Michael Feldberg, head of the firm’s White Collar Defense Practice, has more than 40 years’ experience trying civil and criminal cases and leading litigation practices in major law firms. He has served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, as the founder and long-time head of the U.S. litigation practice at Allen & Overy LLP, and as a partner and head of the litigation practice at Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP.
Michael is a Fellow of The American College of Trial Lawyers and has tried over 50 cases during his career. He is ranked among the nation’s leading White Collar Defense and Commercial Litigation attorneys by Chambers USA, which describes him as “a very effective lawyer,” and notes he’s “efficient, offers good judgment and is a pleasure to work with.” Benchmark Litigation also recognizes Michael as a “Litigation Star” for his white collar defense experience.
Michael has represented financial institutions, Fortune 500 companies, judges, law firms, accounting firms, political figures, and senior executives across a broad range of complex disputes. His lead counsel experience includes high-profile matters involving antitrust, securities fraud, healthcare fraud, professional liability, and white collar defense.
Recently, Michael was lead trial counsel on the winning team that secured a complete acquittal in a federal criminal trial against the Department of Justice (DOJ), in a case alleging that prices were fixed over an eight year period in the $28 billiion per year broiler chicken industry. The case stemmed from an indictment that charged 10 executives with criminal violations of the Sherman Act. The trial win earned Michael and the RJLF team, along with the other defense teams, The American Lawyer’s “Litigator of the Week” first runners-up recognition, and the case garnered extensive national attention from major news outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Forbes, Reuters, Politico, and CNBC, among others. Law360 also featured a special Q&A profile with Michael due to the unprecedented nature of the three trials leading to the not guilty verdict.
Michael also maintains an active pro bono practice, including serving on the trial team representing the plaintiffs – families of victims of handgun violence – in Hamilton v. Accu-Tek, a two-month trial in the Eastern District of New York against all the major handgun manufacturers. His community activities include serving on the Boards of Directors of the 92nd Street Y and the Appalachian Mountain Club, the Leadership Council of Facing History and Ourselves, the Lawyers Committee of The Innocence Project, and the Dean’s Advisory Council of Harvard Law School.
Michael is a cum laude graduate of Harvard Law School and a magna cum laude graduate of Harvard College.
Updated Oct 2024
