Kim Michael Secures Pair of Multimillion-dollar Arbitration Awards on Behalf of Clients

June 24, 2022

Harris St. Laurent & Wechsler partner Kim Michael recently secured a pair of notable multimillion-dollar arbitration awards on behalf of her clients. Her victories exemplify the work she and the firm do in representing clients in high-stakes arbitration proceedings.

Ms. Michael’s most recent victory is a 2022 JAMS arbitration proceeding arising from a dispute over an improperly withheld performance bonus. Ms. Michael represented an investment banker who claimed his former employer owed him an earned bonus based on net profits from a transaction he led. The panel awarded more than $2.7 million to Ms. Michael’s client, including liquidated damages and legal representation fees, for breach of contract, quantum meruit, and New York Labor Law violations. Partner Megan Dubatowka and associate Ashley Robinson also worked on the arbitration hearing, and other members of the firm working on the matter in advance of the hearing included firm counsel Leonard Pack and partner David Wechsler.

 In late 2021, Ms. Michael represented a former leveraged finance executive at a global investment bank who was denied deferred compensation after retiring. The bank claimed Ms. Michael’s client failed to provide satisfactory notice of his retirement and engaged in “competitive activity” by joining a specialized private equity firm. Ms. Michael secured a $2.2 million Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) arbitration award for her client in the matter. Ms. Dubatowka joined her for the arbitration hearing, while Mr. Wechsler helped with work in advance of the hearing.

Ms. Michael represents clients in federal and state courts at both the trial and appellate level, as well as before FINRA, the American Arbitration Association (AAA), JAMS, and fair employment practices agencies, and has participated in numerous mediations. She provides counseling and litigation across all aspects of employment law, compensation, restrictive covenants (including non-competition and non-solicitation agreements), trade secrets, severance pay, discrimination, retaliation, harassment, whistleblowing, and defamation. Ms. Michael also has extensive experience drafting and negotiating employment agreements and separation/settlement agreements.