Michele Patrao Forsythe was born in the Iron Bound of Newark, New Jersey and raised in Washington, D.C.  A first-generation daughter of immigrant parents, Ms. Forsythe speaks Spanish and Portuguese and studied at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, in Mexico City.  She is a former White House intern, and worked on Capitol Hill for United States Senator Paul Sarbanes of Maryland.  From 1996 to 1998, Ms. Forsythe served as an intelligence analyst with the Department of Defense.

 Ms. Forsythe attended the University of South Carolina School of Law, and has been practicing since 2003.  Ms. Forsythe practices in the areas of Criminal Defense, Family Law, Business Litigation, Personal Injury and Workers' Compensation.  She has worked extensively as a volunteer in the law enforcement and Charleston Hispanic communities.