Meet Michael! Michael grew up in Las Vegas and moved to Reno to attend the University of Nevada, earning his bachelor’s in history and theater. After graduation, Michael taught in northern Nevada schools for 15 years, teaching US Government, US History, World History, Economics, and Geography, and he ran the Galena High School drama program for six years, directing 18 plays. During his time as a teacher, Michael also participated heavily in local theater in Reno both on and off stage, including roles in productions of “Rashomon”, “Macbeth”, “When You Come Back Red Ryder”, “Titus Andronicus”, “Nuts”, “The Birthday Party”, “Oedipus”, and “The Tempest”.
Michael left teaching in 2012 to attend the Boyd School of Law at UNLV, obtaining his JD in two and a half years. After graduation, he clerked for the Honorable Lynn Jones in Nevada’s 2nd Judicial District. Upon the conclusion of his clerkship, Michael moved into private practice, initially focusing on commercial and contract litigation before transitioning to insurance defense. He is currently in his 12th year of practice operating out of the Reno office of BWB&O.
Q&A
Q: You spent 15 years teaching before becoming an attorney. What inspired you to pursue a career in law?
A: My father started practicing law in Las Vegas in the 70s and eventually co-founded the Thorndal firm. In 1993, he was appointed to the bench in Clark County and later elected to the state supreme court. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that I was raised to think like a lawyer. I started college with the goal of being a history professor, even starting a master’s program after graduation. I started substitute teaching to earn money during graduate school, and I got a taste for teaching. I used to joke that doctor’s kids rebel and become lawyers; lawyer’s kids rebel and become teachers.
In 2005 I got a dream job, running a high school theater program. Absolutely loved it. After the sixth year, my principal called me in to tell me that he had no choice but to take a class away from me. I started reconsidering my career and wondering whether I should finally embrace the “family business.” Over that year, the idea grew on me, and I applied for and was accepted to the Boyd School of Law.
Q: How has your background in teaching and theatre influenced your approach to practicing law?
A: Teaching has had a major impact on my litigation style. Teaching social studies is all about laying the foundation. You don’t understand what is happening now if you don’t understand what came before. Thus, when I write a motion or deliver oral argument, I make sure to “teach” the issue. Cut through what is immaterial and show how A leads to B, which leads to C. Acting has also played a key part in my methodology as a lawyer, as an underappreciated skill for actors is playing to your audience. You can usually feel when a judge is leaning the wrong way when you are presenting a motion to the Court. You have to stay nimble, discern on the fly where the leverage point is, and shift your emphasis. You can drive home a winning argument or salvage a losing argument by paying attention to your audience, rather than just thundering through the points in your outline.
Q: What is your favorite way to spend a weekend with your family?
A: Going to parks or children’s play places is always a hit; throwing a football with my son; doing things as simple as going shopping; swimming at the local pool; taking them to play in my mom’s neighborhood; watching Star Wars cartoons (when they’ll settle down enough to actually watch). Anything can be great; you just have to do it.
Q: If you could step back onto the stage in any theatrical production, which role would you choose and why?
A: It’s hard to choose. A couple of roles I have played were record-breakers. However, I always come back to Shakespeare. I would give a lot to take a crack at either Iago in Othello or Shylock in The Merchant of Venice. Exploring characters with a dark streak to them has always struck a chord with me. How and why they got to where they are. Also, to no small extent, characters like that are such a big departure from who I am. I’m pretty straight-laced. Jedi, far more than Sith. Exploring different and sometimes darker paths on stage in the past helped me keep my feet on the ground in real life.
A special thank you to Michael for being part of this spotlight and sharing his experience with us!