Michael Worth is a Partner in the Firm's Los Angeles Office and Co-Chair of the Firm's Social Media Influencers practice. Michael Worth has represented clients at every stage of the litigation process. His practice focuses on business and complex commercial litigation, intellectual property disputes, contractual matters, and business torts involving breach of fiduciary duty, fraud, defamation, alter ego, business interference, unfair competition, and misappropriation of trade secrets. Mr. Worth has also handled a number of business entity disputes between the owners of corporations, partnerships, and LLCs. He has litigated a variety of high exposure matters in both state and federal court. Mr. Worth is effective at negotiating prelitigation and pretrial resolutions, obtaining provisional remedies, and representing clients at mediation and trial. His clients include large multinational corporations, small businesses, and individuals. He provides advice and counsel to and represents businesses and startups across various industries, including technology, fashion and apparel, entertainment, media, physical therapy, hospice care, secured private lending, restaurants, and consumer products.

Social Media Influencers and Content Creators

Mr. Worth serves as outside general counsel for high profile social media influencers, content creators, and companies that use social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube to produce or monetize content, partner with brands, market products, or otherwise engage in business transactions. Mr. Worth negotiates management agreements, assists clients with registering their intellectual property for copyright and trademark protection, and protects and enforces clients' copyrights, trademarks, images, and other intellectual property rights.

Employee/Independent Contractor Misclassification

Mr. Worth has developed a particular expertise in analyzing and defending against claims involving employee/independent contractor misclassification. He has represented a variety of companies in connection with Employment Development Department ("EDD") audits and assessments, Department of Industrial Relations ("DIR") Division of Labor Standards Enforcement ("DLSE") investigations, and Bureau of Field Enforcement ("BOFE") citations. Mr. Worth has represented clients in California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board ("CUIAB") proceedings. He also counsels and consults with clients to help structure their companies to help prevent and mitigate the risk of misclassification claims, audits, and fines.

High Net Worth Family Offices

Mr. Worth also serves as outside general counsel for high net worth family owned and operated businesses, investment portfolios, and real estate holdings. He provides advice and counsel, strategic planning, dispute resolution, and litigation representation for family offices. These matters include, but are not limited to, enforcing creditors' rights, instituting foreclosures, negotiating leases, resolving partnership disputes, litigating loan agreements, deficiency actions, and personal guaranties, pursuing fraudulent transfers, and collecting on judgments.

Mr. Worth served as a judicial extern to Chief Magistrate Judge Suzanne H. Segal at the United States District Court. During law school, he was an Associate Editor on the Southwestern Law Review, and an Advocate in the Southwestern Negotiation Honors Program. Mr. Worth also worked as a Dean's Fellow tutoring law students, and continues to serve as a mentor to law students and recent graduates.

Bar Admissions
California

United States Court of Appeals Ninth Circuit

U.S. District Court for the Central District of California

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California

Education
Southwestern Law School, J.D., cum laude, 2013

University of California, Santa Barbara, B.A., with honors, 2009 - Mr. Worth studied International Business Transactions in 2011 at the Universidad del Salvador, Buenos Aires, Argentina. He studied Corporate Finance in 2007 at the London School of Economics, England.

Professional Activities and Experience

• Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America - 2025
• Super Lawyers Southern California "Rising Star" from 2019-2023
• Buchalter's Debra Healy Deem Pro Bono Attorney of the Year Award 2020

• Social Media Influencers Could Become the Targets of Trademark Infringement Lawsuits

  By Michael J. Worth |August 2021

• Social Media Influencers Could Become the Targets of Trademark Infringement Lawsuits

  By Michael J. Worth |August 2021

• Social Media Influencers Could Become the Targets of Trademark Infringement Lawsuits

  By Michael J. Worth |August 2021

Additional ArticlesExecutive Order Aimed at Restricting Civil Liability Protections Afforded to Social Media Companies

Social Media Influencers Could Become the Targets of Trademark Infringement Lawsuits

Caught in the crossfire: Could social media influencers become the target of trademark infringement litigation after the case against influencer Molly Sims was allowed to proceed?

Michael Worth, Speaker at National Business Institute's (NBI) Webinar

Michael J. Worth, Guest Speaker at Through the Woods Therapy Corp.

Michael J. Worth, Panelist at the 2024 Influencer Fireside Chat

Michael J. Worth, Speaker at the Association of Corporate Counsel 2025

Michael J. Worth, Speaker at the Association of Corporate Counsel 2026

Michael Worth, Speaker at the Association of Corporate Counsel's annual technology, data privacy, and eDiscovery CLE