Michael’s practice focuses on complex criminal, commercial, and regulatory enforcement matters. A former U.S. Supreme Court clerk and federal prosecutor who led two units in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York (SDNY), he helps clients resolve intricate, sensitive, and high-stakes legal challenges.

Michael has represented corporate executives, financial professionals, doctors, lawyers, and corporations in matters involving the Department of Justice and various regulatory agencies.  Those matters have included allegations of securities fraud, accounting fraud, insider trading, healthcare fraud, False Claims Act violations, antitrust violations, extortion, perjury, and obstruction of justice.

Michael joined the firm following nine years as a federal prosecutor in the SDNY.  There he served in various leadership roles, most recently as chief of the Violent and Organized Crime Unit and as co-chief of the Narcotics Unit.  He previously served as co-chief of the Violent and Organized Crime Unit, co-chief of the Narcotics Unit, and deputy chief of the Narcotics Unit.  During his time in government, Michael oversaw hundreds of criminal investigations and dozens of criminal trials.  He prosecuted or supervised cases involving a range of criminal offenses, including racketeering, financial crimes, violent crimes, and narcotics trafficking.  Michael personally conducted six federal jury trials and represented the government before the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit on multiple occasions.  He worked closely with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, as well as prosecutors at other U.S. Attorney’s offices, the New York State Attorney General’s office, and District Attorney’s offices across New York City.

In 2020, Michael received the Henry L. Stimson Medal from the New York City Bar Association, and in 2018 he received the Director’s Award for Superior Performance as an Assistant U.S. Attorney from the Department of Justice.  In 2017, Michael received the True American Hero Award from the Federal Drug Agents Foundation.

Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Michael was an associate at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. He clerked for the Honorable David H. Souter of the U.S. Supreme Court and the Honorable Pierre N. Leval of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.  Michael graduated from Yale Law School and holds an A.B. from Harvard University.  He has served as a lecturer in law at Columbia Law School and as an instructor in the Intensive Trial Advocacy Program at Cardozo Law School.

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