Michael A. Pearlson

Mike represents businesses and their executives across a broad spectrum of industries, focusing his practice on high-stakes employment litigation, complex commercial cases, and strategic advice to his clients. His practice focuses on employment and commercial matters, particularly in the defense of class and collective actions, wage and hour issues, and discrimination and harassment claims as well as business torts, breaches of contracts, and trade secret litigation. He has litigated across multiple venues for a broad spectrum of clients, ranging from Fortune 500 companies to small businesses.

• Defended numerous class actions on behalf of clients in the medical, transportation, hospitality, and retail industries.
• Obtained a summary judgment victory in a representative action, in which the Santa Clara County Superior Court determined that the plaintiff, an IT employee supplied by a staffing agency, was not an employee of a medical technology company.
• Successfully represented a medical technology company in a putative misclassification class in Alameda County Superior Court by obtaining dismissal of all claims.
• Litigated claims against a ticket management platform on behalf of a competitor and prevailing at trial in a breach of contract and tortious interference lawsuit.
• Successfully defended a financial services institution against claims of aiding and abetting violation of Cal. Penal Code § 496 and aiding and abetting breach of fiduciary duty.
• Defended a technology company against a rival company and former employees alleging claims for misappropriation of trade secrets, breach of contract, breach of duty of loyalty, civil conspiracy, and unfair competition.

• Defended a wide range of employers in various industries in multiple single-plaintiff, wrongful termination lawsuits.
• Advised and counseled clients on a variety of matters, including preventative compliance under state and federal laws as well as pre-litigation strategy.