Ronald Miller (attorney)
Ronald Miller (born May 9, 1962) is a Southern California lawyer, formally partnered with Johnny Cochran. In 1993 he co-founded what became the largest criminal defense law firms in the United States, Miller & Associates (now Imhoff & Associates). Currently he is the Managing Director the Disability Group Inc., a national Social Security Disability law firm located in Santa Monica, CA.
Early life
Miller was born in Detroit, MI. His father worked as a Vocational Rehabilitation Consultant and his mother worked as a Social Worker.
In 1980, Miller graduated from West Bloomfield High School and went on to Michigan State University, where he earned a B.A. degree in Business Administration- Marketing (1984). While an undergrad, Miller served as President of the Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity and sat on many organization boards including the MSU Residence Hall Association.
Miller earned his J.D. from the University of Detroit Law School, where he graduated 12th out of 109 students (1987). He was the Class President of the Student Bar Association.
Miller is a member of the State Bar of Michigan and the State Bar of California.
Professional history
Miller began his entrepreneur endeavors in 1979 by starting A-1 Cleaning Systems, for which he stood as President and Managing Partner for 6 years. He sold this company in 1984, and it remains in business as of 2008.
While in law school (and for a year after graduating), Miller worked as a clerk, and later became an attorney for, Dykema Gossett, Michigan's largest law firm, where he practiced real estate and environmental law.
In 1989, Miller continued on with his passion for environmental issues by serving as the President of EIS/Vista Environmental Information Systems, a company he founded, which produces electronic reports identifying toxic waste sites for the real estate finance industry. In connection with this company, he became an expert in environmental risk assessments and served as committee chair for the ASTM standard on real estate site assessments.
Perhaps Miller's most successful business venture came when he founded and successfully created the largest criminal defense firm in the United States. The firm, Miller & Associates, employed over 200 attorneys practicing in 26 states. By using twenty first century technology, Miller pioneered the concept of a "virtual law firm," and created a way to deliver higher quality legal services to the consumer market. In 2004, Miller partnered with famed attorney Johnnie Cochran, and the firm quickly became known as "The Johnnie Cochran Firm". In 2005, Miller served as an honorary pallbearer at Cochran's funeral. Miller has since sold the firm, which has been renamed Imhoff & Associates, and still practices out of Santa Monica, CA.
In 2004, Miller founded Disability Group Inc., now one of the largest national Social Security Law firms in the country. Currently Miller serves as Managing Director over an in-office staff of 85 paralegals and attorneys. The firm also holds contracts with 200+ attorneys across the United States, providing assistance with receiving social security benefits to clients in all 50 states and Puerto Rico.
Miller has also served as an adjunct faculty professor at University of California Riverside, University of California San Diego and University of Wisconsin at Madison.
Personal life
Miller met his wife Lee Hirshowitz in 1993, and they married in 1995. They have two children; Benji (1997) and Madison (1998). Miller and his family reside in Santa Monica, CA.
Miller is a licensed pilot and is involved in a number of charitable organizations including Habitat for Humanity, Save the Children, Turning Point Transitional Housing and the Santa Monica Dolphin Change program.
Articles written By Ron Miller
- "Poison Pills" featured in the Wall Street Journal 4/20/90
- "Tracking Environmental Risk" featured in the New York Times 4/28/91
- "Due Diligence Techniques for the Innocent Purchaser/Lender" featured in Toxics Law Reporter (8/22/88)
- "Government Records: An Essential Element of Environmental Due Diligence" featured in Toxics Law Reporter (12/21/88)
- "Due Diligence Techniques in the Secondary Mortgage Market" featured in Toxics Law Reporter (unknown date) and BNA Banking Report (11/7/88)
- "Impact of Neighboring Property on the Environmental Integrity of Real Estate" featured in Environmental Due Diligence- The Complete Resource Guide (BNA, 1989)
- "Environmental Assessments and Audits" featured in Real Estate Transactions and Environmental Risks -- A Practical Guide (Executive Enterprises, 1989)
- "Environmental Due Diligence -- Faster and Less Expensive" featured in Smolker Letter (10/23/89)
- Environmental Hazards Where You Would Least Expect Them" featured in Smolker Letter (12/22/89)
- "The New Horizon of Environmental Risk in Real Estate Transactions" featured in Smolker Letter (3/23/90)
- "Environmental Due Diligence -- Has the Real Risk Been Overlooked?" featured in Smolker Letter (7/13/90)
- "What's Left After An Appraiser Standardizes An Environmental Disclaimer?" featured in Smolker Letter (12/17/90)
- "Environmental Due Diligence Standards" featured in Smolker Letter (3/25/91)
- "The Informal Professional" featured in Smokler Letter (7/31/91)
- "Excavating the File Cabinets -- Digging Through Government Records Can Unearth a Wealth of Information" featured in Soils Magazine (9 &10/91)
- "Get a Grip on Risk" featured in Soils Magazine (11 &12/91)
- "In Defense of 'Innocent' Lenders and Buyers featured" in HazMat World (3/91)
- "Interview: Miller on Lender Liability With Superfund" featured in Greenwire (10/29/91)
- "Exploring Possible Environmental Hazards: Serving the Clients' Needs" featured in Environmental Watch (Fall 90)
- "Use of Government Environmental Records to Identify and Analyze Hydrocarbon Contaminated Sites" featured in Hydrocarbon Contaminated Soils & Groundwater, (v.2, ch.29 Winter 91)
- "The Role of the information Professional in the Phase I Assessment" featured in The Environmental Liability Report (5/91)
- "Commercial & Customary Practice of Environmental Due Diligence" featured in Haz-News (7 & 8/91)
- "Lenders Still Fear Liability, Survey Finds" featured in Environment Today (11 & 12/91)
- "Vista Supports Toxics Bill" featured in CBA
- "Coping With Geocoding" featured in ABA Banking Journal
- "Environmental Cleanup Liability in Real Estate Transactions: Are You At Risk?" featured in Site Selection and Industrial Development (4/93)
- "A Manager's Guide To Finding Environmental Risks" featured in Shopping Center World (11/92)
- "The Book On Social Security Disability"