Mike Lawson is an Attorney whose practice focuses on Business and Banking Law, Property, Real Estate Development, Real Estate Closing Services, Government Regulation, Civil Litigation and Commercial Litigation. He has practiced in Northwest Florida since 2004. In March of 2007 he founded The Lawson Law Firm, P. A. in order to serve the needs of the rapidly growing business and banking community in Walton County. Mike presently resides in Choctaw Beach with his wife, Nicole, and their children, Margaret and John.

Prior to his legal career, Mike was a specialist in the area of nuclear and biological weapons proliferation. As a defense contractor, he was a research specialist for the Department of Energy's Export Controls Division in 1993. From 1994 to 1999, Mike served as the operations officer for the then newly created "Initiatives for Proliferation Prevention" in the Department of Energy's Nuclear Weapons and Nonproliferation Division. In that capacity, he helped create the program and was instrumental in implementing and monitoring over 450 commercial development projects at former biological and nuclear weapons facilities in the former Soviet Union. From 1999 to 2000 Mr. Lawson was an Associate at Booz, Allen & Hamilton specializing in National Security, Commercial Nuclear Energy and Russian Commercial development. During his time in Washington, D.C., Mr. Lawson developed considerable practical expertise in congressional and government affairs.

A graduate of Choctawhatchee High School, Mike earned a J.D. from the College of William and Mary; an M.A. in War Studies from King's College, University of London; and a B.A. in International Studies from the University of West Florida. At William and Mary, he was elected to the Order of Barristers. Mike has also studied at University College Dublin; the University of Oslo; Klagenfurt University, Austria; and the College of William and Mary in Madrid, Spain. He was awarded the Mary Bell Washington Irish Studies scholarship and the Book Award for Legal History. He has also participated in fellowships at the USAF War College and the Royal United Services Institute in London. Mike began his career in Washington, D.C., by serving as an intern and later as a legislative correspondent for Congressman Earl Hutto.

Mike was previously a member of the Board of Directors of the Walton Area Chamber of Commerce and is the past chairman of the Political Affairs Committee and the current chairman of the Military Affairs Committee. He is a Founding Member of the Board of Directors and Chair Elect of the Walton County Economic Development Alliance. He is a Founding Member of the Board of Directors of the Alaqua Animal Refuge. Mr. Lawson is a past Vice President of the Board of Directors for Habitat for Humanity of Walton County. Mike was also a Charter Member of the Freeport Kiwanis Club. As a graduate of the Leadership Walton Class of 2006, he is one of the founders of the BUILD Council mentoring program. Recently Mike was appointed to serve as the Walton Area Chamber's representative to the Defense Support Initiative for the Base Realignment and Closure Commission.
Click here to read his recent article in the Walton Area Chamber of Commerce November 2009 Business Journal.
Mike is admitted to practice in the State of Florida.