Michael D.
Van Gorder

Mike is Special Counsel in the firm’s Litigation Department and is based in the Delaware Office.

EXPERIENCE

Mike has significant experience in both federal and state courts in Delaware, including the Court of Chancery and Superior Court, serving as both local and lead counsel.  Mike regularly represents parties in corporate and commercial matters, including breaches of fiduciary duty, demands for books & records, breach of contract, and collections actions.
Prior to private practice, Mike served as a law clerk to the Honorable James T. Vaughn, Jr. of the Delaware Supreme Court (2015-16).  Before law school, Mike worked in the private bank of a global financial services firm.
Mike received his J.D., magna cum laude, from Widener University School of Law (2015), where he served as Editor-in-Chief of the Delaware Journal of Corporate Law.  Mike received his B.S. in Business Management (2008) and his M.B.A. with a concentration in Finance (2011) from Wilmington University.

REPRESENTATIVE MATTERS

• Lead counsel to a Canadian based retailer in the Superior Court’s Complex Commercial Litigation Department
• Co-counsel to the CEO of a large fintech company in expedited proceedings in the Court of Chancery
• Co-counsel to a real estate developer in a dispute with a homeowner’s association in expedited proceedings in the Court of Chancery
• Lead counsel to a private equity firm in a dispute in the Court of Chancery regarding post-merger amounts owed
• Co-counsel to a foreign oil refiner in both Delaware state court and federal court in a judgment enforcement action

NETWORKS & AFFILIATIONS

Mike is a member of the Delaware State Bar Association, the Delaware Bankruptcy American Inn of Court, and currently serves as the vice-Chair of the NextGen Committee for the Philadelphia/Wilmington Chapter of the Turnaround Management Association.