West, Michelle M

Prior to joining the firm in 2008, Ms. West's practice focused on business litigation, product liability including automotive and aviation matters, government claims, and medical malpractice. Ms. West has also prepared appellate briefs for the California Court of Appeal including the California Supreme Court. Ms. West currently works on product liability matters and mass tort litigation for the firm.

Michelle Marie West graduated cum laude from Pepperdine University School of Law where she graduated in the top 10% of the class. While at Pepperdine, Ms. West was an editor of the Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal, a member of the Moot Court Board and a research assistant to Professor Kristine S. Knaplund assisting in research and editing for Ms. Knaplund's article Postmortem Conception and a Father's Last Will, 46 Ariz. L. Rev. 91 (2001). Ms. West received several awards for achievement during law school including the Witkin/West Group award for Academic Excellence for the highest grade in several courses and the CALI Excellence for the Future Award. Ms. West was also on the Dean's Honor List. She received her undergraduate degree from the California State University at Long Beach.

Ms. West is admitted to the California Bar and the United States District Court, Central District. Ms. West is a member of the Consumer Attorneys of California, Consumer Attorneys of Los Angeles, Orange County Bar Association, Orange County Trial Lawyers Association, Los Angeles County Bar Association, South Bay Bar Association, and Women's Lawyers Association of Los Angeles.

In her free time, Ms. West enjoys marathons and triathlons and has completed more than 30 marathons as well as a 50 mile ultramarathon. Ms. West has finished in the top 100 women in the Los Angeles Marathon several times, has run the Boston Marathon twice, and raised money for St. Jude's Children's Hospital for the Marine Corps Marathon. Ms. West has also completed numerous ultra distance cycling events and participated in the Livestrong Challenge in Orange County raising money for cancer research.