Who We Are

Michael Palmer. Program Director

Michael Palmer founded Ethics By Design to serve the ethics, compliance, and enterprise risk management needs of organizations of all types and sizes. An authority on organizational ethics, Mike's consulting practice has included work for Fortune 500 companies, big four accounting firms, law firms, colleges, medical care facilities, and government agencies.

Mike has written numerous articles and books on professional ethics, professional and business judgment, and litigation risk management, several of which are available through this website on our books and articles page.

A frequent speaker and resource person, Mike has conducted workshops at international conferences and taught numerous seminars.

Mike developed the Interest-centered Ethics method to help resolve the most challenging moral dilemmas in settings not covered by the rules.

Mike received his Ph.D., magna cum laude, from the Freie Universität in Berlin, Germany, and his J.D., magna cum laude, from Georgetown University and has taught social ethics, theology, law, and professional ethics at the Freie Universität, University of Maryland, Chicago-Kent College of Law, and Middlebury College.

Before founding Ethics By Design, Mike worked as a lawyer for 25 years. It is legal work, Mike saw firsthand how the failure to prevent fraud and theft can destroy a business. As a consultant for government agencies in the Middle East, the Balkans, and Asia, he has confronted the destructive impact of corruption on economic development.

Both as an entrepreneur in his own right and as an advisor to numerous company leaders, Mike has an intimate knowledge of the formation and development of business entities.

Mike has been a regular speaker at international conferences of the American Bar Association and the Society for Corporate Compliance and Ethics.

Mike is a member of the Society for Corporate Compliance and Ethics, the Society for Human Resource Management, the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, the American Bar Association, the Vermont Bar Association, the Vermont Chamber of Commerce, Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility, and the Society for Business Ethics. He has served as a director of nonprofit boards and school boards and has held leadership positions in associations and government ad hoc committees, including the Vermont Task Force on Truancy.

Mike is also the founder of When Before Trial, a litigation and settlement support firm specializing in interest analysis and case valuation.

Download a Complete Copy of Mike's CV here.