Drawing on a Background in Labor and Employment Law to Help Injured Ohio Workers
Michael Zidar is an Associate Attorney at NRS Injury Law, focusing on workers’ compensation law. Drawing on more than three decades working in labor and employment law at the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, Michael now leverages his unmatched knowledge of Ohio labor law to help injured workers.
Inspired by Experience in Blue Collar Employment
From the young boy who used to take the bus after school to his father’s law office in downtown Cleveland to the teenager who took jobs at electrical fabrication factories and industrial chemical plants, Michael has many reasons why he’s been called to serve as a plaintiff’s attorney in workers’ compensation law. “Between my upbringing with an attorney for a father and my first few jobs in hazardous roles where workers would get injured often, it’s no wonder I wound up as an attorney representing injured workers,” Michael said, walking us through his career trajectory.
“I remember making six dollars an hour working in a factory mixing industrial chemicals,” Michael said. “This was during the 1980s too, mind you, a period of massive deregulation.” Michael described how the experiences of his first few working-class jobs, plus some encouragement from his peers and mentors in undergrad, inspired him to take the LSAT and enter law school at Cleveland-Marshall College of Law.
Drawing on Decades of Service at the Ohio Attorney General’s Office to Help Injured Workers
In addition to his current role representing injured workers at NRS Injury Law, Michael spent 35 years in numerous legal fields at the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office and the Ohio Attorney General’s Office. From 1989 to 2023, Michael served as an Assistant County Prosecutor, the Assistant Ohio Attorney General in the Employment Law Section, an Associate Assistant Attorney General in the Ohio Executive Agencies Section (Labor Relations Unit), and the Senior Ohio Assistant Attorney General in the Workers’ Compensation Section. The result? Michael brings a vast range of legal knowledge in employment and labor law that few in Ohio can claim.
After three-and-a-half decades as an attorney, Michael retired, promptly realized retirement wasn’t for him, and reentered the workforce as an Associate Attorney with NRS Injury Law at the firm’s Euclid office. Today, Michael handles primarily the administrative side of workers’ compensation cases, drawing on his extensive background in the field to help his fellow attorneys carefully construct winning cases for the firm’s clients.
Work/Life Balance
When he’s not working, Michael loves spending time outside, whether at his home in Cleveland or on the road with his wife during one of their frequent sightseeing road trips or a quick flight to see family members. Michael is also an avid reader and frequent dog walker, and he enjoys weekends spent landscaping his yard during the spring, summer, and fall.
Don’t Wait to Seek Legal Help from Michael Zidar
“NRS Injury Law has the critical staff experience a law firm needs to be effective,” Michael said in closing, laying out why he thinks the firm has grown to be the state’s largest workers’ compensation law firm. “It’s not complicated,” Michael added with a shrug and a smile. “They [the Partners] built an unprecedented law practice that consistently gets results for clients. So it doesn’t surprise me the firm has grown to be the leader in the state.”
With a background that includes multiple decades in employment law, Michael Zidar provides unique perspectives and invaluable knowledge in NRS Injury Law’s day-to-day operations. Michael’s lifetime commitment to his legal practice and his strong ties to labor rights and employment law position him perfectly to carry out NRS Injury Law’s mission to: “Provide empathetic and patient service to every person who calls the firm, and to relentlessly pursue the best possible outcome on behalf of every client by putting collective experience, knowledge, and passion to work every day.” To retain an effective legal team with a proven track record and to speak with Michael and the firm about your case, call 855.468.4878 or fill out a convenient online contact form.
Community Impact
Michael has long understood the importance of giving back to the community, hence his involvement on the Board of Trustees at Elyria, Ohio’s Blessing House. “Blessing House serves as a safety net for families in crisis by providing a safe shelter for children and support for their families,” Michael says. “My wife co-chaired their annual fundraiser for 18 years, and I served on the board for six years. Even as we look towards our Golden Years, we’re still passionate about supporting the Blessing House as it steps in to help children and mothers when they need it most.” Michael has also contributed his legal knowledge by giving talks at the Interstate Labor Standards Association National Convention, Ohio State Bar Association, Region 8 NLRB Seminar, the State Employment Relations Board, and the Developing Labor Law Conference.
Practice Areas
- Workers’ Compensation Law
Education
- Cleveland State University, Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, Cleveland, Ohio
- J.D. – 01/1988
- Kent State University, Kent, Ohio
- B.B.A. – 1983
- Major:
Business and Marketing
Bar Admissions
- Ohio, 1988
Professional Associations
- Ohio State Bar Association
Current and Past Positions
- NRS Injury Law, August 2024-present: (Associate Attorney representing injured Ohio workers).
- Ohio Attorney General’s Office, January 1997-December 2023: (Assistant Attorney General in the following: Employment Section [1997-1999], Labor Relations Unit [1999-2008], Workers’ Compensation Section [2008-2023]).
- Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office, April 1989-January 1997: (Assistant County Prosecutor tasked with representing the State of Ohio in all felony level criminal cases originating in Cuyahoga County).
