J. Michael Webster, a native of Los Angeles, has practiced in Southern California for 34 years. He is an AV-rated lawyer by Martindale-Hubbell, a firm shareholder, a former member of the firm’s Compensation Committee (1999-2004) and more recently, a member of the Executive Committee (2005 to present). Michael is the Chair of Silver & Freedman’s Family Law Department and also Chair of the Product Liability and Risk Management Department. He now limits his practice to all phases of Family Law and the handling of matters involving the firm’s Medical Device practice group in litigation and counseling throughout the United States and Canada, having represented a leading worldwide medical device company for over 30 years.
In 1970, Michael graduated cum laude from California State University, Northridge, earning two Bachelor of Arts degrees: one in Political Science and the other in History. He was a member and officer of the Phi Alpha Theta and Pi Sigma Alpha Honor Societies and was a candidate for the Woodrow Wilson Fellowship. After attending graduate school and completing his training in the United States Air Force, Michael enrolled in Loyola University Law School and graduated, with honors, receiving his Juris Doctorate in 1974.
In 1975, after first practicing law with a prominent law firm in Los Angeles, Michael became an associate, and later partner, with Turner, Smart & Frydrych, Inc., in Pasadena, California. Along with Jack A. Frydrych (now "Of Counsel" to Silver & Freedman), he founded the law firm of Frydrych & Webster, Inc. in 1978.
Michael, who prides himself on being a creative problem solver, as well as a skilled litigator, is available for his clients on a 24/7 basis. He is a long-standing member of numerous local, state, federal and international associations, and professional organizations including but not limited to his induction into the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel (FDCC) in 1996 and his role as a member of the first Advisory Board and a Charter Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America (Trial Lawyer Honorary Society) in 2006. Michael was recognized as a Southern California Super Lawyer for 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009 by Law & Politics Media, Inc., having been featured in the Los Angeles Magazine issue of Southern California Super Lawyers, Family Law. He has lectured, conducted workshops, written on topics relevant to his practice areas and has been qualified and has testified as an expert in Family Law. In a quest to broaden and enhance his practice, Michael took a six day course in mediation training at the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution, Pepperdine University School of Law (Summer 2009).
With an extensive history of philanthropic activities, he continues to divide his time amongst a host of community service organizations, educational institutions, and charitable groups.