Michael L. Armitage
Partner
Mike Armitage is a principal of Waters & Kraus, LLP, as well as the managing attorney for the firm’s Los Angeles office. Admitted to practice in both California and Louisiana, Mike began his career practicing maritime transportation and commercial law, but has focused on personal injury and product liability law since joining Waters & Kraus in 2000. Mike is responsible for management of the firm's asbestos practice in both Los Angeles and San Francisco. His work on asbestos-related cancer cases has resulted in some of the firm's most notable verdicts. Mike also serves as a liaison counsel on the Bench-Bar Committee for asbestos litigation issues before the Los Angeles County Superior Court. He is also frequently invited - several times each year - to serve as a co-chair or speaker at national seminars and conferences on asbestos and mass tort litigation.
Mike was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree magna cum laude from Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana. He also earned his law degree from Tulane cum laude, where he was selected to the Order of The Coif, was a member of the Moot Court Board, and participated as a senior fellow in the university’s legal research and writing program. Born in Surrey, England, Mike is a member of the American Association for Justice, Consumer Attorneys of Los Angeles (and serves on the Board of Governors for that organization), Consumer Attorneys of California, as well as a proctor member of the Maritime Law Association of the United States. Mike has also been selected as one of the best attorneys in Southern California by Los Angeles magazine and The LA Times.
Areas of Practice
- Toxic Tort, with primary focus on asbestos cancer cases
- Product Liability
- Qui Tam
- Pharmaceutical
Bar Admissions
- Louisiana, 1987
- California, 1991
- U.S. Supreme Court, 1993
- U.S. Court of Appeals 5th Circuit, 1988
- U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit, 1992
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of Louisiana, 1987
- U.S. District Court Middle District of Louisiana, 1987
- U.S. District Court Western District of Louisiana, 1987
- U.S. District Court Southern District of California, 1991
- U.S. District Court Central District of California, 1991
- U.S. District Court Northern District of California, 1991
Education
- Tulane University, J.D., cum laude, 1987
- Tulane University, B.A., magna cum laude, with Honors in Political Science, 1984
Professional Associations & Memberships
- American Association for Justice
- Co-Chair, Asbestos Litigation Group
- Consumer Attorneys of Los Angeles
- Board of Governors
- Consumer Attorneys of California
- Maritime Law Association of the United States
- Proctor member
Honors & Awards
- Order of the Coif
- Member, Moot Court Board, Tulane University
- Senior Fellow, Legal Research and Writing Program, Tulane University
- Selected for inclusion on the Southern California Super Lawyers list, published by Thomson Reuters, Legal, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010
- Selected for Inclusion in The Best Lawyers In America, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010
- AV® Preeminent™ 5.0 out of 5, Martindale-Hubbell Featured Peer Review Rated Lawyer
Publications & Speeches
- Frequently-Invited Co-Chair and Speaker at National Asbestos Seminars and Conferences, including Co-Chair for BVR Legal's/Mealey's 2008 NationalAsbestos Litigation SuperConference
- "Shipowners' Liability for Longshoremen Personal Injuries: The Supreme Court Blocks the 'Importation' of Unseaworthiness," 7 U.S.F. Mar. L. J. 67 (1994)
- "Judge John Minor Wisdom and the Constitutional and Judicial Approaches to Racial Desegregation," unpublished Tulane University Honors Thesis (1984)
