Michael studied law at the University of Southampton, before qualifying as a Barrister in 1973. He then worked as an in-house counsel for two multinationals before requalifying as a Solicitor and becoming a partner in City of London law firms. His last firm was what was then Charles Russell LLP, where he was, amongst other things, a member of the International Arbitration Group.

He has been a Supporting Member of the LMAA since 2006 and is now, in addition, an Aspiring Full Member. He has been accepting appointments as mediator since 2003 and as arbitrator since 2010. 

Michael is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and a Chartered Arbitrator and a Fellow of the Singapore Institute of Arbitrators.