Michael I. Kotler has extensive experience in the practice areas of business, banking, real estate and corporate law, negotiating significant transactions relating to acquisition, development, construction and other lending for various lenders including Capital Bank Corporation and American National Bank. Michael also has considerable experience in the transactional areas of contract negotiation and documentation, asset sales and purchases, secured transactions, 1031 exchange transactions, gas station sales and purchases, lease negotiations, restaurant and night club operations and documentation, interior design and decorator transactions, title work, real estate sales and purchases (both commercial and residential), and partnership and corporate entity documentation. Michael has served as past general counsel for The McDonald’s Air and Sea Show and serves as general counsel of Crystal View Chemicals, a national manufacturing and distribution company for automotive and other products. He has extensive experience in sophisticated estate planning and the probate of complex estates, and serves as trustee for a number of family trusts and foundations.
Michael has litigation experience in a variety of complex business litigation, commercial foreclosure, contract litigation, interior designer disputes and significant medical malpractice claims including jury and non jury trials. Litigation results include obtaining a $1.8 million jury verdict in a medical malpractice case and a $3.24 million settlement in a brain damage case. In both of those cases, Michael handled all aspects of the damages and economics of the cases. Michael also obtained a judgment in a commercial foreclosure litigation matter in the amount of $16,690,000.00. Litigation clients have included banks, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, business owners, and insurance companies.
Michael was born in Tachikawa, Japan and attended college at Villanova University School of Commerce and Finance where he concentrated in Finance and earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in 1985. He attended Villanova University School of Law and was a member of the Jessup International Moot Court Team. He earned his Juris Doctor degree in 1988. Michael has taught in various programs including teaching economics through Junior Achievement at Omni Middle School, and teaching success skills for high school through Junior Achievement. He has also lectured on a variety of topics including commercial loan documentation, Commercial Real Estate Transactions – Due Diligence, Legal Aspects of Sale of Business: Asset Sale Compared With Stock Sale, and Escheat. Michael has also written a number of articles, “Decorators, Designers and Contracting – Identifying What You Can and Cannot Do to Avoid Serious Trouble.” Michael has served as a Special Master for property tax appeal cases for Palm Beach County and has served as a mock trial competition judge for the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers.
Michael was admitted to practice before the Florida bar in 1988, the Pennsylvania bar in 1989 the District of Columbia 1991, the United States District Court Bar for the Southern District of Florida in 1989, the United States Bankruptcy Bar, Trial Bar Southern District of Florida in 1989 and was admitted to the bar of the United States Supreme Court in 2004.
Michael has a number of professional affiliations including membership in the American Bar Association, Palm Beach County Bar Association, South Palm Beach County Bar Association, Pennsylvania Bar Association, Florida Bar Association (where he is a member of the Real Estate, Probate and Trust Law Section and the Corporation, Banking and Business Law Section) and The District of Columbia Bar. Michael also serves as a trustee for a number of trusts, including the Albert and Lillian Noren Foundation which is dedicated to providing scholarships for students of the Arts. Michael is an approved attorney for Old Republic Title Insurance Company (formerly Attorney’s Title Insurance Fund, Inc.), and First American Title Insurance Company.
Significant Representations
Capital Bank, N.A. v. Impact Development, LLC., (Commercial litigation resulting in $16,690,000.00 judgment for Bank after multi-year litigation.)
Represented Developer in development and sale of ocean front luxury homes valued between Two Million and Eight Million Dollars
Ann Roy v. Highland Ocean Associates, LP
(Successfully negotiated settlement of easement dispute after multi-year litigation)
F & A Dairy, Inc. v. Imperial Foods, Inc. and Palm Coast Veal Corp.
(Successfully represented cheese manufacturing company in bad check case, including trial and appeal resulting in treble damages-reported in South Florida Business Journal)
Blakely v. Hauber International GMBH
(Successfully tried case under salesman statute. Affirmed on appeal)
Dobard v. St. Mary’s Medical Center
(Obstetrical/Neonatal Medical Malpractice – $6,000,000 Recovery)
Bleiweiss v. Cofar (Wrongful Death)
Weissman v. Gaudier, et. al. (Personal Injury- $1,800,000 jury verdict)
L v. Z (Wrongful death – $3,240,000 settlement)
Representative Clients
Capital Bank Corporation, (Commercial Real Estate Lender), Highland Ocean Associates Limited Partnership (Real Estate Developer), Crystal View Chemicals, Inc., (National Chemical Products Manufacturer and Distributor), The South Ocean Group, LLC (Real Estate Developer), Renzo’s Italian Restaurant, Inc., Dominic’s Pizzeria’s, Puccini’s Pizzeria’s, The Ticket Store Game, LLC (Children’s Internet Behavioral Game Company), Markee Music (Recording and Rehearsal Studios), Blue Ocean Press (Printing Company), Rob Branson, Inc., (Construction Materials and Decorative Stone Manufacturer and Supplier), Crystal Petroleum (Petroleum Distribution and Gas Station), Lutz Petroleum (Petroleum Company and Environmental Clean Up Company), and American National Bank.
Practice Areas:
Real property
Banking
Probate and estate planning
Business and corporate law, including transactions and civil litigation
Contact Info:
561-361-9600
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