“Setting things right is paramount to me. Wrongs happen, sadly, and when they do, it’s almost never possible to just go back to the way things were. What’s more, sometimes you have to fight to get the compensation that you deserve. We know this at Arnold & Itkin, and work earnestly to win so that you can move forward.”
Biography
Profile
The second of eight children, Michael grew up in Southern California. He developed an interest in law and public policy at a young age. His father was an attorney, and Michael intended to follow the same path. After a year of college, Michael moved to the Dominican Republic to serve a church mission. During those two years, he was captivated by how different life there was. He became driven to find a career path in which he could help people and make things work the right way.
After returning home from his mission, finishing his undergraduate studies, and teaching English in Peru for a little while, Michael moved to Pittsburgh to attend graduate school in public policy and management. His graduate studies included rigorous training in economics, management theory, and computer modeling for business and public policy analysis. Michael also had the opportunity to co-author several papers on drug policy and spend a summer working at the New York City Police Department. Following graduate school, Michael worked for two years as an internal auditor for the City of San Diego before eventually deciding the time was right to pursue his legal career.
Michael chose to attend law school at Washington University in St. Louis. He was instantly drawn to litigation and made that the focus of his studies. He earned two awards for his outstanding oral advocacy, was an Articles Editor for the Washington University Jurisprudence Review, and published a student note on criminal background checks for employment. He also secured internships with the Wisconsin Attorney General’s Office, where he assisted the state’s appellate attorneys in litigation involving constitutionality challenges, and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, where he wrote appellate briefs in response to petitions by defendants. During law school, Michael made sure to take advantage of St. Louis’s local blues music and barbecue.
Before joining Arnold & Itkin, Michael completed a trial court clerkship and worked for a small law firm in Utah. These experiences, especially his clerkship, galvanized his commitment to doing work that would allow him to help others to the best of his abilities. Sadly, in life people can be wronged in many ways, and Michael feels impelled to help put things right. A lawyer is someone versed in the law, and an attorney is an advocate for others. Michael strives to be the best of both.
Michael loves to spend time with his family. He also enjoys live blues and rock music, the outdoors, and thriller dramas.
