Mike is a native of Sherman, Texas and a graduate of the University of Texas, where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science, and of the Hamline University School of Law in St. Paul, Minnesota. He spent his "first career" in newspaper journalism as a reporter and editor before practicing law. He was an organizer and officer in The Newspaper Guild, a union representing newspaper reporters, editors, photographers, and other newspaper workers. A former Peace Corps Volunteer in Venezuela and former exchange student and journalist in South America, he speaks Spanish fluently. Mike has dedicated his legal career to representing employees and plaintiffs. He has represented injured railroad workers under the Federal Employer's Liability Act and has tried FELA lawsuits and won verdicts in state and federal courts in several states. In addition, he has handled cases on behalf of employees in state and federal courts of Texas and Minnesota, and in the federal courts of Colorado, Nebraska and North Dakota. He belongs to several professional organizations including the Texas Trial Lawyers Association, Association of Trial Lawyers of America, American Bar Association, Minnesota State Bar Association, Houston Bar Association and Galveston County Bar Association.