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Michael T Miller
About Michael
Biography
Mr. Miller has literally thousands of hours of experience representing people in high stakes, multi-million dollar complex litigation against many of the largest corporations and product manufacturers in the United States, including John Crane, Georgia-Pacific, Lorillard Tobacco Company, General Electric, Kaiser Gypsum and Kelly-Moore. Mr. Miller regularly litigates cases against the most prestigious "Big Law" insurance defense firms in the US. His legal practice focuses on all civil litigation representing plaintiffs, including employment law representing employees, consumer safety law, toxic injury law, such as asbestos, tobacco and catastrophic injury and wrongful death.
In 2013, Mr. Miller was chosen by his firm to attend the prestigious ABA/TIPS/American Board of Trial Advocates National Trial Academy held at the National Judicial College in Reno, NV. Mr. Miller has been fortunate enough to work closely with at trial, and learn from, one of the most active and accomplished trial attorneys in California.
In 2014, Mr. Miller was part of a trial team that led to a Los Angeles jury finding that Lorillard Tobacco Co. should pay at least $3.9 million to the widow of a longtime Kent and Newport smoker, finding the cigarettes’ negligent design was a key factor in her husband’s death and contributed to nearly $18 million in total damages.
In 2014, Mr. Miller worked as part of a team on a case where a jury assessed a $70,861,113 verdict for a retired machinist mate and nuclear inspector. The jury decided that John Crane, Inc. was negligent, that its asbestos-containing products were defective in design, and that it failed to warn. The jury assessed $40 million in non-economic damages. The jury assessed $30 Million dollars in Loss of Consortium Damages and $861,113 in economic damages.
In addition to California, Mr. Miller has handled cases in the states of Oregon, Washington, Utah, Colorado and Oklahoma. Mr. Miller's aggressive representation style has resulted in the recovery of more than $75,000,000 for his clients.
Mr. Miller was selected to the Super Lawyers 2017 Rising Stars List, an honor that is limited to 2.5% of attorneys in California. In 2017, Mr. Miller was also recognized by the "Lawyers of Distinction," an honor which is given to the top 10% of lawyers in the US. Mr. Miller was honored as one the "Top Attorneys in Northern California" in 2017 by San Francisco Magazine. Mr. Miller is also Lead Counsel Rated.
Mr. Miller attended law school at the California Western School of Law and graduated in 2009 with his J.D. and earned an Area of Concentration Certificate in Employment Law, with honors. While in law school, he was on the Dean’s List and earned Academic Achievement awards. He also volunteered as a law clerk at the Fair Housing Council of San Diego, which earned him the Wiley P. Manual Award for Pro Bono Legal Services.
Prior to law school, Mr. Miller attended the University of Illinois at Chicago and graduated in 2003 with a B.A. in English Literature and a minor in Philosophy. Mr. Miller was chosen to have his biography published on the National Dean's list.
Mr. Miller is admitted to practice in the state of California, U.S. District Court Northern District of California, U.S. District Court Southern District of California. Mr. Miller is a member of the California Employment Lawyers Association, Consumer Attorneys of California, Primerus, the Marin County Bar Association and the San Diego County Bar Association. In August 2017, Mr. Miller was selected to be on the Trial Guides Digital Advisory Board, a very small, select group that Trial Guides uses for guidance and input.
Practice Areas
3
Practice Areas
Employment and Labor
60%
16 years | 50 cases
Personal Injury
25%
16 years | 500 cases
Defective and Dangerous Products
15%
16 years | 500 cases
Fees and Rates
Cost
Contingency
25%-40%
Payment Methods
- Cash
- Check
- Credit Card
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Chat withLicenses
Licensed in California for 15 years
State: California
Acquired: 2010
No misconduct found
Location
Light & Miller, LLP
8880 Rio San Diego Drive, Rio Vista Tower, Suite 800, San Diego, CA, 92108
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Michael T Miller's Reviews
Avvo Review Score
7 Client Reviews
Filter Avvo Reviews (7)
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Practice Areas
Showing 1 - 1 of 1 review | Compassion
Posted by Sara | April 11, 2018 | Hired Attorney | Employment & Labor
Highly Recommend
I retained Light & Miller LLP to help me with various employment law issues against my former employer, a large restaurant chain. I found them to be knowledgeable, responsive and aggressive. They treated me more like a family member than a client. I recommend them to anyone who needs a lawyer to stan...
