practice areas
education
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New York University School of Law, 2002 J.D.
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Cornell University, 1999 B.S.
Admitted In
Associations
Member of National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA)
Member of New York affiliate of National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA NY)
Member of The New York City Bar Association
Served Three Year Term as member of Arbitration Committee of The New York City Bar Association
Kim Michael
Partner
Kim Michael has spent the vast majority of her legal career focusing on employment law and litigation. She advises, and handles disputes for, a wide array of clients with respect to all aspects of employment law including matters involving compensation, restrictive covenants (including non-competition and non-solicitation agreements), trade secrets, severance pay, discrimination, retaliation, harassment, whistleblowing, and defamation. Ms. Michael has extensive experience drafting and negotiating employment agreements and separation/settlement agreements and regularly advises clients on numerous aspects of employment law. Ms. Michael also handles general commercial and contractual disputes and has represented many employees who have been wrongfully disciplined, suspended, and/or terminated in connection with regulatory and/or criminal investigations and/or charges.
She was selected as a Leading Plaintiff Employment & Civil Rights Lawyer by Lawdragon in 2021, 2022, and 2023, is ranked by Chambers in Labor & Employment: Mainly Plaintiffs, and as a Litigation Star by Benchmark.
Ms. Michael handles actions in federal and state courts (including appeals), before the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”), the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”), JAMS, and fair employment practices agencies, and has participated in numerous mediations.
Ms. Michael’s noteworthy matters include:
An award from the AAA of over $23.3 million (including over $1 million in attorneys’ fees and costs) for a former portfolio manager of a large asset management firm based upon a finding that the firm had no “Cause” to terminate such manager.
Securing a pre-award settlement, following the completion of a JAMS arbitration in 2023, of nearly $6.5 million for four executives seeking payment of annual and retention bonuses.
A FINRA award for two former employees of BNP Paribas Securities Corp. of nearly $7 million (representing bonus and deferred compensation and costs) plus interest, following 43 days of hearing spanning nearly two years (reported to be the largest FINRA intra-industry award to an employee or employees in 2017).
A 2022 JAMS arbitration award of over $2.7 million (including liquidated damages and attorneys’ fees) for breach of contract, quantum meruit, and violation of the New York Labor Law arising out of an employer’s improper withholding of a former employee’s earned bonus based on net profits of a transaction for which he was the lead investment banker.
Winning in 2021 over $2.2 million in a FINRA arbitration for a former Leveraged Finance executive at a global investment bank whose deferred compensation was wrongfully withheld for allegedly failing to provide required “retirement” notice and allegedly engaging in “competitive activity” by joining a specialized private equity firm.
Successfully defeating an appeal in the New York State Appellate Division, First Department by Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss and Winklevoss Capital Management, resulting in affirmance of the dismissal of claims for alleged defamation against our client that we obtained at the trial level.
A seven figure settlement of claims brought by a former employee of an international investment bank for, among other things, unpaid deferred compensation.
Prior to joining Harris, St. Laurent & Wechsler, Ms. Michael was a partner at Wechsler & Cohen, LLP where she worked for more than fifteen years. From 2002-2005, Ms. Michael was an Associate at Mayer, Brown & Platt, which became Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP (n/k/a Mayer Brown).
Ms. Michael is admitted to the bar of New York and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.