Michael Dockterman, a partner in Steptoe’s Chicago office, is an accomplished litigator whose extensive trial experience ranges from private commercial matters through disputes with the federal government. He focuses on complex civil and criminal business litigation, securities and derivative litigation, and advising clients on matters of corporate governance and compliance.
Described by Chambers USA as a lawyer “who can see through the garbage and cut to the chase,” Mr. Dockterman has appeared as principal trial counsel in state and federal courts in over half of the United States, and has tried securities, antitrust, intellectual property, environmental, contract, fraud and product liability cases, as well as a variety of amateur sports disputes, as well as both federal and state white-collar criminal cases. His efforts have been recognized by The National Law Journal, which named him as one of its “Top 10 Winning Litigators in the US” and by The Best Lawyers in America, which has recognized him in the fields of Commercial Litigation, Antitrust Litigation, and Intellectual Property Litigation since 2010.
In the boardroom, Mr. Dockterman has counseled corporations and boards of directors on matters of corporate governance and compliance. Working with audit committees, corporate governance committees, and special committees of independent directors in such high-profile matters as Archer Daniels Midland Company, Eaton Corporation, DaVita Healthcare, and Exide Corporation, Mr. Dockterman has hands-on experience in CEO evaluation, board self-assessment, committee function and structure, and facilitating strategic planning within the roles appropriate to management and board members. He has dealt with institutional investors in both cooperative and adversarial contexts, and has litigated issues of corporate governance in derivative litigation. Mr. Dockterman has represented management, special litigation committees, board members, outside auditors, and others in a broad variety of related securities and governance litigation, including contests for corporate control, the defense of alleged director wrongdoing, alleged misrepresentations in public offerings, alleged accounting malpractice, and other securities claims.
