| Michelle L. Roberts mlr@ssrlawgroup.com Michelle Roberts has an extensive background of advocating for disabled individuals and employees. Ms. Roberts is a member of the National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA), the California Employment Lawyers Association (CELA), and the American Association of Justice (AAJ). Ms. Roberts has been recognized by Cambridge Who’s Who for demonstrating dedication, leadership and excellence in litigation. She is a co-chair on the Ethics Subcommittee of the American Bar Association's Section of Labor & Employment Law. From 2005 to 2007, prior to establishing a partnership with Cassie Springer-Sullivan, Ms. Roberts worked in Oakland with a firm that specializes in plaintiff-side Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) and wage and hour litigation. Ms. Roberts 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) Ms. Roberts has also been successful in helping numerous clients obtain short- and long-term disability benefits from insurance companies that had wrongfully denied their claims. Her notable decisions include Schramm v. CNA Financial Corp. Insured Group Benefits Program,--- F.Supp.2d ----, 2010 WL 2433126 (N.D.Cal. June 14, 2010) (awarding Plaintiff long term disability and waiver of life insurance premium benefits against Hartford); Zewdu v. Citigroup Long Term Disability Plan, 2010 WL 520538 (N.D. Cal. Feb. 12, 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). In 2007, Ms. Roberts was recognized by CELA as a distinguished CELA lawyer. 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 Supplement). 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 frequent speaker on ERISA litigation, including the ethics panel at the 2010 Midwinter Meeting of the Section of Labor & Employment Law Employee Benefits Committee, February 5, 2010, sponsored by the ABA; "An Introduction to LTD Benefits For the Social Security Practitioner" at AAJ's Social Security Success! Seminar, September 2009; workshops organized by The Wellness Community, a non-profit organization that provides comprehensive support services for people with cancer and their caregivers, regarding employee benefits. 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. In 2003, Ms. Roberts served as a legal intern in the Direct Services Unit of the Legal Aid Society - Employment Law Center (LAS- ELC). In this position, Ms. Roberts provided representation to low-income clients including, among other things, representation at hearings with the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board and the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (Labor Commissioner). In 2004, Ms. Roberts served as a legal intern in the Disability Discrimination Unit of LAS-ELC. In this position, Ms. Roberts provided legal services to low-income clients with disabilities including advice and assistance with charges filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH). Ms. Roberts also served as Book Review Editor for the Berkeley Journal of Employment and Labor Law (BJELL) from 2003 to 2005 and published book reviews. In addition, Ms. Roberts served as a director for the East Bay Workers' Rights Clinic from 2003 to 2004. 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. |
