A founding partner of Boxer+Gerson and Bay Area native, Michael Gerson has made it his mission for nearly 46 years to steer his firm toward compassionate, high-quality representation of injured workers and their families.
Michael brings an uncommon understanding and skillful means to the maze that injured workers must navigate through Social Security, state disability, pension plans, unemployment claims, job programs, insurance, doctors, judges, and more. He’s litigated thousands of cases before the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board, and has argued cases before the California Supreme Court and the California Courts of Appeal. He’s also litigated longshore and harbor worker cases and Social Security Disability matters before the SSA Office of Disability Adjudication and Review.
Since 1998, Michael has been selected by the National Register’s Who’s Who of Executives & Professionals and honored as one of the “Best Lawyers in America.” He’s been recognized by his peers and San Francisco Magazine as one of Northern California’s “Super Lawyers” since 1995. And he’s been listed as one of the East Bay’s top 95 lawyers in all fields.
Michael was the president of the California Applicants’ Attorneys Association in 1989 and sits on the board of governors. He’s been on the program faculty for the UCSF Department of Medicine’s Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine and has lectured before the UC Berkeley Extension Division, the Industrial Claims Association, the California Continuing Education Bar, and Conference of California Workers’ Compensation Judges, as well as many unions and other groups. A State Bar of California–certified workers’ compensation specialist since 1980, Michael served as chair of the State Bar Workers’ Compensation Law Advisory Commission in 2010 and was also a commissioner of the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization. He received the lifetime achievement award from the Workers’ Compensation Section of the State Bar in 2016, and the Barry Williams Achievement Award in 2011 “in recognition of a lifetime of tireless advocacy on behalf of his clients.”
Michael has long held an interest in sports, as both a fan and an advocate for athletes’ long-term health. It’s a devotion that earned him the honor of working as the NFL Players’ Association–recommended workers’ compensation attorney, representing players on the San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Raiders, along with other association members, on all issues before the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board of the State of California.
For the past 46 years, Michael has been in "the room where it happened" — fighting for legislation to protect and extend benefits to the working men and women of California.
510.835.8870