Michele D. Johnson, the Global Chair of Latham & Watkins’ 1,100-lawyer Litigation & Trial Department, is a partner in the Securities and M&A Litigation practice, a former member of Latham’s Executive Committee, and former Managing Partner of Latham’s Orange County office. Consistently recognized as a leading national litigator, she represents industry-leading public and private companies, officers, directors, special committees, and global financial institutions in a wide range of complex securities and commercial litigation. She counsels clients in the boardroom in early-stage transactions and serves as lead advocate in bet-the company litigation, often spearheading cases closely watched by lawyers and business leaders.
Michele is ranked Band 1 by Chambers, is recognized as a Leading Lawyer by Legal 500, and has been named among California’s Top 100 Lawyers and Top Women Lawyers by The Daily Journal. Michele was named by Benchmark Litigation among the Top 10 Women Litigators in the US for the last three years, a Top 100 Trial Lawyer for a number of years, and California Securities Litigator of the Year in 2025, 2023, and 2021. She has been listed as a Law360 Securities MVP and among the 25 Most Influential Women in Securities Law. The American Lawyer frequently recognizes her in its Litigator of the Week feature for her high-profile successes. Most recently, Michele was selected for the Distinguished Leader Award by the California Recorder.
Michele has served on the Firm’s Executive, Pro Bono, Associates, and Diversity Committees. She serves on the American Bar Association’s Corporate Laws Committee, on the boards of the Georgetown University Law Center, the Berkeley Center for Law and Business, and the Orange County Bar Foundation’s Project Youth, and on the emeritus board of the Public Law Center and is a past president of the Orange County chapter of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers.
Updated Feb 2026
