Michael joined Wagner McLaughlin in 2001 and rapidly became one of the partners of the practice. While earning his J.D. at Florida State University, he held a staff position with the Florida State Senate and researched legal issues for a Civil Division judge in the Thirteenth Circuit in Hillsborough County. During his last year of law school, Michael served as a legislative aide for the Florida Legislative Office of the American Association of Retired Persons. By the time he started practicing law in 1999, Michael McLaughlin had already gained valuable insight into both the judicial system and the rights of individual citizens.

After being admitted to The Florida Bar, Michael spent two years serving Hillsborough County as an Assistant State Attorney, where he represented the State of Florida as a prosecutor. He served as the lead attorney in over 35 jury trials and more than 200 bench trials. In all, he was responsible for handling successful prosecutions against thousands of criminals.