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Stanford University (B.S., M.S., Biological Sciences, 1981); University of California, Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law (J.D., 1985); Articles Editor, California Law Review; Order of the Coif. Mr. Charlson is a former law clerk to the Honorable William C. Canby, Jr., of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
California; New York; District of Columbia.
Litigation and Business Law Sections, American Bar Association; Litigation Section, State Bar of California; Santa Clara County Bar Association.
Michael Charlson joined the firm in 1986 and is the former Co-Chair of the Securities Litigation Practice.
Mr. Charlson’s practice involves complex business litigation with a primary emphasis on securities class actions, corporate governance (including shareholder derivative lawsuits) and related regulatory and exchange proceedings. He has also handled several complex corporate and personal trust litigation matters for major financial institutions. Mr. Charlson’s securities litigation practice includes the representation of corporations, officers, outside directors, venture investors, auditors and underwriters in shareholder class actions involving companies in the computer hardware, computer software, computer networking, biometric identification, medical device, pharmaceutical, real estate, finance, consumer products, marketing, construction and public utility industries. Several of Mr. Charlson's engagements have involved fiduciary duty and federal securities claims arising out of proposed merger or acquisition transactions. Mr. Charlson has also represented special board committees, nominal defendant corporations, and officer and director defendants in numerous shareholder derivative lawsuits, and in corporate mismanagement cases brought by the FDIC and bankruptcy trustees. In addition, he has represented clients in SEC investigations and enforcement proceedings involving allegations of insider trading, improper accounting, inadequate disclosure and books-and-records violations. In late 2007, he helped lead the team that secured a jury verdict for the defendants (including our client, the former Chief Executive Officer, of JDS Uniphase Corporation) in In re JDS Uniphase Securities Litigation, one of only a handful of securities class actions that have gone to trial since passage of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
Mr. Charlson was the Managing Shareholder of Heller Ehrman's Silicon Valley office from 1999 through 2001, and served as firmwide hiring chair from 2003 through 2006.
Stanford University (B.S., M.S., Biological Sciences, 1981); University of California, Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law (J.D., 1985); Articles Editor, California Law Review; Order of the Coif. Mr. Charlson is a former law clerk to the Honorable William C. Canby, Jr., of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
California; New York; District of Columbia.
Litigation and Business Law Sections, American Bar Association; Litigation Section, State Bar of California; Santa Clara County Bar Association.