Commercial Litigation Litigation - Mergers and Acquisitions Litigation - Securities
Michael A. Sherman
Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2007 View Michael A. Sherman on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/StubbsAldertonMarkiles View Michael A. Sherman on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/61176?trk=tyah&trkInfo=clickedVertical%3Acompany%2CclickedEntityId%3A61176%2Cidx%3A2-3-11%2CtarId%3A1438303371248%2Ctas%3AStubbs View Michael A. Sherman on X at https://twitter.com/@StubbsAlderton
View Michael A. Sherman on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/StubbsAldertonMarkiles View Michael A. Sherman on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/61176?trk=tyah&trkInfo=clickedVertical%3Acompany%2CclickedEntityId%3A61176%2Cidx%3A2-3-11%2CtarId%3A1438303371248%2Ctas%3AStubbs View Michael A. Sherman on X at https://twitter.com/@StubbsAlderton
Awarded Practice Areas
Biography
Michael A. Sherman is a Partner and Chair of the Firm's Business Litigation Practice.
Michael brings decades of experience in successfully handling disputes and litigation in an extraordinarily diverse array of industries and businesses. His peers in the legal community describe Michael as the consummate trial lawyer, and he approaches every trial as an opportunity to tell his client’s story, in order to win.
In an era of “specialization” in the legal profession, Michael has been fortunate to maintain a trial, litigation and dispute practice that emphasizes achieving great results for clients in areas as varied as real estate acquisition and development, intellectual property/technology, energy, pharmaceuticals/drug development, securities, healthcare, environmental, consumer products, finance, apparel, and others. Michael excels at guiding clients through the perilous waters of disputes and conflicts in virtually any type of business dispute, and in being expertly skilled in helping clients achieve great results in settlement all the way through trial, if required.
Michael Sherman founded the firm’s Litigation Practice in 2014 and chairs that practice, and earlier in his career, following graduation with honors from Columbia college and thereafter from University of California Berkeley School of Law (Boalt Hall), he was blessed with extensive on-the-job training from several of the nation’s leading trial lawyers, with multiple opportunities to hone his litigation and trial skills. His creativity, persistence and work ethic led him to partnership at a leading Los Angeles litigation boutique at a young age and subsequently to a prominent partnership position at an international Am Law 100 law firm.
Michael has been recognized as a leading trial lawyer by his peers and regularly featured in the press for some of his significant victories on behalf of clients. He is a past president of the Los Angeles Chapter of the association of business trial lawyers. Michael’s trial skills and courtroom success resulted in his being named to the “Top 100 Lawyers” in California, a list published by the Daily Journal newspaper chain. For years he has consistently been named to “Best Lawyers in America” and “Super Lawyers”.
In building the firm’s business litigation practice, Michael Sherman has spent considerable time becoming expert in the special needs of business entrepreneurs, in representing “risk takers” in all facets of disputes involving business formation, capital raising, business operation, and business mergers, acquisitions and dispositions, as well as business “divorces” and employment disputes of virtually all stripes for both smaller and larger companies including both the prosecution and defense of class actions. As often as he finds himself representing “Goliath” in litigation matters, he equally finds himself representing ‘David”.
When not preparing cases for trial and in his “spare time,” Michael is active in the Los Angeles philanthropic community and in Bar activities, and spends time with his wife Stacey of 36 years, his three adult children, and participating in LA City life, the arts, traveling, hiking and indoor cycling.
Overview
- University of California Berkeley, J.D., graduated 1980
- California, California State Bar Association
- California, California State Bar Association
- University of California Berkeley, J.D., graduated 1980
Client Testimonials
Awards & Focus
Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® 2026 for work in:
- Commercial Litigation
- Litigation - Mergers and Acquisitions
- Litigation - Securities
Additional Areas of Practice:
- Arbitration
- Litigation - Intellectual Property
- Litigation - Labor and Employment
- Trade Secrets Law
News & Media
Insights
Case History
Cases
- Practice & Experience
- Obtained complete defense judgment at trial on behalf of client, state of California, in defeating $250 million claim involving proposed Ward Valley radioactive waste site. Gov. Gray Davis personally commended Michael’s trial victory, stating that “we would not have won without your wise counsel and skilled advocacy.”
- Led trial team that obtained a complete plaintiff’s judgment, after trial on claims involving fraud and breach of fiduciary duty that resulted in recovery of nearly $25 million of stock in one of Southern California’s fastest-growing small technology companies in recent years. Award included findings of punitive damages in favor of our client, and a judgment awarding recovery of all attorneys’ fees.
- Successfully represented bondholders in recovering principal and interest on defaulted hydro-electric power project in Northern California, in defending against claims of equity holders.
- Obtained a complete defense judgment at trial on behalf of one of California’s largest water utilities, Eastern Municipal Water District, in successfully opposing $300 million in claims and environmentally related injunctive relief sought by the U.S. government involving the rights and responsibilities of various parties with respect to the waters of the Santa Margarita River, one of the last free-flowing rivers in Southern California. The parties’ dispute had stretched over 15 years and included defense of claims asserted by the Environmental Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Navy and the Marine Corps Base at Camp Pendleton.
- Successfully defended one of California’s largest health providers, in a month-long jury trial, that had been sued for misappropriation of trade secrets by a competitor. The competitor had sought $60 million in damages, and the jury award was for a mere $147,000 — a decision so favorable for Michael’s client that it was thereby entitled to recover all its costs against the competitor.
- Obtained dismissal at pleading stage of lawsuit seeking $1 billion in claims against CBRE, Freeman Spogli, Blum Strategic Partners, KBS Realty Advisors and others, alleging breach of a joint venture and misappropriation of confidential information. Dismissal was upheld on appeal.
- Secured recovery at early stage of proceedings of all principal and interest, and fees, on material sums owing to lender consortium led by Sun America under loan participation.
- Successfully represented major private equity fund sponsor in litigation initiated by Fortune 50 company charging fraud and breach of fiduciary duty, and in resolving litigation short of trial, with both commitment of future fund investments and written apology.
- Obtained complete defense verdict in jury trial on behalf of AIG subsidiaries, in defeating $14 million claim brought by a former senior executive alleging breach of partnership agreement, fraud and breach of fiduciary duty.
- Successfully represented founders of one of the world’s fastest growing telecommunications companies in defense of claims arising out of multibillion dollar sale of company, in instance where $90 million in claims against them were dismissed due to spoliation of electronic evidence and findings of obstruction of justice.
- Successfully defended Affinity Group in a jury trial, where plaintiff sought $100 million in damages for unfair competition claims. Plaintiff took nothing. The trial and Michael were then featured in Los Angeles Daily Journal articles, with the Company CEO describing Michael’s performance in that case as that of “a tenacious litigator with a work ethic that seems to have no end.”
- Obtained an eight-figure recovery, after trial victory, for heiress of one of the nation’s best-known industrialists, deceased.
- Successfully handled numerous securities actions brought against major companies including Lockheed Corp., Pacific Enterprises, Rohr Corporation, Arthur Andersen and Herbalife.Managed unfair competition and Lanham Act cases involving Compaq and Packard Bell, and regularly advised No. 1 seller of home computers on products, advertising and procurement issues.
- Obtained nearly eight-figure recovery at trial for terminated securities registered rep (confidential).
- Represented former policyholders in consumer litigation/class action involving Executive Life. Additionally, he successfully prosecuted numerous class action and contingency matters in business areas including hi-tech, industrial equipment, consumer finance, insurance and timeshares.
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