For more than three decades, Michael has provided strategic counsel and support to companies, individuals and institutions facing significant communications challenges and opportunities. His areas of expertise include:

Reputation Management, Media Relations and Investor Relations

He develops and helps to implement comprehensive corporate communications and investor relations programs for clients across a wide range of industries.

Crisis Communications

He has been deeply involved in a broad array of crises affecting individual companies and the broader business community, including the economic and social impact of the COVID-19 epidemic; allegations of executive misconduct, fraud and accounting irregularities; management changes; earnings surprises; data breaches; government investigations and regulatory actions; product recalls; and shareholder derivative lawsuits, mass torts and other litigation.

Restructuring & Bankruptcy

He is a widely recognized expert in helping clients develop and implement communication plans related to out-of-court financial restructurings and in-court Chapter 11 reorganizations and Section 363 asset sales. Starting with Macy’s, Leslie Fay and Marvel Entertainment in the 1990s, he has worked on hundreds of such cases. Recent matters include Aearo Technologies, American Commercial Barge, Avianca/LifeMiles, Belk, Bestwall, Bon-Ton Stores, Caesars Entertainment, Car Outlet/Total Finance, Central Grocers, Cumulus Media, CWT, Dean Foods, Denbury, Ditech, Forma Brands, FTD, GBG USA, Global Eagle Entertainment, Libbey, LTL, Mallinckrodt, Mattress Firm, MD Helicopters, Momentive Performance Materials, Oi, Performance Sports Group, Patriot Coal, PG&E, Quorum Health, Quiznos, Sabine, Shiloh, Skillsoft, Stearns Lending, Strike, SVB Financial Group and Toys”R”Us.

Alternative Investments and Not-For-Profit Organizations

He has advised numerous private equity firms and their portfolio companies, as well as hedge funds, family offices and university endowments. He has also advised a number of leading arts and educational institutions and other not-for-profit organizations.

M&A, IPOs and Shareholder Activism

M&A, spin-off and IPO assignments include 3M in its proposed spin-off of its healthcare business; MoneyGram in its proposed sale to Madison Dearborn Partners, Entegris in its acquisition of CMC Materials; TeraWulf in its reverse merger and public listing; Torrid in its initial public offering; Tech Data in its sale to Apollo and subsequent merger with SYNNEX; General Electric in its transaction with Baker Hughes, spin-off of Synchrony, and strategic realignment of GE Capital; and Sycamore Partners in all of its transactions since its founding in 2011. He has also counseled numerous companies in their interactions with activist investors and unsolicited bidders.

Michael joined Joele Frank in 2011. He previously served as a Partner and leader of the Restructuring and Reorganization practice at Kekst and Company. From 1986 to 1990, he was on the news and editorial staffs of The New York Times, where among other roles he served for two years as the news clerk to A.M. (Abe) Rosenthal, the columnist and former executive editor. He received a BA in political science cum laude from Yale University.

Michael is a Trustee of Greenwich Library.