Michael oversees the civil litigation, criminal and dispute resolution teams at Todd Walker. His practice includes all manner of disputes, including civil and commercial litigation, criminal, regulatory, RMA enforcement and prosecutions.

Michael is at home in the courtroom and is an experienced advocate who regularly appears in the District and High Courts in the South Island, as well as other alternative dispute platforms. Michael regularly represents clients in complex regulatory, local government and civil proceedings and has successfully appeared on several appeals and judicial review hearings. 

Michael has appeared in the full hierarchy of criminal matters, including jury trials involving allegations of murder, serious violence, drug manufacture and importation, sexual violation, fraud, arson and appeals against conviction and sentence in both the High Court and Court of Appeal.  He has conducted over 50 jury trials as lead counsel.

Michael was born and bred in Southland before attending the University of Otago, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Commerce. Following his admission to the bar, he moved to the Crown Solicitor’s Office in Auckland to begin his professional career. Michael spent the first six and a half years of his career in the Commercial and then the Criminal and Regulatory departments at a top Auckland firm, where he was an experienced litigator and Crown Prosecutor. 

Michael returned to the South Island to begin working at QLDC initially as an in-house Solicitor before later becoming General Counsel. In 2017, he joined Graeme in private practice and they formed Todd Walker. 

Michael is also involved in a number of organisations within the community. He has previously been on the board of trustees of the Wakatipu Community Foundation and a director of the Hump Ridge Track. 

Michael is a Chartered Director of the Institute of Directors in New Zealand.