About MC
mike chastaine
Mike Chastaine is an award-winning attorney, speaker and author. His career spans many decades and covers a wide range of experiences, both in and out of the court room. As a successful entrepreneur, nationally recognized trial lawyer and endurance athlete, he has a unique perspective for success that puts him in a unique position to help others.
- Nationally Recognized criminal defense attorney for over 37 years
- Founder of Chastaine Law – “Best Criminal Defense firm in Northern California in 2020 and 2021 by New World Reports
- Legal Excellence Award for Literary distinction, LEA award and author of five books
- Radio host of 'Legal Ease'
- Video blogger of 20 minutes with Mike
- Entrepreneurial Attorney of the Year finalist in 2017 and 2018
- Extreme Adventure Racer
- National Ski Patroller Alumni
- Harmonica and bass player
- Husband, father and grandfather
by Mike Chastaine
Running my own law office was never the plan. I was happy working for others and making a salary. I spent 16 years as a public defender and another six years working for a large firm that assigned out cases.
In 2006 my life changed, and I realized that I needed to go out on my own. On January 1, 2007, I opened the Chastaine Law Office. Fortunately, I was able to bring many old clients to my firm. I was extremely busy for a time and then a different reality set in. Besides trying to build my own firm, I had to juggle raising three young daughters and keeping up my fitness as an extreme endurance athlete that traveled around the world doing multiday races. In additional, during the winter, I was a National Ski Patroller who was working on the mountain every other weekend.
But the problem was not family or sports. The real challenge was that I didn’t know how to run a business. Having incredible mentors in law served me well in the court room but did little to help me create a successful business. Like many entrepreneurs, I assumed that just because I was good at what I did, clients would magically appear. Of course, it does not work that way.
For several years I struggled. I had no systems. I was the system. I didn’t know where the next client or paycheck was going to come from. People would call but since there was no follow up, it was a hit or miss. Rather than doing anything about it, I just worried and stressed.
One night I decided that I had had enough struggling. The next day I started reading and studying books from the top minds of our time. I signed up for various programs and then made a key decision, I sought out others that had accomplished what I wanted to do. Hiring some of the top mentors in the legal business field was when the dramatic changes began to take hold. Most importantly of all, I acted on what I learned. I had the courage to change. Over time, I learned the ins and outs of being self-employed and my life started to improve dramatically.
After investing time and money, I went from being a stressed-out attorney in a room by myself to building a seven-figure law firm with just three attorneys and a small support staff. My financial success grew while continuing to maintain the extremely high legal standards I set for the office. The Chastaine Law Office was selected the Best Criminal Defense Firm in Northern California in 2020 and 2021, and I was selected one of the top criminal defense attorneys in the country. I also set the standard of working smart, not hard. My team rarely worked evenings or weekends. I strongly believe that balance is a key part of my success.
In 2021 I decided it was time to do something different with my life. I sold the firm to another experienced attorney who understood the value of the systems that I had developed. The firm is now known as Chastaine |Jones and I remain Of Counsel to the firm. The transition has and will, require my coaching for a period but the transition is going smoothly as the new owner is able to continue building off a solid foundation.
Now I take all of that experience and knowledge to help other struggling attorneys to build their dream. To get out of their ruts and enjoy the benefits of financial security through proven methods and systems.
Award-Winning Author, Radio Host, and video blogger
Mike is committed to helping educate people about the legal process. He strongly believes that knowledge is power. His four books on how to avoid legal problems and if accused of a crime, how to navigate the legal system, earned him the prestigious Legal Excellence Award for Literary Distinction, LEA Award, for his books. He was the host of a popular weekly radio show called LegalEase, airing on Money 105.5 FM every Monday morning at 8am. More recently, Mike has taken advantage of technology to do the popular "20 minutes with Mike". In each segment he shares stories of productivity, wisdom and adventure.