Michael Holston has long been a leader for pro bono assistance and a champion of equal justice. Since February 2007, Holston has served as executive vice president, general counsel and secretary at Hewlett-Packard Company (HP). In that role, he is responsible for the company’s worldwide legal affairs, including patents and licenses, litigation and regulatory matters. He also oversees the company’s compliance, government affairs, and privacy and ethics operations. Prior to joining HP, Holston was a partner in the litigation practice at Morgan Lewis, where, among other clients, he supported HP as external counsel on a variety of litigation and regulatory matters for more than 10 years. Prior to private practice, Holston served as a prosecutor in the criminal division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Holston’s pro bono efforts include his work with the American Bar Association, American Civil Liberties Union and Volunteers for the Indigent Program. He has represented dozens of clients through Criminal Justice Act panel court appointments over the past 15 years. Significant highlights include successful representation of a death row inmate in Alabama. Due to the efforts of Holston and his team, Bo Cochran was granted a new trial, acquitt ed and set free after 21 years in prison. Holston worked with the 2008 NLADA Exemplar Award honoree, Ken Frazier of Merck & Co., Inc., on this case. He also established the in-house pro bono program at HP.
Holston’s pro bono work began with representation of juveniles in criminal cases in state court in Chester County, Pennsylvania as a law student. He has served as a board member for several non-profi ts in the Philadelphia area including: Philadelphia Police Athletic League, Bryn Mawr Fire Company and Echoes Around the World. Holston received his law degree from Villanova University School of Law and holds a bachelors degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Notre Dame.