Overview

Michael Kalt is a partner in the Employment Law Practice Group of Wilson Turner Kosmo LLP, where he has worked since 1996. His employment law practice emphasizes the litigation and trial of wrongful termination, harassment, discrimination cases in state and federal court. Michael also provides advice and training to employers on employee discipline and investigations, employment policies and procedures, and fair employment practices. Michael represents businesses of all sizes and in most industry sectors. He is an accomplished writer and oral advocate and has prevailed through summary judgment in dozens and dozens of litigated matters and has also prevailed before the California Supreme Court and California Court of Appeal, resulting in several published decisions. (Jones v. The Lodge at Torrey Pines Partnership (2008) 42 Cal.4th 1158 [no individual liability for FEHA retaliation], Acuna v. SDGE (2013) 217 Cal.4th 1402 [successive administrative charges does not extend statute of limitations after right-to-sue notice issued] and Tu v. UCSD Medical Centers (S.D. Ca. 2002) 201 F. Supp. 2d 1126 [precluding negligent infliction of emotional distress claims for intentional employment decisions].)

Michael is currently the Governmental Affairs Director for the California State Council for the Society for Human Resource Management (CalSHRM) and tracks and oversees the legislative advocacy efforts for its 30,000 members, including testifying before various legislative committees on employment matters. He formerly was Vice President-Legislation for the San Diego Chapter of SHRM where he monitored the federal and state employment-related developments for its 1,000 members. He is also the Legislative Liaison and a Steering Committee Member for the Employment and Labor Committee for the Defense Research Institute and editor of its annual 50-state new employment laws compendium and is the editor of the Firm’s monthly employment newsletter. He is also the former author of the ADR Case Notes Column of the statewide publication: California Labor and Employment Review.

Michael has been elected by fellow attorneys as a Super Lawyer by Law and Politics Magazine from 2007 to 2024 for labor and employment law. He was also named by the San Diego Daily Transcript as one of the top 10 Labor and Employment attorneys in 2009 and 2012, and by Super Lawyer as one of the top 10 attorneys in 2013 and one of the top 50 attorneys in San Diego from 2012-2018. Michael was selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2014-2025 for Litigation – Labor and Employment. Michael received both his B.A. magna cum laude and J.D. degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles.