Biography
Michael J. Gottlieb is a partner in the Litigation Department, and a member of the firm's Executive Committee. He is Chair of the Crisis Management Group, and Co-Chair of the Media & First Amendment Practice Group and the Strategic Motions & Appeals Practice Group.
Michael is one of the leading litigators in the United States. He represents clients in enterprise-threatening events, including complex litigation at the trial and appellate level, government investigations and enforcement actions, and multidimensional crises involving multi-front disputes with intense media interest and government nexus. Michael has successfully led trials, appeals, and investigations on behalf of Fortune 50 and other major multinational companies, financial institutions, technology startups, foreign governments, senior executives, and individuals, while also maintaining an acclaimed pro bono and public interest practice in which he has obtained damages awards totaling in the hundreds of millions of dollars for his clients.
Michael has delivered exceptional results for clients facing simultaneous U.S. government investigations and parallel litigation, including matters involving criminal and civil components of the Department of Justice, the Federal Trade Commission, the Securities and Exchange Commission, U.S. State Attorneys General and other state regulators, and a variety of Congressional committees. He has successfully represented clients in litigation and arbitration, including complex commercial disputes, cross-border and transnational litigation, media and defamation matters, constitutional litigation, securities litigation, and appeals in a number of appellate courts including the Supreme Court of the United States.
Michael has been recognized by several leading legal and business publications, including being nominated as the American Lawyer’s 2023 Attorney of the Year, and being named by Forbes as one of America’s Top 200 Lawyers (2024), by Lawdragon 500 as one of America’s 500 Leading Lawyers (2024) and one of its 500 Leading Litigators (2024), and being named as Litigator of the Week on several occasions by The American Lawyer. Earlier in his career, Michael was recognized as a Rising Star by National Law Journal, one of the Top 40 Lawyers Under 40 in Washington D.C., a Law360 MVP, a Cybersecurity Trailblazer, and a Future Star by Benchmark Litigation.