Our Founder

A passionate advocate for criminal justice reform, Michael is a graduate of the South Texas College of Law in Houston, Texas, where he earned his doctorate in jurisprudence. He graduated with High Honors from the University of Florida.

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Michael was a founding partner of Rothenberg & Barnes and McKinley Rothenberg, LLC, in Atlanta, Georgia where he practiced in the areas of general civil litigation, family law, criminal defense and business litigation.

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Michael was appointed to the bench on August 7, 2007 and sworn in as Judge pro hac vice of the Dekalb County Recorder’s Court, where he served until 2008.

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Throughout his career, Michael gained a reputation as a zealous advocate of his client’s interests. He handled cases in nearly all areas of civil law, and tried criminal cases ranging from traffic tickets to murder cases. Michael ran for Judge in metro Atlanta, Georgia, receiving over 60,000 total votes over 2 elections.

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 And then it all came crashing down…

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 Michael put  himself in a situation where he made the wrong choice, a choice he now deeply regrets and wish he never made. When it was all over, Michael lost his election, his law license, his reputation and then - his freedom.

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Like so many people in the United States today, Michael found himself with an impossible choice: go to trial and defend himself against the Government, or take a plea to save himself from a potentially long prison sentence. He chose the latter. He received a 41 month sentence for one count of wire fraud.

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Michael served his sentence in FPC Montgomery. He successfully completed the super-intensive RDAP program and served a total of 18 months out of 41. He also served 3 months in a halfway house, 3 months on home confinement and 3 years on supervised release.  He also spent 73 days in the federal transit system, known as “Diesel Therapy”.

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Michael survived the federal prison system and feels he is a better man for it. He knows better than most what it is like to stare down the ultimate fear - prison - and survive and thrive.