Michaela Cogswell is a Mass Tort Staff Attorney at Kershaw Talley Barlow, where she brings a rare combination of legal acuity, investigative instinct, and deep commitment to the people her work affects. Newly admitted to the California State Bar, Michaela passed the July 2025 bar exam and joins KTB with a breadth of legal experience that few new attorneys can match.

Before earning her Juris Doctor from Lincoln Law School Sacramento in 2025, Michaela built a robust legal career across multiple disciplines. As a Legal Student Intern with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, she reviewed more than 450 peace officer disciplinary case files, identifying matters requiring Brady disclosure and helping ensure that defendants' constitutional rights to exculpatory evidence were protected. She also clerked at a family law firm, where she drafted pleadings, trial briefs, and discovery documents, assisted at hearings and trials, and conducted client and witness interviews, developing the practical courtroom skills that translate directly to complex litigation.

Her legal instincts were further sharpened through her work as a Case Lead at a fiduciary services firm, where she investigated and helped prove an elder fraud case and assisted in the administration of trusts and probate estates. As the owner of Cogswell Process Service, Michaela served hundreds of legal documents across the region, from Solano to Sacramento County, working as a Registered Process Server and Notary Public and developing a keen understanding of court procedures, filing requirements, and legal deadlines.

Her path to law is anything but conventional. Michaela spent nearly two decades in database and IT project management, overseeing large database server environments and leading cross-functional teams, all of which gave her a disciplined, analytical approach to problem-solving she carries into every case.

A native Texan and longtime resident of Northern California, Michaela earned her Bachelor of Arts from Baylor University and an Associate of Applied Science in Culinary Arts from the Art Institute of Houston. She is licensed to practice law in California.