ORLANDO, FL, September 24, 2026 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Michael Panella has been included in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.

Mr. Panella's career is distinguished by over a decade of leadership as a managing partner at Panella Law Firm in Orlando, beginning in May 2016. Under his guidance, the firm has become recognized for its expertise in criminal defense and family law, particularly in self-defense litigation and serious felonies across Florida. His practice is characterized by an active trial schedule, with relentless court appearances throughout the state, reflecting his commitment to representing clients in multiple judicial circuits rather than limiting his work to a single jurisdiction.

For Mike, criminal defense runs much deeper than the fact that every defendant is entitled to a "fair trial" and excellent representation. Those things are a foregone conclusion that every competent practitioner must assent to as far as he is concerned. For Mike, it is personal. At a young age, he experienced the devastating impact the legal system can have on a family and dedicated his life to becoming a voice for the voiceless.

Mike has often attributed his passion for the law to three concepts:

1. To attempt to be "all things to all people that by all means I might gain some;"

2. To do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly;

3. And to abide by the example Jesus set when he rescued a woman caught in the act of adultery (punishable by death at the time) and offered forgiveness and a second chance over judgment and condemnation.

A defining moment in Mr. Panella's career occurred early in his tenure at Panella Law Firm when he took on a high-stakes case in Brevard County involving a man wrongly accused of three counts of attempted first degree premeditated murder of a law enforcement officer. The case required him to leave a stable position at the public defender's office, facing significant financial uncertainty with a young family at home.

Despite formidable opposition and initial setbacks in court, Mr. Panella's dedication led to appellate opinions that changed self-defense law throughout Florida. This achievement is one of the professional milestones he values most, as it exemplified both personal sacrifice and meaningful legal impact. Since then, his firm has secured additional notable victories, including multiple clients exonerated for murder, to include the jury acquittal of a client charged with shooting into an occupied vehicle in a desperate attempt to save his own life.

Prior to establishing his practice, Mr. Panella served as consulting attorney for the Offices of Sonya Rudenstine, Attorney at Law from 2014 to 2019. From 2015 to 2016, he worked as an assistant public defender at the Office of the Public Defender for the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit in Central Florida. This role provided him with invaluable courtroom experience and reinforced his commitment to defending those facing serious charges. Mr. Panella was undefeated at trial.

Earlier in his career, from 2012 to 2014, Mr. Panella was a law clerk at O'Mara Law Group in Orlando. During this period, he was part of the defense team for the high-profile George Zimmerman case, contributing to appellate briefs and supporting trial preparation over two years. His involvement in this landmark case further solidified his interest and expertise in criminal defense.

Mr. Panella's legal journey began as a law clerk at the Law Firm of Larry Gibbs Turner, P.L., in Gainesville from 2011 to 2012. While still attending law school, he gained practical experience working closely with seasoned criminal defense attorneys.

Before entering law school, Mr. Panella held roles as a constituent services representative for United States Senator George LeMieux from 2009 to 2010 and United States Senator Mel Martinez from 2007 to 2009. These positions provided early exposure to public service, legislative processes, and solidified the desire to help others.

In addition to his legal career, Mr. Panella has maintained a longstanding commitment to music. He served as the music director at United Church of the Nazarene for over 20 years, and as a worship leader in many other churches since 2001.

Mr. Panella's academic background laid a strong foundation for his professional achievements. He earned a Juris Doctor cum laude from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in Gainesville in 2013. During law school, he completed a certificate program in criminal justice and received book awards for highest grades in criminal law and child-parent-state relations courses. He also graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of Central Florida in Orlando in 2009, specializing in international relations and comparative politics with a minor in philosophy.

Beyond his academic credentials, Mr. Panella is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Middle, and Southern Districts of Florida, as well as all courts of the State of Florida.

Throughout his career, Mr. Panella has been recognized for excellence by several organizations. He is a three-time recipient of the Client Choice Award from Avvo and Martindale between 2022 and 2024 and has been named a Super Lawyers Rising Star since 2019. He has been listed among the Top 40 Under 40 National Trial Lawyers since 2019 and included among the Top 100 Trial Lawyers by National Trial Lawyers. His academic honors include book awards from the University of Florida Levin College of Law and a research grant from the University of Central Florida.

Mr. Panella maintains active memberships with several professional organizations, including the Orange County Bar Association, the Seminole County Bar Association, the Brevard County Bar Association, the Central Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and The Florida Bar. He is also active with the University of Florida Alumni Association, the Florida Justice Association, and the National Trial Lawyers Association. During his academic tenure, he also served as International Justice of the Phi Alpha Delta Legal Fraternity, an officer position at the organization's international level.

Civic engagement is central to Mr. Panella's life outside the courtroom. He volunteers as a program sponsor for Oviedo Little League and leads life skill groups within his church's young adult ministry. As worship leader and musician for various churches since 2001 — including continuous service at his current church since 2006 — he prepares musical sets weekly for bands he directs and has led worship services more than 3,000 times.

The guiding influences behind Mr. Panella's success are rooted deeply in family history and personal faith. Inspired by witnessing his mother raise three sons alone after an unjust legal battle during his childhood, he credits her unwavering belief that they could achieve anything they set their minds to as foundational to his accomplishments. He also acknowledges his faith in God for sustaining him through challenges and expresses gratitude for his wife's steadfast support throughout every risk taken on behalf of clients or his family.

Born in Hollywood, Mr. Panella is devoted to spending time with his wife and their two children during these formative years. Music remains an enduring passion reflected by numerous guitars filling their home. Looking ahead, he is dedicated to building Panella Law Firm into Florida's preeminent criminal defense practice — recognized statewide as the foremost choice for those seeking exceptional representation in criminal matters, while continuing to serve clients with integrity guided by core values established throughout his life's journey.

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