James Walter Michalski

Mr. Michalski is a highly accomplished labor and employment defense attorney with over 25 years of experience representing management in California state and federal courts in complex, class action, and single-plaintiff matters. He has obtained highly favorable results for employers as first-chair in hundreds of adversarial proceedings including jury trials, bench trials, administrative trials, and arbitrations. He has handled successfully matters in all types of employment disputes including claims of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination in violation of public policy, defamation, breach of contract, fraud, negligent misrepresentation, interference with contract and prospective economic advantage, Unruh Act violations, and unfair competition. He also has resolved favorably dozens of wage and hour class action cases and dozens of cases involving California Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) claims.

Mr. Michalski litigates cases effectively but also efficiently, with the goal of resolving matters favorably with the minimal expense possible. Having served in-house as a Chief Legal Officer of a multi-state employer for several years, he recognizes the serious disruption and financial drain that litigation poses to his clients’ businesses. He thus partners with his clients to determine how to best protect their interests from a business owner’s perspective and not simply an outside attorney’s perspective. Providing exceptional value is a driving principle of Mr. Michalski’s practice.

Besides handling adversarial proceedings, Mr. Michalski routinely advises clients in daily employment law matters and drafts all types of employment-related documents. He also advises clients on corporate compliance matters and risk avoidance. He currently serves as outside labor and employment counsel for several clients in the construction (including two home builders), printing, manufacturing, and healthcare industries.

Mr. Michalski has obtained decades of specialized labor and employment law experience by serving as a Chief Legal Officer of a multi-state medical device company, and as a Labor and Employment Partner at several national law firms including Holland & Knight and Epstein, Becker & Green. He has been recognized regularly as a preeminent attorney by numerous organizations and attorney rating guides.