Michael Trotter grew up in Orange County. After graduating from Mater Dei High School, he attended Georgetown University graduating in 1985 with a B.A. in History and Political Science. He then went to the University of Southern California Gould School of Law, graduating in 1988. He was admitted to the California Bar in 1988. From 1988 to 1993, he was an associate with Baker, Silberberg & Keener, and then a partner from 1993 to 1994. In 1994, along with Richard D. Carroll and John C. Kelly, he founded Carroll, Kelly & Trotter. In over 37 years of practice, Mike has been engaged in over 100 jury trials, and in excess of 50 binding arbitrations. He has participated in thousands of mediations.  He has focused his practice on medical malpractice, pharmacy malpractice, elder abuse, products liability, general liability and medical devices. He is on the trial panel for Adventist Health, Berkshire Hathaway, Beta Healthcare, CAP/MPT, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, CHUBB, CNA, CommonSpirit, Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian, Hudson, Kaiser Permanente, MIEC, Munich Re-Insurance  Norcal Mutual Insurance Company, ProAssurance, The Doctors’ Company, Sedgwick CMS, Prime Healthcare, Providence Health, Christian Brothers and Gallagher Bassett. Mike has defended healthcare providers in several class actions, including the Breast Implant, Rezulin, Phen-Fen, Quinine, and Talc litigation and has extensive experience in the reproductive/fertility space as well.

Mike has achieved the rank of Diplomate with the American Board of Trial Advocates and is also a member of the Association of Southern California Defense Counsel, California Medical Legal Committee and International Association of Defense Counsel. He is a founding member of 8th Street Lawyers. Mike has earned an AV Preeminent rating by Martindale-Hubbell, which ranks him at the highest level of legal ability and ethical standards. He is also a fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers, which is considered to be the preeminent trial lawyer organization in the country. Mike has been featured numerous times in Verdict magazine “Name of the Game”, and in the Los Angeles Daily Journal “Litigator Profile.” He was Verdictum Juris’ 2000 “Defense Trial Lawyer of the Year.” In 2005, he was featured in the Los Angeles Business Journal as one of the “Top 10 Medical Malpractice Defense Attorneys in Southern California.” He has been selected as a “Super Lawyer” from 2005 to 2024. Mike was voted by his peers as one of the “Best Lawyers in America” from 2005 to 2024. In 2014, he was selected as “Lawyer of the Year.” He has been an invited speaker at many professional organizations on topics such as Risk Management, Consent, Trial Advocacy, and Elder Abuse, among other topics. In 2020, Mike received the Los Angeles ABOTA Chapter’s Lee B. Wenzel Civility Award. He practices out of both the Long Beach and San Diego offices.

Mike lives in Rossmoor with his wife, Mary. He has four children, ages 26 to 36 years old. In his free time, he enjoys skiing, golf and Mater Dei football.