Mr Michael Diver > Katten > Chicago, United States > Lawyer Profile

Katten
525 WEST MONROE STREET
CHICAGO, IL 60661-3693
ILLINOIS
United States

Work Department

Securities Litigation

Position

Diver has built a national practice advising public companies, financial services firms and individuals in securities litigation and regulatory investigations. In these high-stakes matters, Michael’s past experience as a branch chief in the Enforcement Division of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) gives him valuable perspective, and he has a long track record of achieving very favorable results for his clients.

As an Enforcement Division branch chief, Michael managed a team of SEC enforcement attorneys in investigating and prosecuting securities law violations, including matters involving complex financial fraud, market manipulation, insider trading and violations of broker-dealer, investment adviser and investment company regulations.

Applying his government experience in private practice, Michael represents public companies, financial institutions and their individual officers and directors in regulatory matters and civil litigation. With over 20 years of experience, Michael is adept at devising effective defense strategies to address legal risks across a broad spectrum of circumstances. He is often called upon to defend clients that are facing concurrent private actions and regulatory investigations, and to defend against claims involving complex legal or compliance issues.

In addition to handling investigations and litigation, he also regularly advises clients in connection with corporate governance matters, shareholder claims, financial restatements, internal investigations and Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (FINRA) and stock exchange inquiries.

Education

JD, Lewis & Clark Law School; BA, Bucknell University

Lawyer Rankings

United States > Dispute resolution > Securities litigation: defense

(Leading lawyers)

Michael DiverKatten

Katten has a strong and long-established reputation across the US for its defense work in litigation cases and regulatory matters requiring, including matters that involve novel points of law. Bruce Vanyo, who works from both Los Angeles and New York, leads a practice that handles securities class actions, stockholder derivatives cases, M&A litigation, proxy disclosure suits and SEC investigations and enforcement actions. Vanyo has been involved in cases arising from SPAC transactions, among them the defense of orbital space launch vehicle company Astra Space in a 10b5 case concerning allegations that the company made misleading statements in its public disclosures and SEC filings concerning its addressable market and plans for diversification. Michael Diver, a former Enforcement Branch Chief of the SEC’s Chicago office, and Michael Lohnes – both based in Chicago – are acting for Inotiv, Inc. in a class acting claiming that it made false and misleading statements issued in press releases and SEC filings regarding the acquisition of Envigo, a business that provides research-quality animals for use in laboratory tests, and potential risks associated with Envigo’s animal-housing facilities. Christina Costley is a standout practitioner in LA. Richard Zelichov  has left the firm.