Michael Neal Atwell

When I first started working as a deputy public defender in 1972 in San Francisco, Michael was in final months there but still took time to answer questions and provide insights into how to handle a large case load. He impressed me as being a true believer in the criminal justice system.

I met Mike in 1990 when I moved to Tahoe. In him, I quickly found a dear friend - a legal opponent at the time, and co-worker later. Through all the years, Mike and I remained quite close, and I enjoyed every interaction with him. He had an amazing repertoire of experiences and interests, a quick wit, and a vocabulary second to none. When the Angora fire drove my family from our home in 2007, Mike and Barbara unhesitatingly offered up their Tahoe home for us to live in while ours was...