Michael (Mike) Lehrman

Mike has broad experience representing private equity firms and their portfolio companies in post-acquisition disputes of all kinds, including claims involving trade secret misappropriation, breach of restrictive covenants, breach of fiduciary duties, fraudulent transfer, and breach of contract. He also litigates complex commercial disputes and securities matters for publicly traded clients across the retail, aerospace and space, and chemical industries. He has led numerous domestic and cross-border internal investigations for multinational corporations in sensitive employment, fraud, and criminal matters. Mike is a strategic partner to his clients, helping them tackle complex and sophisticated legal disputes, including a series of interrelated matters for a space industry corporation that went public via SPAC transaction. Mike tries cases all over the country, with a particular focus in Illinois and New York, where he is admitted to practice, as well as Delaware, where he has litigated numerous cases through final judgment.

• Obtained a preliminary injunction in the Delaware Court of Chancery for a private equity firm in trade secret and restrictive covenant litigation, after taking over the case from prior counsel following a year of litigation and four largely unsuccessful TRO motions. Within only three months, Mike and the trial team obtained a preliminary injunction against the defendants, shortly thereafter followed by defendants agreeing shut down their competing business completely and agree to a stipulated permanent injunction.
• Served as a member of the trial team that secured an approximately USD 60 million award, plus attorneys' fees, in a restrictive covenant, breach of fiduciary duty, and trade secrets case tried before Vice Chancellor J. Travis Laster in the Delaware Court of Chancery. The case arose following a USD 450 million acquisition, and resulted in compensatory damages, exemplary damages, prejudgment interest, permanent injunctive relief, and an award of attorneys' fees.
• Examined witnesses at trial and obtained USD 25 million judgment in the first post-Covid virtual civil trial in the Supreme Court of New York.
• Obtained full dismissal of a bankruptcy trustee's claims in a precedent-setting opinion from the US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit concerning two questions of first impression regarding the applicability and preclusive effect of the safe harbor provision found in Section 546(e) of Chapter 11 of the US Bankruptcy Code.
• In an opinion affirmed by the Delaware Supreme Court, obtained dismissal from the Delaware Court of Chancery of former executive's claims for indemnification and advancement from a Delaware Corporation after the executive signed a broad release of claims.
• Obtained a full defense judgment in the Circuit Court of Cook County defending a private equity firm against plaintiff's breach of contract and piercing the corporate veil claims.
• Represented a space industry corporation that went public via SPAC transaction in a series of related shareholder, breach of contract, and breach of fiduciary duty suits in the Delaware Court of Chancery, among other courts.
• Obtained favorable settlement on the eve of trial for large private equity firm client in fraudulent conveyance action seeking over USD 100 million.
• Representing a woman incarcerated at Logan Correctional Center, Illinois' largest women's prison, in a federal civil rights action under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 alleging repeated sexual assault by correctional officers and institutional failure to protect her, in partnership with the Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation and the Uptown People's Law Center.
• Argued in the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals the appeal of a client's conviction on drug and gun charges as a member of an educational institution's legal clinic.
• Obtained a favorable settlement on the eve of trial for client suing the Chicago Police Department for excessive use of force.

 

Education and Honors

Prior to joining the Firm, Mike was an associate editor for the Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, member of the Bartlit National Trial Team and president of the Student Bar Association at Northwestern University School of Law. While in law school, he was an intern at the United States Attorney's office for the Northern District of Illinois. Upon graduation, he received the Northwestern University School of Law leadership award. Prior to law school, he spent four years engaging in political and legislative advocacy while working at the National Association of Realtors in Washington, DC.

• American Bar Association - Member
• Chicago Bar Association - Member
• Chicago Bar Foundation Board of Directors - Member