Michael A. Wilder regularly advises and represents employers in various areas of employment law before state and federal district courts, state and federal appellate courts, the American Arbitration Association, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and other state agencies responsible for investigating workplace discrimination and harassment.

A skilled litigator, Michael successfully defended a major health care provider in an appeal before the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in which the Court affirmed the district court’s dismissal of all counts for want of prosecution, and successfully argued an appeal before the same Court on behalf of a refractories company, which resulted in the Court’s affirmation of the district court’s grant of summary judgment on all counts.

Additionally, Michael is an active member of the firm’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) Practice Group and lectures on this subject before government contractor groups on various affirmative action and audit preparation topics. He has successfully defended dozens of OFCCP compliance audits for the firm’s clients throughout the country. He has prepared and defended dozens of desk audit submissions and has significant on-site defense experience preparing and defending managers in interviews and preparing employees for interviews. His experience includes:

• Preparing affirmative action plans
• Representing government contractors before the OFCCP
• Preparing for and defending OFCCP audits and onsite visits
• Responding to OFCCP information requests
• Evaluating compensation, hiring, promotions, and terminations disparity claims

Michael is also a member of the firm’s Class Action Practice Group. He has authored several publications on recent issues in employment class and collective actions.

Michael was a judicial extern to the Honorable Diane Larsen of the Circuit Court of Cook County. In law school, Michael was an editor for the Employee Rights and Employment Policy Journal, an extern for the National Labor Relations Board, and inducted into the prestigious Bar and Gavel Society. He also earned his Certificate of Labor and Employment Law. 

PROFESSIONAL AND COMMUNITY AFFILIATIONS

• Associate board member, The University of Chicago Cancer Research Foundation
• Member, Labor and Employment Law Committee - American Bar Association
• Co-chair, Minority Law Student Job Fair Committee - Cook County Bar Association 
• Member, Board of Directors, Cook County Bar Association
• Associate board member, Just the Beginning Foundation
• Associate member, The Chicago American Inn of Court
• Member, Bar and Gavel Society - Student Bar Association of Chicago-Kent College of Law

RECOGNITION

• Recipient, 2011 Presidential Award, Cook County Bar Association
• Recipient, 2011 Junior Counselor Award, Cook County Bar Association
• Recipient, 2008 Distinguished Alumni Service Award, Chicago-Kent College of Law's Black Law Students Association