he attended george washington university law school, where he graduated order of the coif and first in his class with a j.d. in 2000. in 2003, george washington university law school established the michael j. avenatti award for excellence in pre-trial and trial advocacy, an annual award given to the member of the graduating juris doctor class who demonstrates excellence in pre-trial and trial advocacy. avenatti also received george washington university's prestigious alumni recognition award in 2010.