Michael L. Chapman is a trial lawyer whose practice emphasizes commercial litigation. Mr. Chapman has extensive experience handling disputes among shareholders and other business owners, and in cases involving business entity governance, including shareholder actions, securities fraud actions, derivative actions, corporate dissolution, merger and acquisition claims, and dissenters' rights. He also handles trust claims and other commercial litigation. Representative cases include:
- Obtaining a $13 million judgment, affirmed on appeal, in favor of a closely-held business owner against his co-owner for fraud spanning more than a decade in connection with complex transactions among a long-list of related entities
- Representing a substantial group of minority shareholders of one of Florida's largest private companies in a dissenters' rights action against the company seeking, and obtaining, a buy-out of their shares
- Representing a major state university in litigation brought after the death of the former owner of an NFL team concerning over $10 million in gifts to the university
- Obtaining a defense judgment in an action against a family trustee concerning the administration of the trust and its ownership in real property valued in excess of $30 million
- Representing several public companies in the defense of securities fraud class actions
- Representing a major utility in a state tax dispute concerning the valuation of its power plants
- Representing the widow of the founder of a national restaurant chain in a dispute concerning a stock buy-sell agreement triggered by the founder's death
- Representing affiliates of a major group of Florida property and casualty insurers in connection with the rehabilitation and liquidation of the insurers and related litigation with the State
- Representing the government of a United States territory as plaintiff in litigation seeking over $20 million in a complex fraud case concerning the establishment and failure of a property and casualty insurer
- Representing a major utility in the successful defense of multi-million dollar fraud claims arising from its sale of interests in a subsidiary
While attending Auburn University, Mr. Chapman was a member of the Alpha Epsilon, Alpha Zeta, Gamma Sigma Delta, Tau Beta Pi, and Phi Kappa Phi honor societies and a Graduate Fellow of the National Science Foundation. He was Editor-in-Chief of the Mercer Law Review and a member of the Brainerd Currie Society. He is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and is a registered engineer-in-training.
Mr. Chapman is certified as a Florida Circuit Court Mediator and as a Mediator for the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida.
Mr. Chapman serves as a member of Holland & Knight's 24-person Directors' Committee. For five years he served as a Practice Group Leader within the firm's Litigation Department. He now serves as a Deputy Department Chair for the Litigation Department, which numbers more than 450 lawyers.