Michelle Gambino is a fiercely competitive litigator, known as a pit bull to her adversaries. As a Co-Chair of the Real Estate Litigation Group, she focuses on real estate disputes and has tried cases to verdict all over the country. She is typically called in to assist clients in “bet the company” types of matters. Michelle has secured some of the largest verdicts in the country and has also helped clients avoid damage claims in the hundreds of millions of dollars. A tireless advocate for her clients, she focuses on highly publicized litigation matters involving fraud, government contracts, statutory violations, antitrust, mass tort, breach of contract, business conspiracy, privacy, Uniform Commercial Code disputes, generalized torts and/or employment litigation.
Michelle routinely represents REITS, large-scale suppliers, developers, owners, sureties, contractors, landlords and retail tenants in complex contract disputes. These often involve issues such as leases, land rights, zoning challenges, redevelopment rights, distribution centers, changes in use, condemnation, constructive eviction, density, purchase and sales transactions, construction disputes, delay claims, and all types of “projects gone wrong.” She has a proven track record of securing injunctions on an emergency basis in order to avoid a project from being derailed and/or otherwise compromised. Essentially, if a major real estate dispute is brewing, Michelle is one of the first attorneys to call.
Michelle’s client base includes Fortune 500 companies, banks, private equity funds, car manufacturers, hotels, multi-family and mixed-use developers, start-ups, joint venture entities, tech giants, defense contractors, mall and shopping center owners, franchisors, municipalities, large-scale and big-box retailers, restaurant chains, national real estate developers, REITS, utilities, media companies, data storage centers, insurers, transportation companies, and other publicly or privately held companies.
Concentrations
•Complex commercial litigation disputes
•Real estate litigation
•Banking litigation
•Mass torts, class claims
•Employment
•Construction
Recognition & Leadership
Awards & Accolades
•Shortlisted, The Legal Benchmarking Group, 'Women in Business Awards - North America Litigator of the Year,” 2025
•Listed, The Best Lawyers in America
•Commercial Litigation, 2026
•Litigation - Banking and Finance, 2022-2026
•Litigation - Real Estate, 2024-2026
•Listed, The Legal 500 United States, Dispute Resolution> General Commercial Disputes, 'Recommended Lawyer,' 2025
•Selected, Virginia Lawyers Weekly, 'Influential Women of Law,' 2025
•Team Member, a Law360 'Real Estate Practice Group of the Year,' 2023
•Named, BTI Client Service All-Stars Report, 'Client Service All-Star,' 2024
•Team Member, U.S. News - Best Lawyers, Best Law Firms Edition, 'Law Firm of the Year,' Real Estate - Litigation, 2017 and 2022
•Team Member, U.S. News - Best Lawyers, Best Law Firms Edition, 'Law Firm of the Year,' Banking & Finance - Litigation, 2017
•Listed, National Law Journal, Top 100 Verdicts in 2015 - Lead Counsel for Lord & Taylor, LLC