Michelle Marie West joined Robinson Calcagnie, Inc. in 2008 and has devoted her practice to obtaining recovery for individuals who are catastrophically injured due to defective products including vehicles, tires, skylights, machinery, and pharmaceuticals, among others. In addition to her work in product liability, Ms. West also handles cases involving premises liability, government claims, dangerous condition of public and private property, industrial or construction accidents, wrongful death, traumatic brain injury, amputation, carbon monoxide poisoning, injuries on cruise ships and excursions, and accidents involving big-rig trucks and other commercial vehicles.
Ms. West has recovered numerous seven figure results for her clients at both settlement and trial. In 2012, Ms. West second-chaired a trial in which the firm attained an $11.9 million dollar verdict for a client who was injured when he collided with a commercial vehicle on a Los Angeles freeway.
Ms. West has also prepared appellate briefs for the California Court of Appeal, including the California Supreme Court, and has argued in front of the 2nd District Court of Appeal in Los Angeles.
Ms. West has an AV rating‚ the highest rating for legal ability and ethical standards under the peer review system of Martindale-Hubbell. Ms. West was also recognized as a Southern California Rising Star in 2010 and 2011 (an honor given to no more than 2.5 percent of attorneys under the age of 40 or practicing less than 10 years) and has also been selected as a 2016-2020 Southern California Superlawyer. In 2014 Ms. West attended, and became a Fellow of, the ABOTA National Trial College. Ms. West is admitted to the California Bar and the United States District Court‚ Central District. She is a member of the Consumer Attorneys of California‚ Consumer Attorneys of Los Angeles‚ Orange County Bar Association‚ Orange County Trial Lawyers Association‚ Los Angeles County Bar Association‚ and Women’s Lawyers Association of Los Angeles. Ms. West serves proudly as a Board Member of the Los Angeles Trial Lawyers Charities (“LATLC”).
Michelle West graduated cum laude from Pepperdine University School of Law where she graduated in the top 10 percent of the class and served as an editor of the Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal. She received her undergraduate degree cum laude from the California State University at Long Beach.
In her free time‚ Ms. West enjoys marathons, ultra-distance running events and triathlons (completing 10 full Ironman® triathlons and achieving All World Athlete status). Ms. West has completed more than 50 marathons, several 50-85 mile runs, several 100 mile runs (finishing 1st place female twice), and completing the 135 mile Badwater® ultramarathon three times. Ms. West has finished in the top 100 women in the Los Angeles Marathon‚ has run the Boston Marathon twice‚ and raised money for Arthritis Foundation, Challenged Athletes Foundation, and St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, among other charities. Ms. West has also completed numerous ultra-distance cycling events, including over 50 century and double century rides, and raised money for cancer research with various charity rides in California.
Publications
The HITECH Act: How to utilize its cost savings to obtain your client’s medical records and comply with its privacy protections, withJake Berman, Gavel (Orange County Trial Lawyers Publication) Summer 2019.
Don’t turn away that skylight case just yet: A skylight often constitutes a dangerous condition; here’s how to prove it, Advocate (Journal of Consumer Attorneys Associations for Southern California) March 2015.
VOIR DIRE: “Panning for Gold” ©William D. Shapiro, Esq. and Michelle M. West, Esq., presentation for San Francisco Consumer Attorneys of California Convention, November 2012.
Protecting Precious Cargo: Rear Seat Safety‚ Advocate (Journal of Consumer Attorneys Associations for Southern California) [with Raymond P. Johnson], Sept. 2007.
Presentations
Howell, Pembley & Sanchez, A Roundtable Discussion, CAOC/CAOIE Palm Springs Virtual Seminar, May 1, 2021
Treating Accident Victims with Pre-existing Conditions, Injury Institute/San Diego Injury Network, Virtual Seminar, October 2020
Protecting Your Client’s Privacy, Snake River Resort, Western Trial Lawyers Association, Winter Seminar -Jackson Hole, Wyoming, March 2020
Elimination of Bias Inside and Outside the Courtroom, Orange County Trial Lawyers Association, February 27, 2020
Discovery: Utilizing the Tools in Your Toolbox for Success, Faith Pincus Presentations, Civil Court Boot Camp, Los Angeles, November 2019.
Herstory in the Courtroom, CAOC + Justice Team Production, Podcast, November, 2019
Trucking Cases from the Plaintiff Perspective, Trucking Legal Forum, Rancho Bernardo Country Club, July 16, 2019
The HITECH Act: How to Get Your Clients’ Medical Records for (almost) Free, Western Trial Lawyers Association, Summer Seminar,June 2019.
The HITECH Act: How to Get Your Clients’ Medical Records for (almost) Free, Palm Springs Seminar, CAOC/CAOIE, May 2019.
Implicit Bias, Recognizing and Eliminating It, Western Trial Lawyers Association, Winter Seminar –Park City, Utah March 2019.
Autonomous Vehicles Panel, Auto Product Liability, Black Boxes, San Francisco Seminar, Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC), November 2018.
Bias and Conflict: Ethical Issues for All Counsel, Orange County Bar Association Elder Law and Special Needs Section, September 2018.
Using Media at Mediation, Inland Empire Breakfast Club, Consumer Attorneys of Inland Empire (CAOIE), June 28, 2018.
Women in the Law: Lessons from Our Leaders, Orange County Bar Association Young Lawyers Division, OCWLA & OCBA Mommy Esq. Committee, March 2018.
Resort Torts: Liability of Hotels and Resorts for Active Shooters, Western Trial Lawyers Association, Winter Seminar – Park City, Utah March 2018.
Purposeful Practice, How to Improve Your Performance as a Lawyer, Western Trial Lawyers Association, Spring Seminar, Hawaii 2018.
Understanding the Special Assistance You Can Provide to Your Amputee Clients, Western Trial Lawyers Association, Winter Seminar –Steamboat Springs, Colorado, 2017.
Ready to be More Active at Work, Stand up, Western Trial Lawyers Association, Spring Seminar –Maui, Hawaii, 2016.
Wage and Hour Class Actions from the Plaintiffs’ Perspective; Wage & Hour Conference, Los Angeles Athletic Club, California, Jan. 2014.
Amelia Earhart’s Crash In a Court of Law Today, Invited Speaker on Aviation Law at Luncheon of Zonta International, Laguna Niguel, California, Jan. 2011.