Michael A. S. Newman

Michael is a Shareholder in Maynard Nexsen's Labor & Employment practice group. An experienced litigator, Michael's practice includes employment litigation, employment counseling, insurance bad faith disputes, trade secret matters, and contractual disputes. 

Michael is experienced in defending employers in harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and wrongful termination claims, as well as wage and hour matters. Michael also advises and counsels clients as to these and related matters. 

Michael also counsels and defends insurance clients in matters involving the alleged bad faith denial of benefits on life, disability, long-term care, workers' compensation and health insurance policies. He has also worked on behalf of insurance clients in regulatory matters involving the California Department of Insurance. 

A respected voice in the industry, Michael is a regular guest columnist for various magazines and newspapers, including Inside Counsel, Financier Worldwide Magazine, Los Angeles Daily Journal, For the Defense (DRI), and the San Francisco Daily Journal. He has been interviewed and quoted in a number of publications, including Risk & Insurance, Human Resource Executive Online and Thomson Reuters The Knowledge Effect. He has also been engaged to write book reviews, opinions and analyses of current and historical legal issues.

Michael holds a J.D. from the University of California Los Angeles School of Law, where he served as Chief Comments Editor for the UCLA Law Review. He earned his B.A. in History from the University of California – Berkeley and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

Community & Professional

• American Bar Association
• Los Angeles County Bar Association
• The State Bar of California

Outside Maynard Nexsen

In his youth, Michael was a nationally competitive fencer specializing in foil. In 1990, he represented the United States in the four-person Youth National Fencing Team that traveled to and competed in Recklinghausen, Germany. In 1992, Michael secured gold medals as the U.S. High School National Fencing Champion and Pacific Coast Champion.

In his spare time, Michael enjoys spending time with his family. He is an omnivorous reader and enjoys music that ranges from 14th-century isorhythmic motets to John Coltrane.

• Primary writer of the briefing at the trial court level and on appeal establishing on summary judgment that a district manager of insurer defendants, responsible for recruiting and training insurance agents, was properly classified as an independent contractor, and was not an employee.
• Established on summary judgment that insurer defendants had properly classified recruiter and trainer of insurance agents as independent contractor.
• Lead counsel in arbitration, securing ruling that defendant had not breached its contract in terminating retail salespersons and did not owe them additional commissions.
• Established on summary judgment that life insurance had been properly rescinded by insurer, based on insured misrepresentations regarding income and net worth; affirmed by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal.