Michele's path into criminal defense began before she even had her law license. While attending law school at night, she interned with the Sacramento County Public Defender's Office Major Crimes Unit, where she worked alongside seasoned trial lawyers on serious cases, including death penalty matters. It was a 60-hour-a-week kind of schedule, but it shaped the kind of lawyer she would become.
After passing the bar, she joined the office as a public defender and kept doing the same work: complex cases, real courtroom experience, and no shortcuts.
When she moved to Los Angeles, she stayed in public defense, working with both the Los Angeles Alternate Public Defender's Office and Alternate Defense Counsel, representing clients facing serious charges throughout the county. Eventually, she moved into private practice, joining one of the first criminal defense firms built around former public defenders, which meant she was already comfortable in courtrooms across Los Angeles and the surrounding counties long before she opened her own practice.
Today, Michele handles all aspects of criminal defense for Michael & Associates, with a particular focus on DUI cases and administrative hearings. Much of her work takes place in Los Angeles and San Bernardino County courts, where she's built lasting relationships and a reputation that speaks for itself. In 2017, she received the "Street Fighter of the Year" award from the Private Defenders of California, and earlier in her career, she earned the "Last Acquittal" award from Alternate Defense Counsel for her work in Sacramento's death penalty unit.
Outside the office, Michele is involved in the Pasadena community through the Pasadena Rotary and has a genuine love for the arts—she's a regular at local theater, the Pasadena POPS, and live music. Weekends usually find her hiking, biking, doing yoga, or walking the Rose Bowl.
