Michael L. Matula

Office Managing Shareholder | Kansas City

Michael (Mike) Matula concentrates his practice in the areas of employment litigation and counseling. He is a Fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers and has served as Co-Chair of the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association’s Employment and Labor Committee. Mike has tried more than 15 jury trials and has been named as a “Lawyer of the Year” in Best Lawyers in America for Labor and Employment – Litigation.

In addition to representing employers in a wide variety of employment matters ranging from discrimination and harassment cases to noncompetition/trade secrets disputes, Mike also has significant experience in commercial, tort, and insurance litigation, and continues to handle select matters in those areas. Mike, who has an AV Martindale-Hubbell rating, also represents attorneys in disciplinary proceedings, serves on the firm’s Ethics Committee, was appointed by the Missouri Supreme Court as a Disciplinary Hearing Officer, and is a co-author of the ABA treatise “Professional Responsibility in Litigation.” He is also on the Steering Committee for the firm’s Unfair Competition and Trade Secrets Practice Group.

Chambers USA stated that Mike “has a very accomplished skill set” with “a great reputation for his broad knowledge base” and is regarded as “responsible and flexible.” Mike’s trial experience includes a case resulting in the fourth most significant defense verdict in Missouri in 2001, and being part of a trial team in one of the most significant defense verdicts in Missouri in 2006, both as reported by The Missouri Lawyers Weekly. He has argued before both the Eighth and Tenth Circuit Courts of Appeal, and taught as an adjunct professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law.

Mike has authored numerous publications including “The Law of Jury Selection in Missouri State Courts,” published in the Journal of the Missouri Bar. Mike has also been selected to speak on a variety of employment law topics, notably being asked by The Federal Judicial Center to speak on employment law issues at the National U.S. Magistrate Judges’ Workshop.

More About Michael L. Matula

Experience

In addition to trying more than 15 jury trials and arguing before both the Eighth and Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, Mike has serving as lead counsel in multiple employment arbitrations resulting in defense awards, Mike’s litigation and trial accomplishments include serving as counsel in a case resulting in the fourth most significant defense verdict in Missouri in 2001, and being part of a trial team in one of the most significant defense verdicts in Missouri in 2006, both as characterized by The Missouri Lawyers Weekly. Mike also successfully argued Dewitt v. Southwestern Bell, 845 F.3d 1299 (10^th Cir. 2017), which affirmed judgment for the employer and set Tenth Circuit precedent regarding accommodation and discipline issues for disability-related misconduct under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Mike is on the Steering Committee for the firm’s Unfair Competition and Trade Secrets Practice Group, and routinely advises on and litigates disputes in these areas. He has experience both enforcing restrictions and defending against enforcement actions in state and federal courts in Kansas and Missouri.

Mike has represented attorneys in disciplinary proceedings in both Kansas and Missouri, was appointed by the Missouri Supreme Court as a Disciplinary Hearings Officer, and serves on the KCMBA Fee Dispute Resolution Committee.

Mike uses his records retention and eDiscovery experience to best assess record retention and eDiscovery risks and the practical considerations for managing those risks. In addition to routinely being responsible for eDiscovery in many single-plaintiff cases, his more notable experience with regard to eDiscovery preservation and production efforts includes:

A class action against a national transportation company brought by employees claiming they were denied accrued vacation pay
A wrongful termination suit brought by an in-house attorney against one of the country’s largest insurers
A Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) “off the clock” collective action against a national security/alarm company brought by installers and technicians
An FLSA “off the clock” collective action against a casino brought by table game floor supervisors
An FLSA “off the clock” collective action against a national security company brought by security guards