Michael T Miller's Lawyer Endorsements
Lucas Watson
Defective and dangerous products lawyer | Oct 15
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community
"I endorse this lawyer."
"I endorse Mike Miller. He and I have worked together for several years. Mike knows his stuff and gets the job done right. He makes sound decisions and knows when to be a bulldog. Mike and I have talked many times late into the night about cases we work on. Above all, Mike has a healthy sense of justice. He gets it. Mike is a great lawyer and I'm happy he's also my good friend."
"Mike is an excellent attorney. I enjoyed working with him in the past and look forward to working with him in the future!"
"I endorse this lawyer. Mike is an excellent injury and death lawyer."
"I worked with Mr. Miller for nearly seven years at a fast-paced personal injury law firm. During that time, Mr. Miller aggressively represented blue collar workers who had been harmed throughout their careers by unknowingly working with and around defective and dangerous products. In my practice, I regularly went up against the same defense counsel as Mr. Miller. Oftentimes, while chatting with members of the defense bar, they mentioned how they never looked forward to going against Mr. Miller because they knew he would relentlessly protect his clients' interests. As such, Mr. Miller developed the reputation of being a legal bulldog by refusing to back down against Fortune 500 companies in order to attain the best possible results for his clients."
"Mike was instrumental in obtaining a very good result in a difficult matter."
"Michael Miller is a zealous advocate, with a focused dedication to helping those in need. He will fight for your rights, will not back down to those who employ intimidation and oppression to serve the interests of their clients. Mike possesses extensive knowledge in multiple areas of practice including employment law, personal injury, product liability, and toxic tort law, including asbestos litigation. With his years of experience in complex multi-party matters, broad knowledge base, and uncompromising spirit, Michael will get you the results you deserve. My endorsement is based not only from knowing Michael as an acquaintance in the legal field, but also from directly working with him to help deserving clients in their most difficult time."
"I endorse this lawyer. I have worked with him on multiple matters and have always been impressed with his dedication and work ethic. He truly cares about the clients we have worked with and the clients love him and his dedication to their case. I endorse him without reservation."
"I worked with Michael for several years and I was thoroughly impressed with his thoughtful, pragmatic, yet aggressive litigation style. I would recommend him to anyone who is injured and in need of an advocate to be honest and level with you while pursuing your claim. If that is what you are looking for, Michael is worth a call."
"I endorse this lawyer. I have worked with Mr. Miller on numerous matters. Mr. Miller is professional, efficient, and easy to work with. I have found that Mr. Miller's primary interest is protecting and fighting for his client's interests. I recommend Mr. Miller for anyone looking for a skilled attorney."
"I endorse Michael. We worked together for a number of years. He is a highly skilled attorney that is well respected in the legal community."
"Mr. Miller is a tireless advocate for worker's rights. I've worked with Mr. Miller on multiple employment law cases involving misclassification of employees and wage and hour claims. Mr. Miller's extensive knowledge of the law, understanding of policy and unwavering poise were instrumental in achieving favorable results for our clients. Fantastic attorney."
"I endorse this lawyer. I worked with Mr. Miller on several matters and was thoroughly impressed with his knowledge of the law and the quality of his work."
