Mike Shaw was born in Canton, South Dakota, on July 18, 1957, and was raised in Pierre. He attended the University of South Dakota and later graduated from Western Kentucky University in 1981 with a bachelor's degree. Mike continued his education at the School of Law, University of South Dakota, graduating with a Juris Doctor degree in 1987. While in law school, he was a member of the Delta Theta Phi legal fraternity and was president of the Student Bar Association, 1986 to 1987. He was admitted to the South Dakota Bar in 1987 and was admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the District of South Dakota in 1988. Mike served as law clerk to the Honorable James W. Anderson, presiding judge of the Sixth Judicial Circuit for the State of South Dakota, from 1987 to 1988 and joined the firm in June, 1988. He is a member of the South Dakota State Bar Association, the South Dakota Defense Trial Lawyers Association, and the International Association of Gaming Regulators.
Mike is an of-counsel attorney at the May Adam Firm in Pierre. He has extensive lobbying experience and significant experience in administrative law focusing on regulatory practices, routinely appearing before State Regulatory agencies such as the SD Division of Insurance and the Division of Banking, representing companies and agents.
Mike has served on a variety of boards under appointment by various Governors. Governor Mike Rounds appointed him to the Risk Pool Advisory Board. The Advisory Board assisted and advised the Risk Pool Governing Board, the entity responsible for managing and directing South Dakota’s recently created Risk Pool, the State-operated health insurance for high-risk individuals. Mike also worked extensively on the legislation creating the Risk Pool which was passed during a special legislative session in June 2003. Mike was also nominated by Governor William Janklow to the Governor's Task Force on Workers' Compensation. The Task Force did a detailed study on the laws of workers' compensation in South Dakota and made specific legislative recommendations to the South Dakota Legislature. As a result of that Task Force, significant changes in the laws of workers' compensation were enacted. In the past, Mike has also lobbied extensively in the areas of workers' compensation, health insurance, and property casualty insurance.
