Michael J. Betts has been involved in the handling and resolution of civil litigation matters for over thirty years. After graduating from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 1980, where he was on the Law Review and graduated cum laude, Mr. Betts began his professional career with the law firm of Reed Smith Shaw & McClay (now Reed Smith LLP). Mr. Betts became a litigation partner of Reed Smith in 1988 and throughout his tenure at Reed Smith handled a wide range of complex and commercial litigation matters, including securities litigation, class actions, consumer litigation and insurance coverage litigation.
In 1994, after fourteen years with Reed Smith, Mr. Betts formed a boutique litigation law firm and until October 2009 continued to handle a broad range of complex and and commercial litigation matters, including class actions, consumer litigation (e.g., claims under the Fair Credit Reporting Act and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act), insurance litigation, securities litigation and securities and investment-related FINRA arbitrations.
From October 2009 to May 2013 Mr. Betts was a member of the in-house Legal Department of PNC Bank, National Association in the position of Senior Counsel - Litigation. In this position, Mr. Betts handled with PNC's outside counsel a wide range of banking, fiduciary and other litigation matters.
In May 2013 Mr. Betts formed Betts Law Office to provide legal representation of business and individual clients in western Pennsylvania - e.g., matters pending in Pittsburgh, Erie, Washington, Greensburg, Indiana, Johnstown and Altoona.
Mr. Betts is a member of the American Bar Association (ABA), the Pennsylvania Bar Association, and the Allegheny County Bar Association. He is a member of the Business Law Section and the Section of Dispute Resolution of the ABA.
Mr. Betts has attained the rating of Preeminent Rated Lawyer in the LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell AV Peer Review Ratings. LexisNexis describes this rating as follows: "We congratulate you on your status as an AV preeminent Rated Lawyer. The AV Peer Review rating serves as an objective indicator that a lawyer has demonstrated ethical standards and professional ability. This honor is a reflection of your expertise, experience, integrity and overall professional excellence. You are part of a select group of Pennsylvania lawyers recognized for their legal abilities and professional ethical standards."
In addition to representing clients through Betts Law Office, Mr. Betts also provides mediation and dispute resolution services through the firm of Betts Mediation & Dispute Resolution LLC.
