Michael Thies

Michael J. Thies represents municipal and other public sector clients as an associate in the Municipal Law practice group of Best Best & Krieger LLP's Irvine office. His practice includes criminal and civil municipal code enforcement, Pitchess motions and Health & Safety Code abatement and receiverships.
 
Prior to becoming a lawyer, Michael worked in local government, holding administrative and public affairs positions with the cities of La Mirada and Fountain Valley and the Municipal Water District of Orange County. During this time, he earned his master’s degree in public administration from the University of Southern California's Sol Price School of Public Policy. While at USC, Michael traveled to Rio de Janiero, Brazil, as part of a consulting team from the School of Public Policy, assisting state and local government leaders in planning for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympics. He also completed an award-winning academic project for the City of Long Beach.
 
While going to Western State College of Law, which he attended on merit scholarship for all three years of study, he served as an editor, author and Executive Board member of Law Review, where he was responsible for leading a team of writers covering recent decisions by both the United States and California Supreme Courts. As an author, Michael wrote published notes on cases involving government transparency, voting districts and administrative law. Further, he wrote about recent appellate decisions for publication on LexisNexis as part of a collaboration between Law Review and the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals.
 
Michael began his career in local government while attending California State University, Fullerton. He served as a communications intern for the Orange County Board of Supervisors. He later earned a scholarship to serve as a congressional intern in Washington, D.C. with the U.S. House of Representatives.  Michael utilizes his education and work experience in the public relations field to inform his legal work on behalf of city clients.  He is attuned and sensitive to how certain actions will play out public-relations wise, and will adapt his analysis and advice to clients with an eye toward how the action will be received publicly.
 
Michael has an extremely rare blood type and donates regularly to the American Red Cross as part of their Heroes for Babies program. He is nearing the five-gallon donation mark.