Michael Levine has been practicing criminal law for over thirty-five years.  He received a Bachelor of Science degree from Columbia University in 1966 and his law degree from the University of California at Berkeley in 1974, where he was an associate editor of the California Law Review. After starting his career as a prosecutor for the City of Los Angeles, Mr. Levine was an Assistant Federal Public Defender in California in the late 1970s and early 1980s, where he received the Outstanding Defender award.

     From 1982 until 1990, he served as the District of Hawaii's first Federal Public Defender, appointed by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.  From 1990 to 2002, Mr. Levine practiced as an Assistant Federal Public Defender for the District of Oregon. In 2002, Mr. Levine entered private practice, opening the Law Office of Michael R. Levine. In 2010, he formed his current partnership, Levine & McHenry LLC, with Mr. McHenry.

     Mr. Levine has argued numerous times before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and has argued twice before the United States Supreme Court. He is a member of the Oregon, Hawaii, and California State Bars .  He was "Oregon Super Lawyer" from 2006-2012, is rated AV by Martindale Hubbell,  and a "10" (Superb) by the AVVO rating service. 

      Mr. Levine is the author of "171 Easy Mitigating Factors,"  a highly  acclaimed publication used in federal sentencing proceedings  around the country. 

     Mr. Levine handles criminal cases in state and federal courts through trial, appeal, and habeas corpus proceedings.. He is a successful and highly effective advocate both at trial and on appeal.  He has been publicly praised by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals for his zealous advocacy.  He has taught law at UCLA, the University of Hawaii, and Lewis and Clark Law School and has lectured widely on a range of subjects dealing with criminal defense.