Michael Kippins

Lauren Sampson Fellow

Michael Kippins joined Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) as the Lauren Sampson Fellow in 2023. In this role, Michael represents clients in a variety of civil rights cases, including police accountability, education, employment, and climate justice.

Most recently, Michael filed a landmark civil rights complaint against Harvard University challenging the discriminatory impact of legacy and donor admissions preferences. This groundbreaking work has been the subject of national attention, including widespread media coverage in publications such as the New York Times.

Prior to joining LCR, Michael worked at Seyfarth Shaw where he represented clients in commercial and business litigation matters. He was also actively involved in pro bono work, including LCR matters. Michael also previously served as a judicial clerk to the Hon. Margot Botsford of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, and to the Hon. R. Malcolm Graham of the Massachusetts Appeals Court.

Michael earned his J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law, and his B.A. in Economics from Cornell University. 

Honors & Awards:

• Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Excellence in the Law Up & Coming Lawyer (2021)
• The National Black Lawyers Top 40 Under 40 (2020 & 2021)
• Massachusetts Super Lawyers Rising Star for Business Litigation (2017, 2018, 2020)