After his father died when Michael was just eight years old, Michael’s mother worked to raise Michael and his two brothers, teaching them the values of individual responsibility, hard work and the endless opportunity that America represents. Throughout his youth, Michael worked at countless jobs to help his single mom support the family, from mowing lawns to managing a movie theater. Michael’s mom continues to live in the family home that Michael renovated for her after paying off the mortgage.

Michael’s younger brother, Steven, is a doctor living in Newbury Park with his wife and three children. Michael’s youngest brother, David, recently returned from Afghanistan as a captain in the U.S. Air Force, where he navigated a reconnaissance aircraft to gather intelligence on our enemies around the world.
 
Education
All candidates talk about the value of education, but Michael embodies that value. Michael attended public elementary, junior high, and high school in Thousand Oaks, where he graduated first in his class as Valedictorian. Michael went on to study Economics at UCLA, where he earned a degree in just three years — first in his class of over 9,000 — with a 4.0 GPA. Michael graduated, with honors, from Harvard Law School.
 
Public Service and Community Leadership
Michael has been dedicated to serving his community by prosecuting crime, promoting the arts, and encouraging the highest ethical standards in his profession.
 
Michael has volunteered as a Deputy District Attorney in Ventura County and in Brooklyn, New York — and has prosecuted at least ten criminal cases, ranging from drunk-driving to double-murder.
 
Michael served as the youngest President of the Board of Governors of the Thousand Oaks Performing Arts Center – the largest such center between Los Angeles and San Francisco -- and as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Civic Arts Plaza Foundation.
 
Michael was elected by his peers to represent a district of 40,000 lawyers as a director of the California Young Lawyers Association. Michael also serves on the Committee on Professional Responsibility and Ethics of the Los Angeles County Bar Association.
 
Professional Life and Experience with Federal Law
Michael works as a businessman and lawyer in southern California and as a visiting professor of American and international business law in Europe.

Having started his career advising Fortune 500 companies as a management consultant with McKinsey & Company, Michael today works with promising entrepreneurs to help build their businesses.

Beginning over 11 years ago as a lawyer at Sullivan & Cromwell and now in his own practice, Michael has worked on an array of complex cases involving issues of federal law -- including antitrust, employment, intellectual property, and securities matters.

Michael has taught courses on the American legal system at the University of Paris (known to many as the Sorbonne) and teaches international business law at some of the leading business schools for MBAs in Europe.

Republican Values
Michael is not a career politician but, rather, a lifelong Republican citizen inspired to public service by the accomplishments of Ronald Reagan, Barry Goldwater, and Thomas Jefferson. Michael’s first political experience was in high school as a volunteer for Tom McClintock when the fellow fiscal conservative was campaigning for State Assembly. Michael has served as an appointed member of the Republican State Central Committee and as an alternate member of the Ventura County Republican Central Committee.