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Schedule a Consultation with Mike
Mike Cheroutes
 I attended the Texas Wesleyan School of Law on a merit scholarship awarded because of my performance on the law school entrance exam. While in law school I earned additional scholarship awards based upon grades and community service, culminating in being named the McLean/Boulware “Student of the Year” in my final year. I was elected by my peers and professors to give the commencement address at graduation, and was honored by Texas civil rights groups with the McGuigan Award for outstanding service to the cause of civil liberties. I enjoyed law school very much, and after my career as a litigator, I may very well decide to return to academia as a visiting or full time professor.
Prior to entering a private practice of family law, I devoted my career to public and community service. I worked for and with a number of non-profit organizations in furtherance of my personal commitment to the idea that justice and opportunity ought to be available to all without regard to race, social status, or political and religious belief. My achievements in the area of public service and civil rights, and the various awards and honors bestowed upon me for that service, remain a source of personal pride.
I did not leave my ideals behind when I made the decision to enter private practice, I translated them. While it is true that the private practice goal of protecting and vindicating individual rights is more narrow than the public-service goal of establishing and enforcing class rights, it is equally true that a society is only as just as its day-to-day treatment of the individuals over whom it exerts its power. In the effort to influence the systemic administration of justice, it does no good to raise the ceiling unless you also raise the floor. Said another way, it does no good to blaze a trail unless somebody follows. As a family law attorney, I contribute to creating a more just and fair society, one client at a time.
Four years ago I returned to my hometown of Denver after many years away. At least I think it is Denver - it has changed so much that I sometimes wonder. I am an avid fly fisherman, and on most weekends, summer or winter, my brother and I can be found somewhere in the mountains crashing through the woods in an attempt to find the perfect stretch of undiscovered water.
Family law is the most intensely personal and potentially invasive area of law that people can become involved in. The highly adversarial “win-at-all-costs” approach to litigation that is appropriate in other areas of law is a poor fit in the family law arena. For that reason, I approach all cases with the hope of reaching a settlement that will minimize the financial and emotional impact on both sides. This approach is not the most profitable – lawyers make more money when clients fight – but it provides the best chance of getting my clients through their cases with a minimum of psychological and monetary damage. Settlement, however, is not always possible, and when litigation becomes necessary, I will aggressively assert my clients rights inside and outside of the courtroom. I am skilled at, and very much enjoy, trying cases in court, but I do not lose sight of the fact that litigation ought to be a last resort.
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