About Michelle Laurin
Michelle Laurin Silva built a career that moved steadily from law school classrooms into California courtrooms. She earned a J.D. from the University of San Diego School of Law in 2012 after completing a B.A. in Literature and Writing at the University of California, San Diego in 2010. Those academic years set the groundwork for a practice centered on criminal defense.
Her early post-law school work led her into hands-on defense roles. In 2016 she joined Ridley Defense as an associate lawyer. There she handled case preparation, client interviews and assisted on motion practice. The role offered repeated courtroom exposure and practical experience in the day-to-day demands of criminal litigation.
Silva continued to move through a succession of defense firms. In 2021 she worked at The Matian Firm as a criminal defense lawyer, helping manage case loads that included pretrial investigations and arraignments. The following year she took on a leadership role as a managing lawyer at The Kavinoky Law Office. That position added supervisory responsibilities and gave her greater involvement in strategic decisions for complex cases.
Also in 2022 she joined Pacific Coast Criminal Defense as a criminal defense lawyer. Across these positions she has handled client counseling, negotiated with prosecutors and prepared evidence for hearings. Her experience spans multiple stages of criminal proceedings, from intake and plea discussions through pretrial motions and trial preparation.
Colleagues describe her as methodical in case review and practical in courtroom settings. She balances litigation work with efforts to identify case resolutions that align with client goals. Silva’s background in literature and writing has informed how she crafts written arguments and prepares witnesses, and it has been a consistent part of her professional profile.
Licensed to practice in California, Silva has built a practice grounded in defense representation rather than transactional or corporate work. She has moved between firms in ways that increased both her trial exposure and her management responsibilities. That progression shaped her ability to move cases forward under tight timelines and to coordinate with investigators and experts when needed.
She currently practices criminal defense at Pacific Coast Criminal Defense, handling criminal cases in California.
