals.
