May 12, 2025
The National Law Journal named Michelle C. Yau, chair of Cohen Milstein’s Employee Benefits/ERISA practice, a 2025 Elite Women of the Plaintiffs Bar.
Michelle is a trailblazer in ERISA class actions and a fierce advocate protecting American workers’ retirement plans. Informed by her experience on Wall Street and at the U.S. Department of Labor, she tackles high impact issues involving 401(k)s, ESOPs, and pension plans.
In 2024, Michelle’s team achieved more than $83 million in settlements. Some of her cases involved novel legal issues addressing the enforceability of arbitration agreements, which she successfully won before the 3rd, 7th, and 10th Circuits. In October 2023, the Supreme Court declined to review her victory before the Tenth Circuit in Harrison v. Envision Management. This past January, the lower court certified the ESOP class. The case is one step closer to trial.
Michelle is also spearheading novel cases involving Fortune 500 pension plans that harm married pensioners. These “marriage penalties” typically occur when private pension plans pay their married retirees less than single retirees. In the past year, Michelle achieved two favorable back-to-back rulings in Urlaub v. Citgo Petroleum: winning class certification and defeating Citgo’s motion for summary judgment. In January, the court granted final approval of a $14.75 million settlement, resulting in a groundbreaking recovery of 87% of the class’s losses.
Read Michelle Yau Named to Elite Women of the Plaintiffs Bar.