Michael Wolak, III

Mike Wolak represents domestic and international clients across a wide spectrum of industries in business and intellectual property litigation. Mike's practice is predominantly international in scope with a strong emphasis on representing and advising Chinese and other Asian companies and their U.S. subsidiaries. Mike has broad experience counseling clients and litigating a full range of sophisticated commercial disputes and business torts in state and federal courts throughout the United States and in domestic and international arbitral forums, including the International Chamber of Commerce.

Mike's litigation experience includes complex contractual disputes both domestic and international in scope, restrictive covenants and trade secrets, director and officer liability, shareholder derivative litigation, fiduciary duty claims, partnership and joint venture disputes, product liability and life sciences as well as unfair business practices, fraud, and disputes involving complex business and financial transactions.

Mike also regularly counsels European and Asian companies and works with the Firm's other offices to help these companies navigate through the many regulatory, compliance and other issues they face in expanding and protecting their business interests in the United States.

In addition, Mike has significant trial and appellate experience, including in the Georgia Supreme Court and Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, and broad experience in consumer class action litigation, internal corporate investigations, FTC investigations, e-discovery oversight and best practices, and litigation under the Uniform Partnership Act, Fair Credit Reporting Act and False Claims Act.

• Representing Taiwanese corporation and its U.S. subsidiary in federal copyright infringement and trademark infringement matters
• Representing Chinese e-cigarette manufacturer in product liability litigation
• Representing Chinese distributor in e-commerce litigation
• Representing and advising Dutch manufacturer of proprietary parking systems technology on commercial, regulatory, compliance and intellectual property matters in the United States
• Defended Chinese manufacturer and its U.S. subsidiary and second-chair federal jury trial involving claims of trade secret misappropriation and alleged damages of more than $100 million
• Defended Chinese corporation and its U.S. subsidiary against claims for fraud and breach of contract involving renewable energy projects
• Represented Chinese manufacturer and recovered damages for breach of contract and defended against counterclaims
• Represented Hong Kong corporation and compelled arbitration in Hong Kong in suit seeking nearly $1 billion in damages
• Defended a national highway and bridge construction company in litigation under the False Claims Act
• Defended a multimillion-dollar trademark/trade dress litigation on behalf of a national pet pharmaceutical company
• Defended a multinational biotechnology company against claims for breach of contract and trade secret misappropriation involving transactions with entities in Egypt and obtained dismissal with prejudice of all claims
• Briefed and secured a major victory for the client in the Georgia Supreme Court concerning critical industry-wide issues of first impression in financial services litigation
• Defended a Japanese manufacturer in nationwide litigation of product liability claims involving its off-road side-by-side vehicle, including the resolution of more than 160 cases pending in Georgia
• Represented a major global logistics company in a multimillion-dollar tax appraisal trial and obtained a jury verdict and an award of attorney fees and litigation expenses
• Defended two former officers and directors of a multinational industrial company in a shareholder derivative action seeking more than $160 million for alleged breach of fiduciary duties
• Represented a major credit reporting agency in a putative class action seeking up to $3 billion in statutory damages. Obtained summary judgment and prevailed in the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals in one of the first applications of Safeco Ins. Co. of America. v. Burr to a Fair Credit Reporting Act case
• Represented regional airline carrier in this “bet the company” case and obtained Eleventh Circuit affirmance of a preliminary injunction to halt contract termination
• Defended a global chemical company against several fraud and corporate veil claims
• Represented a global textile and chemical company in a time-sensitive white collar investigation involving potential claims under the False Claims Act
• Defended a Swedish manufacturer of complex medical imaging equipment in complex commercial litigation before the American Arbitration Association and the International Chamber of Commerce
• Defended a major entertainment company in highly publicized whistleblower litigation
• Defended a multinational logistics company against claims of breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duties involving stock options and stock valuation