Cole Schotz Adds Corporate Attorney From Gellert Seitz

Cole Schotz PC has brought on an attorney in Delaware from Gellert Seitz Busenkell & Brown LLC who specializes in handling corporate, securities and bankruptcy-related disputes.

Michael D. Van Gorder joined Cole Schotz as special counsel in its litigation department, the national firm said on Monday. His hiring brings the number of attorneys who are based in Cole Schotz’s Delaware office or split time there to 15, according to the firm’s website.

“Joining Cole Schotz is a tremendous opportunity to work alongside a team of top-notch litigators on an exceptional platform,” Van Gorder told Law360 Pulse in an emailed statement on Wednesday. “I am especially excited to join at a time when the firm’s Delaware litigation practice is growing and look forward to contributing to that momentum while continuing to develop and expand my own practice.”

Before making the move to Cole Schotz, Van Gorder had been at Gellert Seitz, which has offices in Delaware and Philadelphia, since 2023. He previously was at Faruqi & Faruqi LLP from 2016 to 2021. He clerked at the Delaware Supreme Court for Justice James T. Vaughn Jr. from 2015 to 2016. The retired justice died in 2024.

Van Gorder earned his law degree from Widener University, where he served as editor-in-chief of the Delaware Law School’s Delaware Journal of Corporate Law. He also earned a master of business administration degree in finance and a bachelor’s degree in business management from Wilmington University.

His practice is focused on advising clients about corporate and bankruptcy-related matters, including cases involving breaches of fiduciary duty, shareholder rights, securities claims, and books and records demands, according to the announcement. He also handles shareholder class actions, derivative lawsuits and commercial litigation, and litigates in Delaware’s state and federal courts, including the state’s Court of Chancery and Supreme Court, the firm said.

Van Gorder also represents debtors, creditors and other stakeholders in bankruptcy proceedings, the firm’s announcement said.

Among his more recent matters, he was one of the attorneys in Delaware representing US Magnesium in its Chapter 11 sale of assets, and he was on a team representing a stockholder and director of the e-commerce support venture Opensend Inc. in a books and records suit in Chancery Court

“As a major center of U.S. corporate law, Delaware remains a critical venue for many of our clients’ most important disputes,” G. David Dean, leader of Cole Schotz’s Delaware office and deputy co-chair of the firm’s bankruptcy and corporate restructuring department, said in a statement on Monday.

“Michael’s experience before the state’s courts and deep understanding of the issues that shape corporate litigation further strengthens our litigation bench,” Dean said.

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