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 Following a judicial clerkship at the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, Mr. Michaels began his legal career at Bingham, Dana & Gould (now Bingham McCutchen) in Boston, before joining Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom in New York City. Mr. Michaels subsequently joined the
in-house legal department of one of the world's largest brokerage firms, before returning to Boston in 1996. Hailed as a securities “industry veteran” by the Boston Business Journal, Mr. Michaels has spent many years representing multinational and regional financial services firms (including banks, investment advisers, mutual fund complexes, pension consultants, insurance companies, and traditional, independent, and discount broker-dealers) and their employees, directors and officers in a wide variety of matters throughout the United States. Mr. Michaels has represented clients in matters before the CFTC, National Futures Association, Philadelphia Stock Exchange, American Stock Exchange, Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), American Arbitration Association (AAA), Pacific Stock Exchange, and the Coffee, Sugar and Cocoa Exchange. He has also handled securities disputes, including class actions, in many state and federal courts, including the United States Supreme Court.
Mr. Michaels has also represented public and private corporations, hedge funds, mutual fund managers, traders and investment advisers (and their directors, officers and employees) in significant matters before the Securities and Exchange Commission, FINRA (and its predecessors) and in cases involving state regulatory and prosecutorial agencies, as well as the United States Department of Justice. He is well-known for his work with the Massachusetts Securities Division, including the representation of clients before the Division, as well as acting as an Independent Compliance Consultant in Division matters. In addition, Mr. Michaels is often sought for his risk management, due diligence and corporate governance expertise. He regularly advises clients prospectively on the full range of regulatory and compliance issues, including the drafting (and redrafting) of policies and procedures relating to all aspects of the securities industry. Mr. Michaels has also assisted clients by conducting a variety of internal investigations, from examining the actions of a single employee, to the detailed analysis of activities across business lines and geographic areas. He also handles significant financial services employment disputes around the globe.
Mr. Michaels frequently lectures on securities and corporate governance issues, most recently for the Practicing Law Institute and the American Conference Institute, both in New York City. Mr. Michaels is a member of the Board of Editors of both the Securities Litigation Commentator, and the ABA publication Securities Litigation Journal, and is widely published in his field. Mr. Michaels was a recipient of the ABA Outstanding Editor Award 2002-2003 and the ABA Section of Litigation Outstanding Service Award 2003-2004. He is a sought-after legal commentator and regularly appears on television, radio and in print media on a variety of securities-related issues.
Mr. Michaels serves as an arbitrator for FINRA in Florida, New York City, Boston, Hartford, and Providence. Mr. Michaels is rated “AV” by Martindale-Hubbell, the highest ranking possible. He was named a "Massachusetts Super Lawyer" in 2006-2009, and a "New England Super Lawyer" in 2007-2009. He was selected for the 2009 and 2010 editions of Super Lawyers Corporate Counsel Edition, a national publication.
Mr. Michaels is on the Board of Visitors of the New England Conservatory of Music and the Board of Trustees of the Brookwood School. Mr. Michaels has served as an adjunct Professor of Law at Boston College Law School, teaching an upper level seminar on Securities Litigation and Regulation. He is also a member of the Boston Athenaeum, the National Society of Compliance Professionals, the Securities and Exchange Commission Historical Society, and the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA)—Compliance and Legal Division. He is a member of the Massachusetts, New York, Florida and District of Columbia Bars. He is active in the American, Federal, Massachusetts, New York, Palm Beach County, District of Columbia and Boston Bar Associations. Mr. Michaels is resident in the Boston and West Palm Beach offices of the firm.
Mr. Michaels is widely published in his field. For a representative list of some of his publications click here.
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