Education & Background
Michaela was raised in the San Luis Obispo area and received her bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2011. Michaela received her juris doctorate degree from Cornell Law School, where she was a member of the Journal of Law and Public Policy, Treasurer of the Public Interest Law Union and President of the Society of Wine & Jurisprudence. While at Cornell, Michaela was a summer law clerk at the United States Attorney’s Office, Southern District of California, the General Crimes Division. Following law school, Michaela worked in San Diego for the large, international law firm Latham & Watkins, LLP, in their Litigation Department, White Collar Defense & Investigations Practice Group. At Latham, Michaela managed a variety of litigation matters, as well as internal, state and federal investigations, specializing in the healthcare industry. Having grown up on the Central Coast, Michaela returned in 2021 with her husband Cameron to join Andre, Morris & Buttery and raise their three children. In 2023, Michaela expanded on her prior experience as an investigator by becoming an Association of Workplace Investigators (AWI) Certificate Holder, a distinction indicating that she has the core knowledge and skills necessary to successfully perform impartial workplace investigations.
Business & Community
Michaela is the Publicity Chair of the San Luis Obispo County Women Lawyers Association and has served on their Board of Directors since 2021. She is also a member of the San Luis Obispo Bar Association. Her community activities include volunteer work for Jack’s Helping Hand, serving on the Imagination Park Fall Classic Committee, and serving as a member of the French Hospital Medical Center Foundation Board of Directors since 2024.
