Michael A. Firestein is a partner in Proskauer's Litigation Department and formerly served as Vice Chair of the Department.
Michael brings more than 30 years of experience handling a wide range of commercial litigation on behalf of financial institutions, securities brokerages, fiduciaries, investment advisors, private equity funds, real estate operating companies and entertainment corporations. He has tried cases before jury and bench tribunals in state and federal courts and before arbitration forums, including FINRA, AAA, JAMS and NYSE.
During the past decade, Michael has emerged as a leading bankruptcy litigator and trial lawyer in some of the largest bankruptcy proceedings in the United States. Most recently, he served as lead litigator representing the Statutory Unsecured Creditors Committee in the successful restructuring of Zachry Industrial, Inc., resulting in a confirmed plan paying all unsecured creditors in full.
He also has a lead role in the Puerto Rico bankruptcy litigation on behalf of the Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico. In recent years, he was a principal trial lawyer in confirmation hearings involving the Puerto Rico Highways and Transportation Authority, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Puerto Rico Public Buildings Authority, the Puerto Rico Employee Retirement System, the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) and the Puerto Rico Sales Tax Financing Corporation (COFINA).
Michael also served as lead trial counsel in successful bankruptcy plan confirmations on behalf of Energy Future Holdings. His work in this area led to recognition as California’s Bankruptcy Litigator of the Year by Benchmark Litigation from 2020 to 2022.
In addition, Michael advises on probate and trust litigation matters, employment litigation disputes, intellectual property and entertainment litigation. He represents publicly traded companies in internal investigations and before the SEC, FINRA and other self-regulatory organizations. He also advises individuals on securities-related aspects of high-net-worth family law disputes.
Beyond his legal practice, Michael has been active in community service, including long-standing involvement with the Concern Foundation for Cancer Research and service on the Board of Directors of Bet Tzedek.
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