Michelle Bomberger, Hunts Point resident and founder of Equinox Business Law Group, has always loved approaching life with an entrepreneurial mindset and a side of servant leadership. Michelle's adventurous spirit and enthusiasm for looking at solutions differently can be traced back to her upbringing. Born and raised in the U.S. Panama Canal Zone, Michelle grew up in a community that was both closeknit and very unique. The Canal Zone was akin to small-town America, where everyone knew each other. But it wasn’t in mainland America; instead, it was a five-mile-wide swath of U.S.-controlled land boasting two high schools and surrounded by Panama on all sides.  

Her father worked with the Smithsonian Institution conducting tropical research on Barro Colorado Island, while her mother was a nurse at a U.S. hospital. During the period of transition from 1979 to 1999, when the U.S. gradually transferred control of the Canal Zone back to Panama, Michelle formed friendships with a diverse group of people including local Panamanians, fellow Canal Zone residents, and children of U.S. military personnel. Though not bilingual, Michelle and her children hold dual U.S. and Panamanian citizenship. She grew up with many cultures, languages, and ways of life in that small little town, giving her perspective that many of her peers in the continuous 50 states could never have.

Today, Michelle is proud of her family. Her son, Daniel, a 2022 graduate of Interlake High School, is now a junior at Emory University. Her younger child, Kyra, graduated from Bellevue High School in 2024 and joined her brother at Emory as well. And Michelle's husband, Matt, is a Practice Director of AI and Data Analytics. Before moving to Hunts Point, the family lived in Bellevue, with a stint in Dublin, Ireland for two years while Matt worked at Intellectual Ventures.

About 20 years ago, Michelle founded Equinox Business Law Group, offering an outsourced General Counsel solution for business law support. Interestingly, Michelle never initially planned to become a lawyer. She began her career with a business degree, working as a consultant after graduation. She then pursued an MBA, which led her to add a law degree to her academic portfolio. After graduate school Michelle worked at AT&T Wireless, and after the Cingular merger, she began seriously considering launching a law firm that could serve businesses more effectively. This idea culminated in the founding of Equinox Business Law Group in 2005.

With many companies hesitating to engage external legal teams due to high costs, Michelle saw an opportunity to give smaller businesses the same competitive advantages of in-house legal teams. While large companies have the complexity that requires in-house General Counsel as their first point of legal contact, entrepreneurial companies often find themselves at a disadvantage due to the high cost and very transactional nature of the traditional legal model. Michelle's innovative approach aimed to bridge this gap and empower these businesses to thrive by offering a fixed-price, all-inclusive General Counsel tailored to smaller companies.

Outside of her professional life, Michelle is an active community volunteer. She has served on the board of Bellevue LifeSpring, a nonprofit supporting Bellevue kids and families in need, for the past six years. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she supported Bellevue LifeSpring’s work with the Bellevue School District, Safeway, Amazon, and others to ensure kids had access to food when school wasn’t in session, and more recently, to reach families more directly through the new Family Hubs at Stevenson Elementary and Highland Middle School. Michelle is also on the board of Youth Theatre Northwest (YTN) on Mercer Island, a nonprofit organization that helps kids shine, building confidence and leadership skills through acting and theatre.

Michelle’s daughter, Kyra, found her passion for acting through YTN at a young age and Michelle loves giving back to this powerful work.

As President-Elect of the Seattle Chapter of Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO), Michelle continues to support business leaders in their growth journeys. This organization is a global nonprofit that offers a confidential space for entrepreneurs to share their experiences and gain insights from peers, with programs catering to businesses generating over $1 million in revenue and an Accelerator program for smaller businesses.

Through Equinox Business Law Group, her community involvement, and her leadership roles, Michelle Bomberger has created a lasting impact on the small business landscape in Bellevue and beyond. Her commitment to fostering growth and providing equitable support resonates with her adventurous spirit and dedication to making a difference.