Michael Wachtell has a broad base of experience in complex commercial, corporate and business transactions and litigation in California and Nevada. While devoting a substantial portion of his practice to commercial litigation and receivership matters in state and federal courts, Mr. Wachtell also focuses on complex commercial transactions, trade secrets and related intellectual property matters, real estate, film finance, labor, securities, and environmental law. During his years of practice, he has developed an extensive background and expertise in real estate purchase and sales transactions, real estate finance, hospitality law, banking, commercial and secured transactions, mergers and acquisitions, securities, insurance, proprietary rights, environmental, patent and trademark law, trade regulation matters, and debtor-creditor representation.

Mr. Wachtell has been lead counsel in film finance disputes for clients involving amounts in dispute well over $100M, has been lead counsel for a Federal Court appointed Receiver in a major mortgage fraud case and a Receiver in a State Court fraud receivership involving low income tax credit developments. Mr. Wachtell is also currently serving as a Receiver in a state regulatory receivership and as corporate counsel to several privately held companies.

Mr. Wachtell has and continues to serve as a Court appointed receiver, referee, provisional director, partition referee, and arbitrator and mediator in connection with complex business cases. He also previously served on the arbitration panels of Alternative Resolution Centers in Los Angeles and the American Arbitration Association. He currently a director emeritus of the Los Angeles/Orange County Chapter of the California Receivers Forum and is a past member of the board of the Forum’s statewide parent organization. Mr. Wachtell also serves as a co-founder of an independent hotel company which owns, operates and/or manages numerous hotel properties in several mid-western and eastern states. Mr. Wachtell lectures extensively in his fields of specialty to clients, bar associations, and trade organizations.

He also lectures extensively in his areas of practice and actively participates in various charitable, civic and religious organizations and is a member of the firm’s Board of Directors. Mr. Wachtell is AV Preeminent rated and recognized as a 2013 Top Rated Lawyer in the area of Bank & Finance by Martindale Hubbell, and has been selected by Super Lawyer Magazine as one of Southern California’s Super Lawyers five times from 2006 to 2010.

Mr. Wachtell is admitted to the State Bars of California, Nevada, Virginia, the District of Columbia, and is licensed to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office. He also holds a California real estate broker’s license.

Bar Admissions

• California
• Nevada
• Virginia
• U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
• U.S. Tax Court

Education

• George Washington University Law School
• City College of New York

• U.S. Supreme Court Upholds Validity of Department of Labor’s Interpretation on Overtime Pay for Mortgage Loan Officers