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Attorneys
Michael Schley has been with the firm for 18 years and has practiced in the Securities law/corporate finance area for over 25 years with a practice ranging widely as capital markets and clients’ needs have evolved and changed. His clients include issuers, underwriters and placement agents in both equity and debt financing transactions. His clients’ fundraising needs and activities have varied widely by stage of development, by size, and by industry, and their financing transactions have included initial and secondary public offerings, private placements, and venture capital investments. Besides financing transactions, he represents clients (both publicly-held and private) in merger and acquisition transactions and assists clients in connection with increasingly complex SEC, Nasdaq and exchange matters. These include public-company reporting and proxy matters, Sarbanes-Oxley issues, corporate governance matters, and advising special board of directors committees. In addition to corporate finance matters, he also advises and represents companies and entrepreneurs regarding organization, governance, equity compensation plans and general business matters. He assists clients in connection with SEC and SRO investigations and disciplinary proceedings and counsels holders of equity awards in connection with divorce proceedings allocations. Michael is the chair of our Securities Practice Group and served on the Minnesota State Bar Association Task Force related to Minnesota’s adoption of the Uniform Securities Act. He chaired the Small Corporate Offering Registration (SCOR) committee, co-chaired the “finders” exemption group, and was on the working group related to exempt transactions. Michael has been the leading Minnesota advocate of the SCOR registration program as a tool for entrepreneurs to raise equity for early stage businesses. As to Minnesota’s recently enacted “Angel Tax Credit,” Michael played a significant role in broadening issuer eligibility to include early stage companies. Michael received his Bachelor’s degree from St. John’s University in 1976, majoring in accounting. Michael practiced as a CPA in the Twin Cities before returning to law school. He received his doctor of law degree from the University of Chicago in 1980. Michael spent three years with the Chicago Office of the Securities and Exchange Commission, engaged in enforcement activities, and has been in the private practice of law in Minneapolis since 1983. Michael is an arbitrator for the NYSE and FINRA and a frequent lecturer and author for bar committees, businesses and others. He has served on, and chaired, various legal, accounting, church and school committees and task forces. Bar Admissions Illinois, 1981 Minnesota, 1980 U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, 1981 U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota, 1984 U.S. Tax Court Professional Associations & Memberships American Bar Association, 1980 -Present American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, 1979 - Present Minnesota Society of Certified Public Accountants, 1979 - Present Minnesota State Bar Association, 1980 - Present Hennepin County Bar Association, 1980 - present Education University of Chicago Law School, Chicago, IL, 1980 J.D. St John's University, Collegeville, MN, 1976 B.A. |
