Allison Michael has represented United States and international corporations and their executives in employment matters for more than 20 years. First and foremost a litigator in both the state and federal courts, Ms. Michael has litigated hundreds of single and multiple plaintiff lawsuits and class actions since 1987. In 2005, Ms. Michael was named one of the Top 50 Women Litigators in California by the Daily Journal, an honor she was selected to receive by her peers in the legal profession. Most recently, she served as lead counsel in transforming a lawsuit brought against her client into a multimillion dollar award in her client's favor. Ms. Michael's cases span the labor and employment spectrum, including discrimination, harassment, whistleblower, noncompete, unfair competition, privacy, wrongful termination, wage and hour, LMRA, breach of contract, and related claims in state and federal courts. Other recent victories include the successful denial of class certification in a race discrimination case in the restaurant industry, reversal of a multimillion dollar verdict awarded against a client in a sexual harassment suit litigated by another firm, and summary judgment of a very public race discrimination case for a premiere national transportation company. Ms. Michael also regularly provides employment law support on other types of litigation, including antitrust, bankruptcy, toxic tort, and white-collar criminal matters. She also is an experienced practitioner in alternative dispute resolution, including arbitration and mediation.

In addition to litigating on their behalf, Ms. Michael provides strategic guidance on employment issues to some of the world's most significant corporations in the communications, finance, insurance, entertainment, manufacturing, transportation, hospitality, education, and technology industries. Representative clients include BB&T Corporation, General Motors, Verizon, Roadway, Digital Domain, DiBcom S.A., Harry Winston, the Los Angeles Unified School District, Sizzler, Pepperdine University, JVC Musical Industries, UCLA, Seguin Moreau, Vagrant Records, and Dole. Ms. Michael regularly assists clients on employment issues in connection with mergers and acquisitions, as well as in downsizing and facility closures, sales, and bankruptcies. She routinely teams with her partners in Jones Day's offices throughout the world on cross-border transactions and multijurisdictional compliance issues.

Throughout her career Ms. Michael has provided hands-on assistance to her clients in the day to day management of their workforces, advising on employee management and discipline issues, disability and accommodation matters, WARN and California WARN, FMLA and CFRA, violence in the workplace, and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Fair Employment and Housing Agency charges. She has an extensive background in the preparation of agreements in the employment context, including the drafting and negotiation of employment agreements for executive and other employees, documenting separation arrangements, and management of applicable related tax, stock, and benefit issues. Ms. Michael developed and continues to guide the preparation and administration of "love contracts," which have proven to be an effective tool for the management of the inevitable workplace romance and the prevention of unnecessary and unwarranted sexual harassment lawsuits. Ms. Michael is a very popular and respected speaker and trainer of employees and management at every level, on topics including diversity, performance management, sexual harassment, and the latest issues emerging in the employment arena.

Ms. Michael writes and lectures frequently on a wide variety of labor and employment subjects, including privacy in the workplace, managing employee risk, identifying and preventing sexual harassment, partnering with in-house counsel to meet business goals, and diversity challenges.

Ms. Michael is an active volunteer in Jones Day's pro bono projects, including the Sojourn Battered Women's Shelter and Kehillat Israel synagogue.