Michael A. Collyard

Mike Collyard is Chair of Greenberg Traurig’s Affirmative Recovery Practice. He is a battle-tested trial lawyer who has won headline-grabbing cases, including the largest jury verdict in Minnesota history – a $564 million verdict.

A trial lawyer from a national trial firm described Mike in the Star Tribune as “the best trial lawyer I have encountered in 42 years of practice…His ability to take complexity and reduce it to lay language for jurors is unmatched.” A former client called him “a rock” who is “tenacious.” A court reporter who handled one of Mike’s trials commented that Mike’s opening statement and cross-examinations were among the best she had seen in 20 years of handling federal jury trials.

Over the course of his career, Mike has successfully handled multi-billion- and multi-million-dollar cases on both sides of the “v.” On the plaintiff side, he was lead trial counsel in a month-long jury trial for a trustee involving one of the largest Ponzi schemes in U.S. history, winning a $564 million verdict. He has also represented receivers in high-stakes matters, including securing a $28 million settlement without taking a single deposition. On the defense side, Mike was lead counsel for a major financial institution in a multi-billion-dollar case that settled on the eve of trial with his client paying nothing, while other defendants paid eight figures to settle.

Mike is not afraid to take the biggest, most complex cases to a jury to seek justice for his clients. He has sued and defended some of the biggest corporations in the world. His practice spans a wide range of complex business disputes, including fraud, Ponzi schemes, breach of fiduciary duty, antitrust, breach of contract, and intellectual property. A significant part of his practice involves financial fraud litigation, where he frequently represents trustees and receivers in cases that involve tracing the flow of money, proving knowledge and intent, and presenting complex financial evidence in terms that juries can understand.

Mike takes a hands-on approach to litigation, running lean teams and remaining closely involved in every phase of a case, from early investigation through trial. He is known for developing creative strategies that simplify complex issues. Mike has deep experience handling discovery disputes, including cases involving allegations of evidence destruction. He has litigated spoliation issues at the trial level, obtained adverse inference jury instructions based on intentional destruction of documents, and successfully defended clients against spoliation allegations in federal court evidentiary hearings.

The same passion, creativity, and tenacity extend to his pro bono. In a Minnesota case of first impression, he represented a guardian ad litem at trial, achieving a favorable resolution for his client after his opening statement.

Mike is ranked in Chambers USA for Litigation: General Commercial in Minnesota and has been recognized by The National Law Journal on its “Top 100 Verdicts” and “Plaintiffs’ Attorneys Trailblazers” lists. He is listed in Best Lawyers and has been named to Lawdragon’s “500 Leading Litigators in America” and “500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers in America.” Minnesota Lawyer named him an “Attorney of the Year” and recognized him on its “Power 30: Best Litigators in Minnesota” and “Business Litigation Power List.” He has also been honored by Minnesota Monthly as a “Top Lawyer,” by Thomson Reuters as a “Stand-out Lawyer,” and by Super Lawyers on the “Minnesota Super Lawyers” list.

Mike is a member of the Commercial Receivers Association, the National Association of Federal Equity Receivers, the Turnaround Management Association, the Federal Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the American Bankruptcy Institute, the International Trademark Association, and other professional organizations. He has served on the Dean's Advisory Board at Mitchell Hamline School of Law, mentored law students at the University of St. Thomas School of Law, and served as a guest professor there. Mike regularly teaches trial skills to other lawyers through advocacy training programs and has spoken at conferences hosted by professional associations and law schools across Minnesota on topics including trial strategy, aiding and abetting liability, eDiscovery, and receivership practice.

Before joining Greenberg Traurig, Mike was a senior partner at a national trial firm, where he secured the largest jury verdict in the firm’s 87-year history. He served as Chair of the Banking & Financial Fraud Litigation Group, Chair of the eDiscovery Group, and was an elected member of the firm’s Executive Board.