Michael Anderson initially began his career in statistics and population science. He earned his masters in statistics and PhD in demography from UC Berkeley, where he then studied as a postdoctoral researcher and taught as an adjunct professor. He developed extensive quantitative skills and expertise in computer-based methods of analysis, while his teaching experience gave him the ability to communicate complex ideas in straightforward ways. He continues to publish research on statistical forecasting of pension systems with his colleagues at Berkeley.

Spurred by a long held desire to practice law, Michael entered UC Berkeley's Boalt School of Law and studied with a heavy concentration on criminal law, including Cris's criminal trial class and the Boalt Hall Death Penalty Clinic. He graduated in 2004 and clerked for the Honorable Norma L. Shapiro in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, where he gained experience clerking at both the federal district court and circuit court levels.

Michael’s combination of experience in quantitative analysis and law give him a unique approach to legal problem solving. The modern practice of criminal law often involves complicated issues of a highly technical, numerical or scientific nature. Where many lawyers struggle to understand these problems, Michael thrives on them. "When I was clerking at the district court level, I sometimes found I had a better grasp on the technical issues than the expert witnesses did."