An Interview with Michael Shklovsky – ACBA Distinguished Service Award Recipient for Lawyer
Michael Shklovsky, Anderson Zeigler, represents both plaintiffs and defendants in business, employment, real estate and intellectual property disputes. He has successfully obtained verdicts in both jury and bench trials, and has prevailed in mediation and arbitration. Michael is actively involved in the Bay Area legal community. He regularly teaches MCLE classes on the mechanics of civil litigation to less experienced attorneys. Since 2014, Michael has served as the Chair of the Alameda County Bar Association’s Trial Practice Section. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of the Section’s Newsletter. In October of 2016, Michael was appointed to the Business Litigation Committee of the Business Law Section of the California State Bar Association.
We are proud of offer Michael our Distinguished Service Award for Attorney. He sat down with us to share a little more about himself, below. Please join us on January 25th as we honor Michael and the rest of the Distinguished Service Award recipients!
When did you know you wanted to be a lawyer?
Shortly after I joined the civil litigation department of Wendel Rosen as a legal assistant in 2001.
If you hadn’t become a lawyer, what would you be doing instead?
General contractor with an emphasis on landscape architecture and carpentry.
What do you know now that you wish you had known when you were first admitted to practice?
The importance of keeping good posture when I sit in front of a computer.
What is the biggest challenge facing you as a lawyer today?
Not enough time in the day to handle all the work and bar association opportunities that come my way.
What is your favorite part of being a lawyer?
Resolving conflicts and being fiercely dedicated to my clients.
What is your dream vacation?
Deep in the Amazon jungle with no mosquitoes on an unlimited budget for photo equipment.
What are you reading now?
Books on how to nurture bonsai trees.
What’s one thing people might be surprised to learn about you?
My office has so many plants that it looks like a jungle.
What person, living or dead, real or fictional, would you like to have dinner with?
Mahatma Gandhi.
Why did you decide to be an ACBA member? What is the greatest benefit of membership?
I wanted to associate with attorneys and other professionals who worked to strengthen and elevate the legal profession. The greatest benefit of membership has been to open doors and find synergies that help increase access to justice.
