A Day in the Life of Michael Carleton

Get a glimpse into the busy day of Michael Carleton, Senior Attorney at MDK. His journey blends legal work, contributions to MDK's News Break, and personal pursuits, showcasing his dedication to both professional excellence and a healthy work-life balance. Follow along as Michael navigates his day!

8:00am | Starting the Day: Prioritizing Tasks & Client Matters

My workday begins with a review of emails and work items to assess the day's priorities and identify any urgent matters requiring immediate attention. This includes noting necessary return phone calls and client matters.

9:00am | Virtual Team Collaboration: Florida Practice Group Meeting

While our Florida attorneys, Jordan Zeppetello and Jasmin Hernandez, handle the majority of court hearings, I continue to manage specific cases, including residential matters and cases originating in South Carolina, Hawai’i, and California. In between hearings, Practice Group Director Valerie Edgecombe, Jordan, Jasmin, and I connect during a brief touch base call to discuss priorities and any urgent matters.

"Thinking about how we divide responsibilities brings to mind the mentorship I received early in my career. I learned valuable lessons from Ed Kochalski and Dan Schmieg, a title attorney in Pennsylvania, whose methodical approach significantly shaped my work habits.  I also enjoyed working with Tom Widman, another title attorney. All three—Schmieg, Kochalski, and Widman—shared a similar focus on meticulous work and prioritizing tasks."

12:00pm | Proactive Document Review: Anticipating Future Needs

With a quick lunch break, I spend the beginning of my afternoon reviewing documents for our timeshare practice, including notices of intent, notices to proceed, and certificates of sale on the non-judicial side and complaints, judgments, and sale documents for our judicial side.

After document review, I focus on notarization, including notices of sale and trustee's deeds. I also have documents from the Illinois and Pennsylvania teams to notarize. Teamwork is an important aspect of our firm culture, and I'm always available to assist other teams with court coverage and signings. 

I believe the key to handling large workloads is anticipating what’s coming next, looking ahead, and not letting things sit. This involves actively working through files, addressing potential issues proactively, and communicating potential issues to clients. While my predictions aren't always correct, this approach has proven highly effective in saving time and preventing problems.

3:00pm | Late Afternoon Writing for News Break

As MDK's anniversary approaches, I'm contributing to a blog post commemorating the firm's history—a history I've been a part of since my initial stint from 2003 to 2006 as a staff member and then returning in 2011 as an attorney. I also frequently contribute articles to News Break. You can find my articles here.

Recognizing a need for expanded jurisdictional coverage, I took the initiative to become licensed in all of our jurisdictions, including Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, Florida, Hawaii, South Carolina, California, Indiana, and Kentucky, as well as in several federal bankruptcy courts and circuit courts

5:00pm | Finding Balance: Woodworking and Running

After work, I head to the garage to work on my current woodworking project: building a book box for MDK. This will help bring free, accessible books to the community, encouraging literacy and a love of reading. Contributing my skills to create these book-sharing boxes is a rewarding way to give back and support lifelong learning. After a productive session in the garage, I go for a quick run before dinner. I hope to someday complete the Disney Marathon Dopey Challenge, a multi-race event that includes a 5K, 10K, half-marathon, and full marathon in four successive days.

Connect with Michael on LinkedIn here