Michael A. Leon

Michael A. Leon is Senior Litigation Counsel in the New York City office of Messner Reeves, where his practice focuses on litigation, corporate, banking & financial Services, and real estate matters. Michael represents corporations, boards of directors, shareholders, executives, financial services professionals, and other clients in complex commercial disputes, regulatory proceedings, and restructuring matters.

Michael regularly serves as lead counsel in high-stakes litigation in state and federal courts, as well as in arbitration proceedings. His experience includes corporate and commercial litigation, shareholder and derivative actions, business divorce disputes, mergers and acquisitions disputes, bankruptcy adversary proceedings, real estate disputes, ERISA litigation, qui tam litigation under the False Claims Act, and matters involving the SEC and Department of Justice. He has conducted more than 100 depositions and has extensive experience with motion practice, trials, and arbitrations.

Michael also advises clients facing regulatory inquiries, corporate governance challenges, and financial distress. He has represented registered investment advisers in SEC and FINRA enforcement and disciplinary matters, counseled departing executives regarding nondisclosure, nonsolicitation, and noncompetition obligations, and assisted boards of directors with restructuring and asset-recovery strategies in Chapter 7 and Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings. His work has also included revising operating and shareholder agreements and advising clients responding to state and federal regulatory agencies.

Throughout his career, Michael has handled significant corporate and commercial disputes involving prominent companies, executives, shareholders, and major real estate developments. His experience includes derivative and appraisal actions, disputes arising from corporate transactions, challenges involving ownership and equity interests, commercial loan restructurings, and ERISA class actions. He has also represented clients in matters involving alleged breaches of fiduciary duty, fraud, breach of contract, and the recovery of business and personal assets.

Before joining Messner Reeves, Michael served as Senior Litigation Counsel at a New York law firm, where he represented Fortune 100 companies, unions and their participants, trustees, administrators, committees, boards of directors, and shareholders. Earlier in his career, he was a partner and litigation practice leader at other New York firms and practiced corporate litigation and bankruptcy law in Delaware. He began his legal career working on matters before the Delaware Court of Chancery.

Michael earned his J.D. from the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University, where he graduated in the top one percent of his class and served as a senior editor of the Hofstra Law Review. He earned his B.A. in Philosophy, Politics and Law from Binghamton University.