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Am Law 100 firm with practices in Business, Digital Assets and Data Management, Intellectual Property, Labor & Employment, Litigation and Tax.

Home | BakerHostetler

To Help the New Administration Help Your Industry, You Need an Agency Strategy (Real Estate Finance Journal)

Artie McConnell Comments on Upcoming DOJ Data Security Program in Dark Reading Article

IP Intelligence Report

US Patents Set to Issue 33 Percent Faster from the Notification Date

Alexander Reid Presents Update on Nonprofit Legislation, Regulation at Illinois CPA Society Symposium

Throughout his career, Mike has represented every constituency involved in reorganizations, liquidations, workouts and insolvency-related commercial and appellate litigation. He also acts as a long-time trusted business advisor and outside general counsel for numerous manufacturing, retail and private equity clients with respect to their day-to-day businesses.

With a creative approach to the difficult issues facing clients, Mike provides hands-on representation and is relentless in advancing clients’ interests during high-stakes restructuring and commercial litigation and bet-the-company business matters.

Mike is recognized by Chambers USA® as a leading Bankruptcy and Restructuring lawyer, and is listed in The Best Lawyers in America® in the areas of Litigation - Bankruptcy and Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law. He was also a recipient of the 2002 American Bankruptcy Institute Gold Medal of Excellence Award.

core/freeform

J.D., University of Toledo College of Law, 2001, 

B.A., The Ohio State University, 1995

<ul>
<li>The Legal 500 United States
<ul>
<li>Recommended in Finance &#8211; Restructuring (Including Bankruptcy): Corporate (2022)</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Chambers USA: Bankruptcy/Restructuring in Ohio (2016 to 2024)
<ul>
<li>Band 2 (2020 to 2024), Band 3 (2017 to 2019), Band 4 (2016)</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The Best Lawyers in America®
<ul>
<li>Ohio: Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law (2014 to 2025)</li>
<li>Ohio: Litigation &#8211; Bankruptcy (2016 to 2025)</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Martindale-Hubbell: AV Preeminent</li>
<li>Ohio Super Lawyers &#8220;Rising Star&#8221; (2007, 2009 to 2013)</li>
<li>American Bankruptcy Institute: Gold Medal of Excellence (2002)</li>
</ul>

Cleveland

Chambers USA Guide 2024 Recognizes 155 BakerHostetler Attorneys and ­66 Practice Areas

Mike VanNiel discusses corporate restructuring in times of rising inflation

Chambers USA Guide 2023 Honors 147 BakerHostetler Attorneys and Recognizes 64 Practice Areas

Hundreds of BakerHostetler Attorneys Honored as 2023 Best Lawyers, Ones to Watch and Lawyers of the Year

BakerHostetler Attorneys, Practice Areas Shine in The Legal 500 2022 Guide

Chambers USA Guide 2022 Honors 145 BakerHostetler Attorneys and Recognizes 62 Practice Areas

191 BakerHostetler Attorneys Named in 2022 “Best Lawyers” List; 10 Recognized as “Lawyer of the Year”

Chambers and Partners USA Honors 134 BakerHostetler Attorneys and 55 Practice Areas in 2021 USA Guide

The Failing Firm Antitrust Defense – How To Navigate Financially Troubled Mergers During a Pandemic

COVID-19 Insights

Chambers and Partners USA Honors 127 Attorneys and 43 Practice Areas in 2019 Guide

Chambers and Partners USA Honors 118 Attorneys and 45 Practice Areas in 2018 Guide

Commercial Litigation

Restructuring and Bankruptcy

Business

Industries

Financial Services: Restructuring

<ul>
<li>Lead counsel to owner/operator of hotels throughout the U.S. in workout, business and lending matters involving traditional, construction and CMBS lenders.</li>
<li>Lead counsel to billion-dollar private equity fund and related alternative energy portfolio company in workout, litigation and business matters.</li>
<li>Lead counsel to large food manufacturer in workout and business matters.</li>
<li>Lead counsel to private equity fund manager in Delaware Chapter 11 proceeding.</li>
<li>Lead counsel to American Greetings Corporation in connection with litigation and resolution of matters relating to third-party operator’s closure of retail store operations throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe.</li>
<li>Lead nationwide outside general counsel to replacement window and door manufacturer in all litigation and business matters.</li>
<li>Lead outside general counsel and transactions counsel to Midwest-based company engaged in business of environmental clean-up of hazardous and non-hazardous materials at large industrial facilities.</li>
<li>Lead nationwide outside counsel to consulting firm in regulatory and insolvency matters.</li>
<li>Lead nationwide outside counsel to Seoul, South Korea-based manufacturer of children’s and women’s apparel in retail insolvency cases around the U.S.</li>
<li>Lead counsel to creditors’ committee in In re Abengoa Bioenergy Biomass of Kansas in insolvency proceedings in Kansas. When engagement commenced, the committee’s constituents were expected to receive an approximately 1% distribution on account of nearly $100 million of claims. When matter concluded, constituents received almost 70% distribution on their claims.</li>
<li>Lead counsel representing Chapter 7 Trustee of Fair Finance Co. in significant litigation against Fair Finance’s former lenders and owners. The matter involved all issues relating to Ponzi scheme litigation, including state and federal fraudulent transfer and related avoidance laws, as well as state law tort claims, and included acting as co-lead trial counsel in connection with $300 million civil jury trial in federal district court.</li>
<li>Lead counsel on a team that represented creditors’ committee in large Chapter 11 bankruptcy case of an integrated steel manufacturer. This engagement involved virtually all significant issues that could arise in the context of a creditors’ committee representation under the federal bankruptcy laws, including the successful prosecution and settlement of more than $100 million in breach of fiduciary duty and related state law claims. When the team was retained, the committee’s constituents expected to receive payment of a small fraction of their claims. When the engagement concluded, those constituents collectively received full payment of approximately $165 million.</li>
<li>Lead counsel representing national bank in multimillion-dollar commercial workout matters, including specialized finance matters relating to companies that provide processing services for prepaid bank card products issued by client. Led client through successful negotiations and consensual resolutions of complex workout agreements and related settlements in those matters, which involved difficult overlay of federal statutes and regulations and interchange network rules. Also resolved matters relating to $100 million money services business primarily engaged in transactions in Latin America and South America.</li>
<li>Lead counsel for an architectural design and technology client defending a significant commercial lawsuit arising from the bankruptcy of the client’s contractor. This complex litigation involved the ownership of proceeds flowing from a large government construction contract and was successfully resolved.</li>
<li>Represented a manufacturing client in the appeal of a large adverse jury verdict in a lawsuit relating to the client’s prior divestiture of certain business divisions. Successfully obtained a reversal on appeal and entry by the appellate court of judgment in the client’s favor without remand to the trial court.</li>
<li>Counsel to multiple mezzanine lenders in connection with successful placement of mezzanine credit facilities in matters throughout the U.S.</li>
<li>Represented Internet advertising company in its successful Chapter 11 reorganization proceeding.</li>
<li>Represented magnetic resonance imaging company with facilities in multiple states in its successful Chapter 11 reorganization proceeding.</li>
</ul>

Michael A. VanNiel

Michael A. VanNiel

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