Michaele Snyder Battles

Michaele Snyder Battles of McLean, VA and Bethany Beach, DE passed away on July 6, 2025. She was born in Coraopolis, PA on July 3, 1942. Determined to escape the confines of a small industrial town, she majored in Southeast Asian Studies at Ohio State University, then became one of six women in her class at Boston University School of Law, where she graduated in 1967. After participating in Martin Luther King's March on Washington in 1962, she decided to specialize in civil rights.
She began her legal career at the now-defunct Department of Health, Education and Welfare as a school desegregation litigator throughout the South. She later transferred to the Dept. of Labor and Civil Rights Division to work on improving employment opportunities for minorities and women. In 1974 she became a specialist in the disability rights movement, drafting regulations and leading the Department's enforcement of the Americans With Disabilities Act. That led to a job as an adjunct professor at the Cornell School of Industrial and Labor Relations, where she conducted seminars for human resources professionals in their continuing education division for 20 years.
In 1986 Mrs. Battles entered private practice in McLean, VA. She became a partner in Kiblan & Battles, the only known Jewish/Arab law firm in the area, where she specialized in civil rights, domestic relations and personal injury. During her career Mrs. Battles was listed on several 'Who's who' lists capturing the best practitioners in their fields, including Labor, Women Leaders and Women in Business/Law.
Mrs. Battles was a lifelong member of the ACLU, serving as both the Northern Virginia president, on the Virginia and National Capital Area boards and on the National ACLU Board of Directors. She was active in ORT America, an organization which operates high tech high schools, colleges and technical training institutes around the world. In 2008 she was honored with their Woman of the Year award. She was also a member of Temple Rodef Shalom and volunteered with the McLean Project for the Arts.
Mrs. Battles' proudest role was that of wife to Philip M. Battles, whom she married in 1969, and mother to Alexander Battles and Adam Battles, known as Casey. She also leaves behind a much-loved daughter in law, Tas Battles; adored grandchildren, Lilah Battles and Riley Battles and two cherished siblings, Allison Harding of Dallas and Lloyd Snyder of Cleveland as well as several nephews and a niece. Service private.