Mike is a shareholder based in our Minneapolis office. He is the Vice President of the firm. He also is a member of the board of directors of the firm, and has previously served as treasurer and as a member of the firm’s executive committee. He practices principally in the areas of:
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Mergers and acquisitions
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Construction law
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Licensing law (all forms)
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Commercial bankruptcy and workout transactions
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Corporate strategy and structure
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General corporate and commercial law and complex transactions
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Executive employment and termination
Mike provides legal counsel to a wide variety of domestic and international business clients. His principal practice areas involve several interdisciplinary areas of the law, including finance, securities, contracts, taxation, employment relations, commercial litigation analysis and corporate strategy and governance issues, including restructuring.
Mike is listed in Minnesota Super Lawyers and in Chambers USA, an independent guide to leading business lawyers in the legal profession. He has also been named by Minnesota Law & Politics as one of the top 20 mergers and acquisitions attorneys in Minnesota. Mike has received a preeminent rating by a leading directory of the legal profession. The rating reflects the lawyer’s experience, nature of practice and other professional qualifications, as well as adherence to professional standards of conduct and ethics, reliability, diligence and other criteria relevant to the discharge of professional responsibilities.
Mike has represented public, privately held and regulated companies in a wide variety of domestic and international transactions, including stock and asset acquisitions, commercial bankruptcy and workout transactions, divestitures, restructuring, licensing, and joint ventures. In recent years, he has represented entities engaged in: professional sports franchises (including new ballpark contracting and negotiation); purchasing/building power plant and transmission operations; establishing of multi-party and multi-state regulated utility transmission capital projects; power generation plant upgrades, retrofits and new construction; energy management; contracting for clean up of CERCLA super-fund sites; mass merchandising by catalogue; high technology micro-chip design; nationwide veterinary, dental and rehabilitation supply and distribution; medical/clinical practices; information research and management; auto reseller marketing and distribution; Internet portal/e-commerce contracting; manufacture of marine industry products; waste management and disposal (industrial and other landfills); compost processing and manufacturing sites; environmental consulting; product promotion and marketing; debt consolidation and collections; local and cellular telephone services and exchanges; business conference calling; medical specialty consolidations; equipment manufacturing; financial services and finance; and over-the-road transportation.
Mike also represents both entities and executive management in structuring and negotiation of executive compensation and severance arrangements.
Mike practiced for several years with an international public accounting firm before commencing his legal career, with a practice emphasis in leisure-time industries, mass retail, manufacturing and government contract reimbursement.
Mike received his B.S. cum laude in accounting and finance from Florida State University as a Beta Gamma Sigma Honors Graduate. He received his law degree cum laude from William Mitchell College of Law and in his senior year of law school was awarded the Coopers & Lybrand (PricewaterhouseCoopers) taxation scholarship award. Mike joined Briggs in 1987 after three years of practice with another large Minneapolis law firm.
Mike serves as a member of the board of directors of The Fund for the Legal Aid Society and as pro bono legal counsel to the Minnesota Twins Community Fund. He has served as a member of the board of directors and as an officer of both the Legal Aid Society of Minneapolis and the Mid-Minnesota Legal Assistance Foundation. Mike’s community activities also have included serving the Minneapolis Aquatennial Association as chairman, president, executive committee and board of directors member, and pro bono general counsel.
Mike is a member of the Hennepin County, Minnesota State and American Bar associations.