Wildlife photography is Michael's avocation and obsession. Professionally, Michael is a forensic Certified Public Accountant, educator and lecturer. His professional travels provide him with the opportunity to visit zoos and wildlife parks throughout the country.

Michael's professional career has been a tale of two passions. His first professional passion is "teaching" and his second is "litigation." His university teaching experience spans more than 26 years, the most recent 18 being at the University of Southern California, his alma mater. Michael discovered litigation accounting early in his career as a CPA and has since focused his professional practice in the litigation area.

He is principal of Kaplan Abraham Burkert Associates, Forensic Valuation Consultants, headquartered in Los Angeles, CA. His practice area includes pretrial strategic services and expert witness services in matters involving economic damages, business disputes, business valuation, fraud and embezzlement, and employment law. He is called upon regularly to serve as an expert witness in court. Michael's professional activities include an extensive amount of teaching, including graduate university programs in accounting and continuing education programs in litigation, communications and forensics.

Michael Kaplan was born and raised in Chicago, IL and moved to Los Angeles,CA in 1965. He is a graduate of the University of Southern California (BS and MBA).

Michael was introduced to photography as a child, when his father gave him his first "Brownie Hawkeye" camera. Over the years his primary photographic pursuits have included portraits, photojournalism, his family, cityscapes and animals.

Michael has been inspired by and is very proud of his family -- his wife Dina, daughters Stacey and Jennifer, son Brandon, sons-in-law George and Jim, granddaughter Liliana, grandson Clive and  mother Bella.  He says, "Family is what's important. The one thing that you can do today, that will have the biggest impact in a hundred years from now, is spend quality time with your children."