Tejash: How long have you been a member of the WCBA and what have some of your contributions been? 

Michael:  About 10 years.  I am co-chair of the Grievance Committee with Laurie Epstein.  

 

Tejash: It is an honor to serve with you on the Grievance Committee Michael! Can you talk about your current job and your path to working at the Court?     

Michael:  The honor is all mine.  For the past 7 years, I have been the Principal Law Clerk to the Hon. George Fufidio in the Westchester County Court.  It is a bit of a departure from the first part of my career, when I worked as an Assistant District Attorney in both Middlesex County, Massachusetts and here in Westchester.  I also worked as a criminal defense attorney for about three years before entering the court system.  It is a departure in the sense that I am now working behind the scenes doing more legal research and more legal writing than I had previously in my career when I was appearing in front of the court, but for the most part, the subject matter is still the same; it is just that the perspective is different.   

 

Tejash: Who are some of your mentors? 

Michael: I have been fortunate to have had some fantastic mentors in various locales throughout my career spanning from San Diego to Boston to back home in Westchester.  The central trait that all of them possess is a commitment to fairness and justice.  Without question, in addition to my father who is a lawyer in Westchester and who inspired me to become a lawyer in the first place, my current boss George Fufidio is high on the list.  He is like an uncle to me and is always ready with sound advice for my career and for life in general.  In addition to George, when I was in San Diego and working at an internship at the Public Defender’s Office, I was paired with a man named Roy Gunner.  Sadly, he passed away this year at the age of 85.  Roy grew up an African American in segregated Texas.  From there he joined the Navy and ended up in San Diego.  Like any good mentor, he guided me through the practice of law, but more than that, through his lens of fairness and justice, he was one of the first to really challenge the way that I think and change how I perceive the world.

 

Tejash: What might people be surprised to learn about you? 

Michael: That for a kid who grew up in landlocked Chappaqua, I am a pretty good surfer.  I taught myself how on family vacations to the beach when I was 11 or 12 years old.  I got pretty good over the years and then when I landed in San Diego for law school, I was able to get out into the water several times a week and really took it to a whole different level.

 

Tejash: What is one of your guilty pleasures? 

Michael:  I am not sure if this counts as a guilty pleasure or not, but I love music and going to see live music.  It does not matter what kind of music it is; classical to punk rock, if someone is laying it all out on stage then I am hooked.  

 

Tejash: When is the last time you were outside of your comfort zone? 

Michael: I am always trying to find ways to push myself out of my comfort zone.  Over the summer, I found myself in a tricky situation on the Long Island Sound.  I was out on my paddleboard a few miles into a paddle and on my way home when a strong headwind kicked up, and I seriously questioned whether I was going to make it back in.  But in general, I am always trying to learn new things, because the process of learning something new challenges your comfort zones and necessarily involves failures. Then you learn from those failures and progress.  The trick is to keep trying new things or putting yourself in new situations.   

 

Tejash: What is one of your future ambitions (personal or professional)?   

Michael: My most immediate future ambition is to become a judge at the White Plains City Court.  Beyond that though, I think that I would really like to one day transition into something to do with the music industry; so, if anyone knows anyone…

 

Tejash: Is there a particular experience or training that helped build your skill set as an attorney?   

Michael: As lawyers, words are our tools.  Knowing how to effectively use words makes it easier to express ideas and, if you can clearly express ideas, then you are more effective in stating your position on a case.  I have always been a big reader, which may be one of the reasons Roy and I got along so well; he always had stacks of books around his office.  I think that being exposed to so many words and so many ways of using words and the ideas they conveyed through reading really helped me strengthen my ability to use language as a tool which in turn helped build that particular skill set.  So that, and I also regularly think about my trial advocacy class in law school, particularly the cross-examination portion of it.  At the time that class pushed me way outside my comfort zone but made me love the intellectual sparring that is trial work.      

 

Tejash: What advice would you give to your younger self or new lawyers? 

Michael: It is kind of basic, golden rule type advice, but treat everyone with dignity and respect, because in the words of Allen Toussaint, “The same people that you walk on on your way up, you might meet up on your way down.” 

 

Tejash: What are some of your favorite things to do in Westchester County?

Michael:  I love spending time outdoors exploring all of the nature preserves that Westchester has to offer.  I recently discovered the Edith Reade Sanctuary in Rye and, when the weather is warm, I will take my prone paddleboard (think kayak that you lay on and paddle like a surfboard) out on the sound and paddle for a few miles.  

Tejash: What are some of your favorite meals/books/podcasts? 

Michael: Cooking is one of the things that I enjoy as a hobby and right now that has manifested itself as live fire cooking, which is as it sounds.  I would say my favorite meal would be a live fire cooked tri-tip roast, with some grilled vegetables and garlic bread and a cold beer.  If I had to pick a favorite book it would be Cannery Row by John Steinbeck, it is the one I keep going back to. 

 

Tejash: Wellness is an important issue for all members. The WCBA’s Task Force on Well-Being issued a report with its recommendations. How do you manage your physical and/or mental health? 

Michael: “Health is wealth” as they say.  I am always trying to do something that takes me away from the ever-present screen, whether that is exercising, cooking, creating art, reading, listening to music, exploring somewhere new or learning something new.