Michael is the former Chair of the firm's multidisciplinary Life Sciences Health Industry Group, comprised of more than 250 professionals. He joined Reed Smith in 2003 as part of the firm's combination with Crosby, Heafey, Roach & May. From 2003-2006, he served on Reed Smith's firmwide Executive Committee.
Michael's litigation and trial practice focuses on complex product liability and commercial matters, including class actions, Multi-District Litigations (MDL), mass torts, and claims for unfair competition and false advertising under state consumer protection statutes. Michael's clients include, among others, Medtronic, Inc., C.R. Bard Inc., Pfizer Inc., Merck & Co. Inc., Eli Lilly and Company, and GlaxoSmithKline, Inc. (GSK).
Michael currently is National Coordinating and Trial Counsel for C. R. Bard Inc. in the In re Kugel Mesh Hernia Repair Patch Litigation, which is the subject of federal Multi-District proceedings in the District of Rhode Island and Coordinated State proceedings in the Superior Court of Rhode Island. He also represents C.R. Bard in the Pelvic Mesh Litigation and litigation involving Inferior Vena Cava filters. He also has been National Coordinating and Trial Counsel for Pfizer Inc. in the In re Mirapex Products Liability Litigation involving a drug to treat Parkinson's disease. That litigation was the subject of federal MDL proceedings in the District of Minnesota. He also represents GSK in the Avandia litigation.
Michael also represents Medtronic, Inc. in litigation involving a variety of its products, including spinal and biologic products, including the Infuse Device, Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators (ICDs), pain pumps, neurological devices and insulin pumps, among other products. He was Co-Liaison Counsel for Merck in the California Vioxx Litigation, and a member of the National Trial Team for 3M in the Silicone Gel Breast Implant Litigation. He also has been a Faculty Member at the IADC's Trial Academy at Stanford University.
He has also been named as one of Lawdragon's 500 Leading Lawyers in America and Best Lawyers in America. Michael has been consistently named by Chambers USA and Legal 500 and the International Who's Who of Product Liability and Life Science Lawyers as one of the "Leading Lawyers" for product liability. In August 2010, Law360 named Michael one of the "10 Most Admired Product Liability Attorneys." In 2008, he received Reed Smith's Shaw's Lion Award, given annually to the firm's outstanding lawyer over the previous year. Also in 2010, the The American Lawyer named Reed Smith as the Litigation Department of the Year for Product Liability.
Michael has testified more than a dozen times before legislative and other committees concerning proposed legislation involving protective orders and confidential settlement agreements, summary judgments, unfair competition statutes, electronic discovery, and other issues. He has worked with a coalition of businesses to oppose bills that would have eroded protection for confidential and proprietary information as well as bills that would have given prosecutors and private plaintiffs a "disgorgement of profits" remedy in cases involving California Business and Professions Code Sections 17200 et al, and he was a member of the Civil Justice Working Group providing assistance to then-governor-elect Schwarzenegger's transition team. He was also actively involved in working on reform efforts involving Section 17200, particularly Proposition 64, which was enacted by California voters November 2, 2004.