Tamara Cross
Personal injury lawyer
Jasper Ozbirn
Insurance lawyer
Michael Levinson
Personal injury lawyer
Ron Archer
Litigation lawyer
Christine Renken
Personal injury lawyer
Patrick Campbell
Personal injury lawyer
Christopher Light
Criminal defense lawyer
Christoph Diecke
General practice lawyer
Experience
Honors
2019
Top 40 Lawyers Under 40, American Society of Legal Advocates
2018
Top 40 Lawyers Under 40, American Society of Legal Advocates
2018
Power Attorney, Power Attorneys
2018
Top 40 Under 40, National Trial Lawyers
2018
2018 Top Attorneys in Southern California Rising Stars, Los Angeles Magazine
2017
Super Lawyers - Rising Stars, Thomson Reuters
2017
Lawyers of Distinctions - Top 10% in USA, Lawyers of Distinction
2017
Lead Counsel Rated, Thomson Reuters
2017
2017 Top Attorneys in Northern California Rising Stars, San Francisco Magazine
2009
Wiley W. Manuel Award for Pro Bono Legal Services, State Bar of California
2009
Dean's List, California Western School of Law
2009
Academic Acheivement Award, California Western School of Law
2009
Employment law certificate, cum laude, California Western School of Law
2009
PRO BONO HONORS SOCIETY, California Western School of Law
2005
Dean's list, University of Illinois - Chicago
Work Experience
2017 - Present
Founding Partner/Trial Attorney, Light & Miller, LLP
2010 - 2017
Associate Attorney, Brayton Purcell, LLP
2008 - 2009
Law clerk/Associate Attorney, Koumas Law Group
2008 - 2009
Associate, Cross Law Firm
2008 - 2009
Law Clerk, Stock Stephens, LLP
2006 - 2007
Manager, Arizona Tenants Advocates
Associations
2017 - Present
Lawyers of DistinctionMember
2017 - Present
San Diego County Bar AssociationMember
2017 - Present
Trial GuidesDigital Advisory Board
2017 - Present
California Employment Lawyers AssociationRegular Member
2011 - Present
Marin County Bar AssociationMember
2010 - Present
PrimerusMember
2010 - Present
Consumer Attorneys of CaliforniaMember
2010 - 2011
American Bar AssociationMember
2008 - 2009
California Employment Lawyers AssociationStudent member
Sample of Legal Cases
Tajie Major vs. Lorillard Tobacco Co., Case No. BC473650
$17,736,000 verdict for plaintiff
John & Mary Beth Perniz v. Certainteed Corporation, et al.
Settled in excess of $12,000,000
Abraham and Lisa Castillo v. Triple A Machine Shop, Inc.; John Crane Inc. et al.
Settled in excess of $1,500,000
Joseph & Kristi Turi v. Wright Schuchart & Harbor, et. al.
Case Resolved After Jury Selection As to All Case Defendants In Excess of $1,130,000.00
Mark Mulliner, et al. v. Crane Co., Flowserve US Inc., Timec Company, Inc., et. al.
Case Resolved After Motions in Liminee As to All Case Defendants In Excess of $750,000.00
Gary Sisto v. Amcord Inc, et al.
Case Settled During Plaintiffs Case-in-Chief: Excess of $750,000
Alan Spalding et al. v. Apache Underground Construction, et. al.
Case Resolved as Verdict for Plaintiff was Being Announced. Verdict of $2,714,000 Total Settlements In Excess of $5,500,000
Doug Bell v. Kaiser Gypsum Company, et al.
Case resolved during Plaintiffs closing argument in excess of $3,500,000 as to all case defendants.
Larry Sublett v. Anderson, Rowe & Buckley, et. al.
Case resolved after jury selection in excess of $3,400,000
Damon & Sondra Leeper v. Certainteed Corporation; TIMEC; et al.
Case resolved as to all case defendants at the conclusion of Plaintiffs' case in chief in excess of $7,000,000
Gloria McClain, et al. v. Asbestos Corp. Ltd., et al.
Case resolved during plaintiffs' case in chief Total aggregate settlements = $8,284,933
David Lorenzen v. Nacco Materials Handling Group, Inc., et al.
Case resolved as to all case defendants in excess of $1.2 million
Charles Akins v. RPI Company (Plant Insulation Company)
Verdict of $730,000 Case Resolved With Other Defendants: Excess of $3,270,000
Education
2013
American Bar Association - TIPS/ABOTA - National Judicial College
Certificate of Achievement from the National Trial Academy
2009
California Western School of Law
JD - Juris Doctor
2009
California Western School of Law
Area of Concentration Certificate - Employment Law, cum laude
2005
University of Illinois
BA - Bachelor of Arts
Languages
English
Activity
Legal Answers