Mike engages in a broad-based litigation and arbitration practice. Mike’s practice concentrates on highly contentious complex business disputes, intellectual property and unfair competition litigation and arbitration concerning non-compete agreements, trade secrets and other confidential information, securities industry disputes between broker/dealers and associated persons or customers, and commercial insurance disputes.

Mike has first chaired a myriad of complex commercial disputes that run the gamut of high stakes business litigation, including real estate, corporate acquisition, and vendor actions. Mike also has extensive first chair experience defending insurance companies against individual and corporate insureds, school districts, agencies, providers, and third-party administrators.

Mike focuses on and has first chaired over one hundred cases involving the claimed protection of trade secrets for securities firms and their employees as well as for various other commercial entities unrelated to the securities industry. These disputes often involve attempts to enforce or to declare unenforceable non-competition and non-solicitation agreements. He has appeared on behalf of plaintiffs/claimants and defendants/respondents in these disputes often for the initial purpose of obtaining or preventing temporary restraining orders and injunctions. The resolution of these matters runs the gamut from expedited settlements, to protracted discovery in multiple forums, through trial, appeal, and final merit arbitration hearings.

Mike has been retained on multiple occasions as a testifying attorneys’ fees expert.

Mike has extensive experience in the arbitration process, having appeared as lead counsel in hundreds of arbitration cases pending before the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and its predecessor entities NASD, NYSE Regulation, the Chicago Board Options Exchange, and the American Arbitration Association. He closely follows evolving law governing contractual arbitration provisions and has spoken on the expanding importance of alternative dispute resolution, in particular arbitrations, in our society.

Mike is an American Arbitration Association Panel Member 2024 and a FINRA Dispute Resolution Arbitrator.

Mike, on behalf of litigation clients, has negotiated the acquisition of a multi-million-dollar purchase of both tangible and intangible assets and negotiated multi-year, multi-multi-million-dollar master sale and purchasing agreements between manufacturers and national retailers.

Mike recognizes the importance of strong communications not only at the outset of a new case, but throughout the discovery process, and then through trial, appeal, final merit arbitration hearings or other resolutions. Mike believes that to best represent his clients, they need to be fully aware of both short-term action items, and longer-term options and strategies. Mike is also committed to the highest standards required for service as a neutral for those who employ arbitration for the resolution of disputes.

Mike is a certified Mediator pursuant to Section 154.052(a) of the Texas Civil Practices and Remedies Code.