Michael is a trial lawyer who limits his practice to the representation of seriously injured people and their families. He has tried cases in four states in both state and federal court. He has been admitted to practice in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Massachusetts. He has been board-certified as a civil trial lawyer by the National Board of Trial Advocacy since 1995, and he has served as an examiner for the NBTA's national certification examination. He was invited to join the prestigious American Board of Trial Advocates in 2001 and he has held an "AV" rating, the highest available, from Martindale-Hubble for many years. He has been selected as an Illinois Super Lawyer every year since 2006.

He is widely sought after as a continuing legal education lecturer, and has been invited to speak by the Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education, the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, the Illinois State Bar Association, the United States Department of Justice, and many local bar associations. He is also a past Governor of the Illinois State Bar Association.

Michael also has a growing alternative dispute resolution practice. He was trained as a mediator by the Center for Conflict Resolution in Chicago, Illinois in 2005. He is an invited member of FIRNA's panel of neutrals, an organization which addresses disputes between investors and brokers. Although Michael has particular experience in medical negligence and complex litigation matters, he has successfully mediated commercial, employment, juvenile, and other disputes.