Michael John Willemin

Michael J. Willemin is a Partner at Wigdor LLP. Mr. Willemin has come to prominence as a leading plaintiffs’ attorney within the field of employment litigation, having successfully represented clients in numerous high-impact employment matters in federal and state court, as well as in arbitration.  Mr. Willemin concentrates his practice in counseling and litigation of sexual harassment, discrimination on the basis of race, gender, pregnancy, disability and age and LGBTQ+ status, retaliation, defamation, family and medical leave, wage and hour, whistleblower and contract cases.  Mr. Willemin’s practice also includes civil rights, appellate, and complex class and collective action litigation.  Additionally, Mr. Willemin handles certain high-profile personal injury cases, including wrongful death.  He has represented individuals in a wide variety of industries, including financial services, entertainment and media, hospitality, medicine, architecture, retail and many others.

Because of his reputation and negotiating skills, and the reputation of Wigdor LLP, Mr. Willemin is often able to procure very favorable settlements for many of his clients before a lawsuit is even filed.

Mr. Willemin’s cases have garnered significant media attention.  As a result of his accomplishments and experience litigating high-profile cases, Mr. Willemin is regularly quoted as a legal expert in leading national news media.  Mr. Willemin and his cases have been featured in virtually every major national media publication, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The BBC, NPR, The Washington Post, New York Law Journal, Bloomberg, TIME Magazine, Reuters, Business Insider, New York Daily News, New York Post, Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Fortune, Financial Times, Barron’s, CNN, Yahoo, Huffington Post, Buzzfeed, The Daily Beast, USA Today, Law360 and all of the major broadcast networks, among many others.  Mr. Willemin has also made many television and radio appearances, including on WPIX and WCBS.  Due to his work handling prominent sexual harassment and gender discrimination cases, Mr. Willemin was the subject of a feature profile published in Law360.  

Mr. Willemin was named a Law360 Employment Rising Star for 2018, a highly competitive award that is reserved for the top U.S. employment attorneys under age 40. Mr. Willemin was also selected as a New York Metro Super Lawyers Rising Star honoree for five years in a row (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018).

Mr. Willemin received his J.D. from Fordham University School of Law. While in law school, Mr. Willemin spent his summers interning at Legal Services NYC, Bronx and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. He also interned at the New York City Council in the General Counsel’s Office, and assisted indigent clients as a participant in Fordham Law’s Criminal Defense Clinic.  Mr. Willemin received his B.A. from Providence College. While at Providence College, Mr. Willemin interned at the Rhode Island Commission on Human Rights, where he investigated complaints of discrimination against Rhode Island employers.

Mr. Willemin is admitted to practice law in both New York and Massachusetts, as well as the Southern District of New York and Eastern District of New York.