Michelle L. Roberts
mlr@ssrlawgroup.com

Since 2005, Michelle Roberts has been a successful advocate for disabled individuals and employees.  
Ms. Roberts specializes in claims for benefits under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act
(ERISA), specifically claims for disability benefits.  Ms. Roberts has helped numerous clients obtain
short- and long-term disability benefits from insurance companies that had wrongfully denied their
claims.  Her notable decisions include Barnes v. AT&T Pension Benefit Plan-Nonbargained
Program, 273 F.R.D. 562 (N.D. Cal. 2011) (granting Plaintiff’s motion to modify the class certification
order and leave to amend the complaint); Barnes v. AT&T Pension Benefit Plan – Nonbargained
Program, 270 F.R.D. 488 (N.D. Cal. 2010) (certifying class of pensioners); Barnes v. AT&T Pension
Benefit Plan – Nonbargained Program, 718 F. Supp. 2d 1167 (N.D. Cal. 2010) (granting Plaintiff's
motion to strike AT&T’s affirmative defenses); Schramm v. CNA Financial Corp. Insured Group
Benefits Program,718 F. Supp. 2d 1151 (N.D. Cal. 2010) (awarding Plaintiff long term disability and
waiver of life insurance premium benefits against Hartford); Zewdu v. Citigroup Long Term Disability
Plan, 264 F.R.D. 622 (N.D. Cal. 2010) (ordering discovery regarding MetLife's conflict of interest);
Finley v. Hartford Life and Accident Ins. Co., 2007 WL 2406872 (N.D. Cal. Aug. 20, 2007) (court
to apply a moderate degree of skepticism to Hartford's benefit determination); 249 F.R.D. 329 (N.D.
Cal 2008) (defendant's failure to make initial disclosure of full version of surveillance video was subject
to sanction).  Ms. Roberts' practice also includes class action litigation.   She has served as co-class
counsel in the following cases:  Gerlach v. Wells Fargo (wage and hour class action, settled for 12.8
million); Simpson v. FFIC (ERISA class action on behalf of disabled employees, settled for
reinstatement of medical benefits and $225,000); Jackson v. ACE Cash Express (meal and rest break
class action, settled for 1.1 million).  She currently serves as co-class counsel in Barnes v. AT&T
Pension Plan - Nonbargained Program, Case No. 08-4058-MHP (N.D. Cal.), and Dwyer v. AT&T
Pension Plan - Nonbargained Program, Case No. 10-5780-MMC (N.D. Cal.), which involve claims
for alleged unpaid pension benefits.

Ms. Roberts writes and speaks frequently about developments in ERISA litigation.  Her presentations
include a continuing legal education seminar titled "Mastering Social Security & Disability Law CLE"
sponsored by the Rossdale Group LLP; the ethics panel at the 2010 and 2011 Midwinter Meetings of
the Section of Labor & Employment Law Employee Benefits Committee, sponsored by the ABA; "An
Introduction to LTD Benefits For the Social Security Practitioner" at AAJ's Social Security Success!
Seminar, September 2009; presentations for the Workers' Rights Disability Law Clinic; workshops
regarding employee benefits organized by The Wellness Community, a non-profit organization that
provides comprehensive support services for people with cancer and their caregivers.  Ms. Roberts is a
Contributing Author to Sacher, et al., EMPLOYEE BENEFITS LAW, Chapter 13, "Benefit Claims and
Individual Rights" (BNA, 2006, 2007, and 2008 Supplement), and Chapter 20, "Ethics, Privilege, and
Related Concerns in the Practice of Benefits Law" (BNA 2009, 2012 Supplement), and is also a
Rewrite Editor of the 2009 Cumulative Supplement of Employee Benefits law, 2nd Ed.  She also
assisted in the preparation of the brief amicus curiae of the National Employment Lawyers Association
in LaRue v. DeWolff, Boberg & Associates, Inc., 127 S.Ct. 2971 (2007) (brief available at 2007 WL
2287651).  Ms. Roberts is a co-author of the Supreme Court Summary of Metropolitan Life Ins. Co.
v. Glenn, published by the ABA’s Section of Labor & Employment Law on August 8, 2008.  

Ms. Roberts is a member of the Women Lawyers of Alameda County, the California Employment
Lawyers Association (CELA), and the American Association of Justice (AAJ).  In 2007, Ms. Roberts
was recognized by CELA as a distinguished CELA lawyer.  She is a co-chair on the Ethics
Subcommittee of the American Bar Association's Section of Labor & Employment Law.  She also
serves as a co-chair of the board of directors, a panel attorney, and a member of the strategic planning
committee for the  AIDS Legal Referral Panel (ALRP).  Ms. Roberts is also a regular volunteer
supervising attorney at the Bay Area Workers' Rights Clinic where she advises law student counselors
who provide free legal advice to low-income clients.

Ms. Roberts is a graduate of the University of California, Riverside, summa cum laude and Phi Beta
Kappa with double majors in Economics/Law & Society and Political Science and a graduate of Boalt
Hall School of Law, University of California at Berkeley.

She is admitted to practice before the California Supreme Court; Ninth Circuit United States Court of
Appeals; United States District Court, Northern District of California; United States District Court,
Central District of California; United States District Court, Eastern District of California; United States
District Court, Southern District of California.
"Fighting for the Underdog"

The theme of my life has been a determination
to fight for the underdog.  My work is a natural
extension of that theme, and fulfills me every
day.  I value hard work above most other things
in my life.  To me, if I am not logged into my
computer, it is as though an appendage is lost!  I
love my work and often find myself preoccupied
with how to fix a client’s problem outside of
“business hours.”  I also value taking
advantage of every opportunity for personal
growth, and am always looking for a way to
become a better person.  Running a business and
having a family is pretty all-consuming, but I
am as happy as I’ve ever been, and wouldn’t
have it any other way.  

For fun and relaxation, I enjoy the ritual of
yoga in the mornings, so that I can come into
the office with a clear head.  Exercise helps me
focus and feel ready to face the challenges that
may lie ahead.  At the end of the day, I love to
catch up with friends during my commute home,
then I look forward to seeing the smiling faces
of my two kids when I pick them up from
school.  My daughter is a fun-loving, energetic,
entertainer, who loves to watch American Idol
with her mom.  My baby son is easy, mellow,
and very good natured.  Spending the dinner
hour and evening with my family brings out the
best in me.  Impromptu entertaining of my
friends is a frequent occurrence in my house,
and I am loving this stage in my life where
everything outside of work revolves around my
children.  I figure that this time with my young
kids is so fleeting and precious, that being a
homebody with them most evenings is all the
excitement I need.  I want to expand their
horizons, though, so my personal goal is to
travel to a new country each year to expose my
children to all of the many wonderful cultures of
the world.  It’s also very important to me that I
instill in my children the driving determination I
have to give back to those in need.  In addition
to fighting for my clients, I volunteer with the
Workers’ Rights Clinic, the AIDS Legal Referral
Panel, the March of Dimes, and I am my
daughter’s room parent.  I hope to show my kids
by example that giving to others is the best way
to lead a life of fulfillment.