Mike McConnell defends officers, directors, and corporations in high-stakes securities and fiduciary duty litigation. The matters litigated include securities fraud class actions, SEC investigations and inquiries, derivative cases, proxy fraud litigation, and other matters that are often ancillary to shareholder litigation, including shareholder inspection actions, disputes under shareholder voting agreements, internal corporate investigations, and other special committee matters. Mike serves as the head of litigation for the Firm's Atlanta Office.
Mike's recent representations include defending comScore, Inc. and certain of its officers and directors in securities litigation; defending Flowers Foods and certain of its officers and directors in securities litigation; defending Rayonier Inc. in securities litigation; defending Gray Television in litigation seeking to enjoin it from operating an Augusta television station or offering it in the National Incentive Spectrum Auction; defending WL Ross & Co. and certain current and former officers and directors of International Textile Group (ITG) in class and derivative shareholder litigation arising from the merger of ITG and Safety Components International; defending Attachmate Corporation in connection with shareholder litigation filed in Delaware and Massachusetts challenging its acquisition of Novell Corporation; defending former officers and directors of various banks that failed in the wake of the credit crisis; defending The Southern Company in securities litigation arising from the spin-off of Mirant Corporation; and defending SunOpta Inc. in securities litigation.
Mike is a member of the Trial Law Institute and Diversity Law Institute, a former member of the board of directors of the March of Dimes (Georgia Chapter; chairman, 2012), the Midtown Atlanta Rotary Club (president, 2013-2014), and the Leadership Atlanta Class of 2007.
- Emory University (J.D. 1986; Jessup International Moot Court Competition; Director-in-Chief, Moot Court Society; Order of the Barristers); Drew University (B.A. in Economics cum laude 1983)
- Georgia
Master, Joseph Henry Lumpkin American Inn of Court (2014-2021)
Chambers USA, Georgia Litigation: Securities (Band 1, 2021) and Georgia Litigation (2012-2018)
The Best Lawyers in America (2013-2022): Commercial Litigation, Litigation - Regulatory Enforcement (SEC, Telecom, Energy), including "Lawyer of the Year" (2022) in Atlanta, and Litigation - Securities
Georgia Super Lawyers (2007-2018)
Senior Fellow, Litigation Counsel of America
Barrister, Order of Veritas, Litigation Counsel of America