Michael W. Jones engages in a practice emphasizing business litigation, personal injury with a focus on wrongful death and elder abuse, civil rights with a focus on police abuse, and criminal defense with a focus on white collar crimes. He was the Capitol City Trial Lawyers Association (CCTLA) Advocate of the Year for 2008. He is a member of the American Trial Lawyers Association as one of the top 100 Trial Lawyers of California. He is a Master with the Anthony M. Kennedy American Inn of Court. Mr. Jones was appointed by the Board of Governors as a Member of the Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation (JNE Commission) for the State Bar of California. He has multi-million dollar awards and judgments on behalf of his clients.
Mr. Jones graduated from California State University, Sacramento, in May 1980, with a B.A. in Criminal Justice. Before entering law school, Mr. Jones had a career in law enforcement, including undercover work in South Central Los Angeles with a focus on gangs, vice and narcotics cases. He was a member of the California Gang Investigators Association. He later focused on major fraud cases including working undercover to infiltrate organized crime rings. He received his P.O.S.T. training and certification from Golden West College with additional specialty training (in Vice and Narcotics) from the Los Angeles Police Academy.
In May of 1988, Mr. Jones graduated with his Juris Doctor from Western State University, College of Law in Fullerton and was admitted to the bar in December 1988. Mr. Jones practiced in the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office until 1990, when he moved to the Shasta County District Attorney's office. During his seven years serving in Shasta County, he rose from Deputy District Attorney II to a political appointment as the Assistant District Attorney. Mr. Jones has had more than 75 trials, including murder, death penalty and elder abuse cases.
He has been retained and has testified as an expert witness in prosecution crime charging, decision making and general litigation principles. He served on the California District Attorney's Association (CDAA) ethics committee and as an ethics hotline advisor to prosecutors. Mr. Jones has been a frequent continuing education instructor in trial advocacy, evidence and ethics for other prosecutors throughout the state and country with CDAA and for the American Prosecutors Research Institute (APRI). Mr. Jones is a continuing education instructor for civil and criminal defense attorneys in trial evidence and trial advocacy. He has published training and educational materials with CDAA, Lorman Education Services, and National Business Institute (NBI). He has received a California State Senate Resolution recognizing his advocacy on behalf of consumers.
Mr. Jones serves as a Judge Pro Tem in the Superior Court of the State of California for Placer County, where he hears short cause civil matters and presides over criminal proceedings. He serves on the arbitration panels of Placer and Sacramento County Superior Courts. Mr. Jones also serves as a coach and judge for the Dean Gordon Schaber Moot Court and Mock Trial programs for exposing high school students to constitutional law and procedure.
In 2005, Mr. Jones was appointed by the California State Bar Board of Governors to serve on its Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation. This 38-member panel, also known as the "Jennie Commission," evaluates the Governor's nominees for California judgeships.
Mr. Jones was an associate with the previous firm of Hansen, Boyd, Culhane & Watson, LLP where he was a team member with Hartley Hansen. Mr. Jones is a member of the State Bar of California, Consumer Attorneys of California, the Sacramento County Bar Association, the Placer County Bar Association, Capitol City Trial Lawyers (formerly Sacramento Consumers Attorneys), California Public Defenders Association, American Civil Liberties Union ( ACLU), the American Association of Justice (formerly the Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA)), and the American Trial Lawyers Association, a national organization composed of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers from each state. Mr. Jones has served and continues to serve on the boards and committees of various nonprofit corporations, including Sacramento Child Advocates, Inc., American Cancer Society (Colon Cancer Committee), Capitol City Trial Lawyers Association (Parliamentarian-2006; Treasurer-2009; Vice-President-2010), and community theater boards. He enjoys performing in musicals while singing and acting on stage in local theaters. Mr. Jones has received an Elly nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical. He has written and performs the one man show, "Clarence Darrow — Stories of a Trial Lawyer".