He received his B.A. from the University of Kentucky and his Juris Doctor from the U.K. Law School in 1978. He is a former prosecutor in the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office. He was an attorney in the Florida Department of Law Enforcement from late 1985 until his retirement in early 2014. Michael has taught basic academy classes and specialized training classes including work as an adjunct instructor in criminal law at Tallahassee Community College, as well as various courses for the Florida Police Attorneys Association, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and the Florida Association of Police Attorneys. He is currently the General Counsel for a Tallahassee, Florida non-profit organization focusing on homeland security and law enforcement projects and is a featured speaker for Training Force USA.