Michael Thorman

In over 40 years of practicing law, Mr. Michael P. Thorman has established himself as one of the top litigators in Alameda County and the San Francisco Bay Area. He studied trial practice at Stanford Law School with hands-on training from Rose E. Bird, later to become Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court.

He cut his teeth in criminal law as an associate with the legendary Clinton W. White, a top trial lawyer who later became a superior court judge and a Justice of the California Court of Appeal. Mr. Thorman has been listed as one of the top attorneys in the San Francisco Bay Area by San Francisco Magazine.

Mr. Thorman has tried more than 85 jury trials in both state and federal court, ranging from capital murder to drunk driving to personal injury. His better known cases include representation of a real estate developer/sports agent in a capital murder charge known in the press as the cross-bow murder and representation of one of the defendants in the transgender murder case out of Newark, CA. With his partner, Jules Bonjour, he obtained a million dollar verdict against the California Highway Patrol following an auto accident that seriously injured his blue-collar client. He has handled cases throughout Northern California as well as Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Washington, D.C.

He is motivated in his work by the variety of his practice, the intellectual challenge of a legal problem and the desire to help people out of difficult circumstances. His style of practice relies on extensive preparation through both legal research and analysis and spending enough time with the client and family to make sure he understands the case and their needs. He believes that combining integrity and civility with a detailed knowledge of the law and facts has helped him achieve superior results for his clients, whether before a judge, a jury or in a settlement negotiation.

Mr. Thorman received his undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College in 1970, graduating Phi Beta Kappa, Magna Cum Laude. He received his law degree from Stanford University in 1974. He has been a bar-certified criminal law specialist since 1988.

He is a member of the California Attorneys for Criminal Justice and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, statewide and nationwide criminal defense organizations, respectively. He is also a member of the Consumer Attorneys of California, a statewide organization of plaintiff’s personal injury lawyers. Other affiliations include the National Lawyer’s Guild, the American Inns of Court and the Alameda County Bar Association.

Mr. Thorman received his undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College in 1970, graduating Phi Beta Kappa, Magna Cum Laude. He received his law degree from Stanford University in 1974. He has been a bar-certified criminal law specialist since 1988. He is a member of the California Attorneys for Criminal Justice and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, statewide and nationwide criminal defense organizations, respectively. He is also a member of the Consumer Attorneys of California, a statewide organization of plaintiff’s personal injury lawyers. Other affiliations include the National Lawyer’s Guild, the American Inns of Court and the Alameda County Bar Association. Mr. Thorman has maintained the Martindale Hubbell preeminent “AV” rating for 30 years and has been accorded the honor of being named a Super Lawyer in Northern California for over ten years.

Mr. Thorman and his wife, Dena, have two children, two grandchildren, two dogs, and two birds, and live in Orinda, California. His other passion other than the law is bicycle riding. He boasts too often some say about completing all five passes of the Markleeville Death Ride in 2003, and hopes someday to have the fortitude to do it again.

Bar Admissions:

• California
• U.S. District Court for the Eastern and Northern Districts of California
• U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, the District of Columbia and
• the Western District of Oklahoma
• U.S. Supreme Court

Education:

• J.D., Stanford Law School, Stanford, California, 1974
• Undergraduate Degree, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, 1970

Professional Associations and Memberships:

• California Attorneys for Criminal Justice (Member)
• National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (Member)
• Consumer Attorneys of California (Member)
• Donald P. McCullum Youth Court (Board of Directors, Emeritus)
• National Lawyer’s Guild (Member)
• American Inns of Court (Member, Emeritus)
• Alameda County Bar Association (Member)
• Eastern Alameda County Bar Association (Member)