Education & Admission

Professional Activities

Speeches

Workplace Strategies Seminar – “All In! What Poker and Game Theory Teach Us About Negotiation and Litigation Strategy” – Las Vegas – April 25, 2025
Ogletree Deakins Managing a Workforce in 2025 – “Regulating Political and Personal Expression, On and Off the Clock” – Kansas City – October 18, 2024
Ogletree Deakins Workplace Strategies Seminar – “Shh! Secret Recordings at Work” – Washington, D.C. – May 3, 2024
Ogletree Deakins Managing a Workforce in 2024 – “Recordings in the Workplace” – Kansas City – October 13, 2023
Ogletree Deakins Seminar – “Learning from Others’ Mistakes – A Practical Primer In Preventing and Winning Employment Claims” – Kansas City – October 2022
Ogletree Deakins Seminar – “The Intersection of Ethics and Labor and Employment Law” – Kansas City – June 2022
Ogletree Deakins Seminar – “Am I Being Recorded? Rights, Misconceptions, and Best Practices Associated with Recordings in the Workplace” – October 2021
Kansas Society of Human Resource Management (KSHRM) – “Am I Being Recorded? Rights, Misconceptions, and Best Practices Associated with Recordings in the Workplace” – Kansas City – April 2021
Ogletree Deakins Podcast – “Hiring EmployeesWith Post-Employment Restrictive Covenants: Avoiding Lawsuits and Liability” – March 4, 2020
Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association – “Professional Responsibility in Employment Litigation” – Kansas City – November 2019
Ogletree Deakins Workplace Strategies Seminar – “Ethics in Settlement Discussions, Collective Bargaining, and Other Negotiations” – Las Vegas – May 3, 2019
Ogletree Deakins Seminar – “Life in the Trenches: Battle-Tested Measures to Avoid Employment Lawsuits” – Overland Park – October 18, 2018
Ogletree Deakins Workplace Strategies Seminar – “Professional Responsibility in Employment Litigation: Best Practices and Worst Mistakes” – Phoenix – May 10, 2018
Ogletree Deakins Seminar – “Professional Responsibility in Employment Litigation” – Kansas City – June 2017
Ogletree Deakins Corporate Labor and Employment Counsel Exclusive Seminar – “Ethical Dilemmas for In-House Counsel” – Colorado Springs – October 2016
Aon Law Firm Symposium – “Employment Practices Liability Issues for Law Firms Today” – Chicago – October 2014
Ogletree Deakins Seminar – “Professional Responsibility Issues in Employment Litigation” – Kansas City – October 2014
Ogletree Deakins Corporate Labor and Employment Counsel Exclusive Seminar – “FRCP Amendments and Other Developments-Is Relief for E-Discovery Woes in Sight (or Are They Just Getting Bigger)?” – Dana Point – September 2014
Ogletree Deakins Seminar – “Professional Responsibilities Faced by In-House and Outside Counsel” – Des Moines and Omaha – September 2014
Ogletree Deakins Seminar – “Ethics Law Briefing” – Kansas City – June 2014
Ogletree Deakins Corporate Labor and Employment Counsel Exclusive – “Wearing Two Hats: Ethical and Related Issues That Arise When Acting in Business and Legal Roles” – Charleston – November 2013
Ogletree Deakins Seminar – “Recurring And Emerging Professional Responsibility Issues in Employment Litigation” – Overland Park – June 2013
Ogletree Deakins Workplace Strategies Seminar – “Emerging Professional Responsibility Issues in Employment Litigation” – New Orleans – May 2013
Kansas Society of Human Resource Management (KSHRM) – “Employment Investigations – Who is Protected From What?” – Topeka – February 2013
Society of Human Resource Management – Kansas City (SHRM-KC) – “Learning from Others’ Mistakes – A Practical Primer in Preventing and Winning Employment Claims” – Kansas City – December 2012
Ogletree Deakins Seminar – “Recurring and Emerging Professional Responsibility Issues in Employment Litigation” – Kansas City – June 2012
The Missouri Bar, Ethics in Litigation – “Rule Book, Lawbook, Facebook: Ethics of Social Media” – Kansas City – December 2011
Aon Large Law Firm Symposium – “Professional Responsibility and Liability in E-Discovery (moderator)” – Chicago – October 1, 2010
Ogletree Deakins Seminar – “Diagnosis Of A Deposition Gone Bad” – Kansas City – February 2010
Ogletree Deakins Seminar – “The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly: Selective Case Law Review” – Kansas City – February 2010