Michael is the Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Cozen O'Connor. Under his leadership and strategic direction, the firm has grown in revenue by more than 75 percent, with revenue of over $650 million, and has been recognized as one of the top 100 law firms globally. He chairs the firm's Board of Directors and serves on its Management Committee. His business, entrepreneurial, and investing experience arms him with a unique ability to manage a global law firm in an ever-changing market and provide legal and business insight on countless complex client matters. Since Michael began his tenure as CEO, the firm has received countless accolades for its commitment to a quality and diverse workplace and the firm’s dedication and generosity to the communities and causes in which our employees and clients live and work.
In addition to his role as Executive Chairman and CEO of the firm, Michael is a recognized leader in the venture capital, private equity and emerging business space and began his career as a young associate during the IPO craze of the late 1980s. He understands, first hand, the critical roles of modern executives. An important element of Michael’s practice is making the necessary introductions to help clients raise capital and find joint venture partners, and he is constantly relied upon for his business acumen and investment instincts. Michael’s practice is focused on all forms of equity and debt capital-raising transactions, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and strategic alliances, and initial public offerings.
Michael is a frequent speaker on venture capital and entrepreneurism in the Mid-Atlantic region and is regularly quoted as a thought leader in local, regional, and national publications. He is Chambers-ranked for Corporate Law - M&A and Private Equity. Each year since it was first established in 2015, the Philadelphia Business Journal has named Michael one of the most influential people in the Philadelphia region.
Michael has significant personal business and investing experience, which differentiates him from his peers in the venture capital and private equity space, and the legal industry in general. Michael was an early investor and currently serves on the board of directors of The Beachbody Company, Inc. (NYSE: BODI), the creator of the popular fitness programs P90X and Insanity, a leading health and fitness direct marketing company in the country. Michael was also one of the original principal owners of the Valley Forge Casino and Resort.
Michael is a member of the board of directors of FS Holdings, L.P., a global alternative asset manager with over $75 billion in AUM, and Hanover Fire and Casualty Co., a property and casualty insurance carrier. He also sits on several nonprofit boards, including Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Villanova Law School (and a former chairman of the board of trustees), Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, and Philadelphia Alliance for Capital and Technologies (PACT).
Born and raised in the Philadelphia area, Michael received his undergraduate degree in 1986, summa cum laude, from The Pennsylvania State University, and his law degree in 1989, magna cum laude, from Villanova University, where he was a law review editor and a member of the Order of the Coif.