As a mom, Michele earned one of the greatest compliments any parent could ever receive about their parenting. It was from Gerald B. Whitman, MD in Beverly Hills. Dr. Whitman is a board-certified pediatrician with over 49 years of experience as a pediatric specialist, and in addition to many more additional accolades, he was the former Clinical Chief of Pediatrics at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California (“Cedars”). He continues as a pediatric primary board expert at Cedars. His direct compliment to Michele in 2014 was something his nursing staff had never heard him say before.

Michele’s advice called “brilliant!” by Bill Handel, a Southern California well-known and respected radio talk show host and attorney at KFI 640 AM radio station in Burbank, California on December 10, 2012. KFI 640AM Program Director Robin Bertolucci had sent Michele an email with this message:

“I just mentioned your idea to Handel and he thought it was brilliant! We’re on it. Thank you for the excellent suggestion!”

Since 2009, “Mary,” a former sight-impaired woman and teacher for the Santa Barbara City College Continuing Education in Santa Barbara, California, keeps reminding Michele: “You are unforgettable” and “You are my little golden bell.”

In 2009, when a Workers’ Compensation for Applicants attorney (and a mom to her two high-school children, the family’s Yellow Labrador and the family home), Michele spent 80 hours or more over several months, navigating and solving medical, legal, and landlord-tenant issues for Mary. Then, Michele spent additional sleuthing time to learn about and locate the California Council of the Blind in Sacramento, California (“Council”) to assist Mary with an application for free rent for one-year. Michele wrote and submitted an application for consideration on Mary’s behalf. Mary was selected to receive a one-year term of paid rent by the Council to allow her to have the necessary eye surgery to restore her sight.

These are Mary’s words to Michele in March 2017:

Respect and trust from Michael Orland for Michele’s simple acts of kindness as a pro bono advocate regarding a legal matter. The amazing Michael Orland is a Pianist/Vocal Coach/Musical Director for many TV shows including Fox’s American Idol television show (2002-2016), its new re-boot on the ABC network, as well as current Music Director for actress/singer Kristin Chenoweth, TV & Broadway artist Katharine McPhee, for TV & Movie’s Erich Bergen, and for many other well-known stars.

Michele’s advice called “brilliant!” by Bill Handel, a Southern California well-known and respected radio talk show host and attorney at KFI 640 AM radio station in Burbank, California on December 10, 2012. KFI 640AM Program Director Robin Bertolucci had sent Michele an email with this message:

“I just mentioned your idea to Handel and he thought it was brilliant! We’re on it. Thank you for the excellent suggestion!”

Back in 2012 without social media, Michele single-handedly caused the removal of a judicial commissioner from one courthouse in Los Angeles County, California to another courthouse in a different city in the same county. (The bench officer had handled traffic, parking and small claim cases.)  Michele earned the respect from the former Los Angeles Presiding Judge and Assistant Presiding Judge who were, at the time, in charge of the Los Angeles County Superior Court operating 47 courthouses throughout the county—the largest single unified trial court in the United States.

In a different matter, in 2012, a presiding judge for the Yolo County Superior Court in Northern California, agreed with Michele’s written suggestions, for clarity and transparency, about the need for legible signatures by judicial officers, especially in all departments that handle traffic, parking and small claims cases.

The presiding judge wrote: “Your initial letter raised issues regarding the clarity of the Court’s order regarding the timing of payment and the clarity of the judicial officer’s signature on the decision. We agree that these items should have been written more legibly. Based on your letter, the Court has taken steps to ensure that is decisions are written with greater clarity for litigants.”

And finally, Michele’s suggestions to the presiding judge for the San Francisco Superior Court in 2016, resulted in his staff ordering new forms to require that names of bench officers be printed and readable for all court litigants in all departments, especially in those that handle traffic, parking and small claims cases.

As a former CBS News broadcast associate in New York, part of Robbyn McFadden’s job once included fielding calls – – a task, she says, she didn’t exactly love. However, one welcomed caller was Michele.  “Michele always had the most pleasant, encouraging, eloquent, fun, and smart things to say.” Upon Michele’s own initiation, and with permission, Michele eloquently wrote two separate emails to Ms. McFadden’s two senior producers highlighting the value of some of Robbyn’s work. Two months later, Ms. McFadden got a job promotion to junior associate producer.

In 2016, Mehmet Oz, MD left a message on Michele’s cell phone: “Thank you for your well-written and kind letter. Thank you for watching the show. Advice for Michele’s family: It’s how you do anything, is how you do everything. Always be reminded of that mantra. I’m congratulating her for raising those great kids.”

In 2016, a Deputy Director at the U. S. Copyright Office in Washington, D.C. received and read Michele’s email that contained detailed content for improvement about the previous website for the U.S. Copyright Office. The Deputy Director then shared it with the technical team for review. [On March 1, 2017, users saw a new and improved U.S. Copyright Office website, many several months in the making by the technical team.]

Sunday, March 17, 2019
Dear Michele,
I am always so grateful for the people that God puts in my life–you my dear friend, are one of them. Thank you for being my friend.