Overview

Michael A. Wilder, Chair of Littler’s Board of Directors, and a core member of the firm’s Complex Litigation and Jury Trial Practice Group, 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. Michael has specific experience providing litigation defense of claims arising under:

  • Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
  • 42 U.S.C. § 1981
  • Age Discrimination in Employment Act
  • Americans with Disabilities Act
  • Family Medical Leave Act
  • Families First Coronavirus Recovery Act
  • Emergency Family Medical Leave Expansion Act
  • Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act
  • Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act
  • Retaliation and whistleblower laws

Michael provides training and advice to employers on a wide range of employment issues and conducts high-stakes workplace investigations. He has worked with clients to evaluate and address allegations involving C-suite leaders and other sensitive matters, as well as served as a strategy partner to improve organizational culture.

A skilled litigator, Michael successfully defended a major health care provider in an appeal before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, in which the Court affirmed the district court’s dismissal of all counts for want of prosecution. He 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.

Michael was recently part of a trial team that defended a waste disposal company during a jury trial in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. His team received a complete defense verdict on all claims. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit affirmed the verdict in its entirety on appeal.

Michael also successfully defended a major retailer in a sexual harassment case, leading to summary judgment for the employer, which was affirmed by the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals following oral argument.

Michael serves on Littler’s Diversity and Inclusion Council, responsible for creating, implementing, and reviewing firmwide diversity and inclusion strategies, including enhancing the firm’s recruitment and retention of diverse attorneys, and creating pipelines in which lawyers from diverse backgrounds are promoted within the firm’s management and leadership tracks.

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

Professional & Community Affiliations

Member, Board of Directors

Illinois Equal Justice Foundation

Member

Labor and Employment Law Committee

American Bar Association

Member, Board of Directors

Just the Beginning – A Pipeline Organization

Associate Board Member

Coordinated Advice and Referral Program for Legal Services (CARPLS)

Member

The Chicago American Inn of Court

Adjunct Law Professor

Advance Legal Writing IV for Labor & Employment

Chicago-Kent College of Law

Spring 2017, 2018, and 2019

Chairman and Co-Founder

Black Men Lawyers' Association

2017

Former Co-Chair

Minority Law Student Job Fair Committee

Cook County Bar Association

Former Member, Board of Directors

Cook County Bar Association

Recognition

Named, Notable Leaders in Accounting, Consulting & Law

Crain's Chicago Business

2024

Recipient, 34th Annual C.F. Stradford Award

Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office (CCSAO)

2024

Recipient, Men of Excellence Award

Chicago Defender

2021

Recipient, 40 Game Changer Class of 2020

WVON and Ariel Investments

October 12, 2020

Named, Leading Lawyers

Top Lawyers in Illinois

2019

Named, Top 5 Under 40

Just The Beginning – A Pipeline Organization

2019

Named, Leading Lawyers

Top Labor and Employment Lawyers in Illinois

2018

Named, One of the Most Influential Minority Lawyers in Chicago

Crain's Chicago Business Magazine

December 2017

Named, 40 Under 40

Chicago Daily Law Bulletin

2015

Recipient, Presidential Award

Cook County Bar Association

2011

Recipient, Junior Counselor Award

Cook County Bar Association

2011

Recipient, Distinguished Alumni Service Award

Black Law Students Association

Chicago-Kent College of Law

2008

Recipient, Outstanding Young Alumni Award

Chicago-Kent College of Law

News, Analysis & Press

Diversity By the Numbers

Chicago-Kent Magazine

November 15, 2022

A Call For Greater Collaboration Among Attorneys of Color Within Law Firms

Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession (IILP)

June 23, 2020

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Dukes et al.: Wal-Mart Prevails Before U.S. Supreme Court in Discrimination Case

Labor and Employment Section - American Bar Association

Kasten v. Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics Corporation: U.S. Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Employees in FLSA Complaint Case

Labor and Employment Section - American Bar Association

The Post-Dukes Era: Employment Class and Collective Action Decisions

Labor and Employment Section - American Bar Association

Speaking Engagements

Moderator: Don't Get Lost in the Weeds: The Latest on Marijuana and the Workplace

2019 National Bar Association: Section of Labor and Employment Conference

October 2019

Panelist, Effective Strategies for Mediating Single, Multi and Class Action Employment Disputes

National Bar Association Labor & Employment Section Annual Conference, Atlanta, GA

October 27, 2017

OFCCP Update: Compliance in a Time of Change

The 2017 Executive Employer® Conference

May 11, 2017

OFCCP's Final Regulations for Veterans and Individuals with Disabilities

March 18, 2014

Affirmative Action Boot Camp

Chicago, IL

October 3, 2012

Littler Presents Our Affirmative Action Boot Camp

June 16, 2011

Education

  • J.D., Chicago-Kent College of Law, 2006
  • B.A., Michigan State University - James Madison College, 2003

Bar Admission

Illinois
Michigan

Courts

  • U.S. Court of Appeals, 7th Circuit
  • U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois
  • U.S. District Court, Northern District of Indiana
  • U.S. District Court, Southern District of Indiana