Berger Montague’s Michelle Drake Recognized for Advocacy on Behalf of Detained Refugees and Immigrants

Super Lawyers profile highlights the Minneapolis office’s fight against unlawful federal detention practices

PHILADELPHIA and MINNEAPOLIS – Berger Montague is proud to announce that Executive Shareholder E. Michelle Drake, who founded and leads the Firm’s Minneapolis office, has been featured in a Super Lawyers profile titled “The Urgency of the Moment,” spotlighting her leadership in defending refugees and immigrants against unlawful detention by federal authorities in Minneapolis.

“Michelle’s work on behalf of refugees and immigrants in Minneapolis reflects exactly what this profession should stand for,” said Eric L. Cramer, Chairman of Berger Montague. “I could not be prouder of Michelle, and of everyone across the Firm who stood with her. This is who we are, and it’s the standard we hold ourselves to in every case we take on.”

The profile chronicles the work Drake and the Minneapolis team — joined by colleagues across the Firm — undertook on behalf of refugees and immigrants whom the federal government was detaining and treating in ways advocates described as unlawful. The team pursued habeas corpus petitions and class action litigation to secure the release of detained refugees and immigrants and to challenge the government’s detention practices. All of the refugees covered by the class action lawsuit have been released.

Co-counsel on the effort included The Advocates for Human Rights and the International Refugee Assistance Project. Michele McKenzie, Executive Director of The Advocates for Human Rights, praised Drake’s ability to bring hidden injustices to public attention, while Ghita Schwarz, Senior Director of U.S. litigation at the International Refugee Assistance Project, commended Drake’s strategic thinking and her skill in making complex legal arguments accessible, calling her courtroom presentations “mesmerizing.”

Although ICE activity in the region has since scaled back, the need for legal assistance among affected refugees and immigrants remains significant. Drake and her colleagues continue to pursue legal relief and other avenues of support for those still affected.

Drake, who began her legal career as a public defender in Georgia, has spent more than two decades combining complex civil litigation with a sustained commitment to human rights and public service.

Berger Montague is one of the nation’s preeminent law firms focusing on complex civil litigation, class actions, and mass torts in federal and state courts throughout the United States. With more than $2.4 billion in 2025 post-trial judgments alone, the Firm is a leader in the fields of complex litigation, antitrust, consumer protection, defective products, environmental law, employment law, securities, and whistleblower cases, among many other practice areas. For over 55 years, Berger Montague has played leading roles in precedent-setting cases and has recovered over $50 billion for its clients and the classes they have represented. Berger Montague is headquartered in Philadelphia and has offices in Chicago; Malvern, PA; Minneapolis; San Diego; San Francisco; Toronto, Canada; Washington, DC, and Wilmington, DE.

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E. Michelle Drake

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