Michael Newman is a partner in the Dallas office of Foley & Lardner LLP, where he serves as Office Managing Partner and a member of the firm’s Management Committee.

Private equity sponsors, founders, family offices, and established public and private companies turn to Michael to lead complex transactions and navigate pivotal business moments. He advises clients on mergers and acquisitions, strategic transactions, and corporate governance matters, serving as a trusted advisor and lead strategic counsel in complex business transitions.

Michael represents clients ranging from entrepreneurial and sponsor-backed businesses to large multinational enterprises. He frequently advises general counsel and senior executives on strategic decision-making, governance issues, and sensitive business matters, and often serves as the coordinating lead among investors, management teams, and advisors to move transactions efficiently from initial negotiations through closing.

A significant portion of Michael’s practice involves structuring and managing M&A playbooks for private equity–backed platforms pursuing serial acquisition strategies, helping sponsors and management teams execute repeatable and scalable transaction processes. These strategies frequently incorporate Qualified Small Business Stock (QSBS) structuring considerations as part of long-term value creation and exit planning. Michael also regularly guides succession planning, ownership transitions, and generational change within closely held enterprises, and clients often engage him when businesses reach inflection points requiring both legal execution and seasoned judgment.

In addition to transactional matters, Michael advises clients in complex business separations and disputes, including partner and family business conflicts. He also has substantial experience serving in court-appointed fiduciary roles, including receiverships involving distressed or closely held companies, helping stabilize operations and guide companies through value-maximizing sale or restructuring processes.

As Dallas Office Managing Partner, Michael leads one of the firm’s largest offices, overseeing attorney development, recruiting, and strategic growth initiatives. Prior to the Gardere Wynne Sewell combination with Foley, he served on Gardere’s partners’ board and as chair of its Corporate Practice. For nearly three decades, he has played an active role in the firm’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Oratory Competition, a cornerstone community initiative.

Clients rely on Michael’s practical judgment, commercial perspective, and collaborative approach, and many have worked with him across multiple transactions and business cycles. He maintains long-standing relationships across the private equity, corporate, and entrepreneurial communities.