Practice Areas
Biography
Biography
Michael is Counsel at Davison Eastman, Muñoz, Paone, P.A., where he focuses his practice on Business Law and Litigation with a specialty in creditors’ rights and bankruptcy.
Michael takes pride in tackling complicated factual and legal issues, finding creative solutions, and zealously advocating on his clients’ behalf. Michael has been selected to New Jersey Super Lawyers for ten consecutive years (2013-2022).
Michael has a diverse business law and litigation experience. He has handled a wide variety of matters in New Jersey state courts and federal courts across the county. Michael has represented commercial real estate purchasers in both the acquisition and sale of multi-million-dollar properties. He has addressed complicated legal issues both on a trial level and on appeal (having argued successfully before now Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito when Justice Alito served on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals). Michael has obtained a variety of legal and equitable remedies for his clients. He has represented a variety of interests – from multi-national corporations, an international celebrity, business owners, shareholders, individuals, and court appointed fiduciaries.
In the areas of bankruptcy and insolvency law, Michael has enjoyed great success representing practically every type of creditor. He has recovered tens of millions of dollars on behalf of secured creditors and asset-based lenders. He has guided banks and other real estate lenders through complex foreclosure actions, rent receiver actions, priority disputes, loan medication agreements and a variety of bankruptcy matters including stay relief motions. He has protected commercial landlords facing tenant bankruptcies and lease assumption and assignment issues. He has represented national franchisors to navigate the issues arising from a franchisee’s bankruptcy. He has served as special litigation counsel on behalf of various committees and liquidation trustees. He has defended trade creditors in numerous preferential transfer and other avoidance actions and protected their retention of tens of millions of dollars. He has successfully negotiated cash collateral orders and adequate protection payments. He has prosecuted numerous actions to prevent the dischargeability of debts in bankruptcy and to deny debtors engaged in wrongdoing from any relief in bankruptcy whatsoever. He has successfully challenged proposed plans of reorganization, defended objections to creditors’ proofs of claims, recovered millions of dollars in fraudulently transferred assets, litigated Uniform Commercial Code matters and thrived in addressing numerous complex issues both in bankruptcy courts and on appeal to the District and Circuit courts. This breadth of experience also enables Michael to counsel distressed businesses and their owners with regard to the variety of options available during troubled financial times.
Education
- DePaul University College of Law, J.D. (cum laude, Order of the Coif, Law Review, Dean’s Scholarship for Top Ten Students, Moot Court, Legal Clinic, Legal Writing Teaching Assistant, Am.Jur. awards in multiple courses)
- Villanova University, B.A. Honors Program and B.A. Political Science (cum laude, Honors graduate, Pi Sigma Alpha Honor Society, Dean’s List multiple semesters)
Admissions
- State of New Jersey
- United States Court of Appeals – Third Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals – Second Circuit
- United States District Court for the District of New Jersey
- United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin
- United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin
Memberships and Affiliations
- New Jersey State Bar Association
- Bankruptcy Law Section, New Jersey State Bar Association
- Former Program Chair and Master, Bankruptcy Inn of Court
- American Bankruptcy Institute
- Asbury Book Cooperative, Director and Secretary
Recognitions
- Super Lawyers*, 2013 – 2022
News & Events
* No aspect of this advertisement is approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey