Michael Calhoon

About Michael Calhoon

Experienced boutique trial lawyer and trusted advisorI have been a trial lawyer for almost 30 years. I started my career trying cases in Houston, Texas, and now work out of Washington, D.C. But I have handled cases in state and Federal courts in 13 states. And I have represented both plaintiffs and defendants in cases involving thousands to billions of dollars. Before joining my friends at BGB in January 2025, I practiced at an international “Big Law” law firm working closely with my then and now partner, Julie Rubenstein, over the last 15 years. I am excited to be able to provide clients the benefit of my experience paired with all the flexibility and efficiency that we can offer at BGB. On the plaintiff side, I have represented clients in cases involving contracts, securities fraud, antitrust, trademarks, and wrongful death. ​In my most high dollar plaintiff case, I represented a media company in a $1 billion+ breach of warranty and Rule 10b-5 securities fraud case against a Paris-based media and telecommunications company. We won a unanimous plaintiff’s jury verdict and judgment in 2013 for €944 million Euros (at the time, over $1B). I was named American Lawyer\'s \"Litigator of the Week,\" and the verdict was named as the largest verdict for a fraud case in New York over the last decade by the New York Law Journal.(Liberty Media Corp. et al. v. Vivendi Universal, S.A. In the U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York (2013)). The case settled for a (publicly disclosed) amount of $775 million. On the defendant side, I have tried multiple cases involving a broad array of claims, including the dismissal of a $1 billion trade secret case after four weeks of trial for which I was again named as American Lawyer\'s \"Litigator of the Week\" in February 2015.(Moncrief Oil International, Inc. v. OAO Gazprom, et al. In the 17th District Court of Tarrant County, Texas (2015)). ​We also look for ways to resolve a case prior to trial. I’ve worked on settling lawsuits with money, or with business deals between counterparties to a contract that are in dispute. And where possible, we try to win cases as a matter of law before they reach trial.​Whether a case goes to trial or not, I believe in a relatively small team approach, using our understanding of both sides of the docket and years of experience to try to get to where the client is trying to go. BGB is the perfect fit for this kind of practice. I live in Alexandria, Virginia and Key West, Florida with my wife and two dogs. My daughter and son are both in college – Go Hokies and Go Vols!

Experience

1. Partner

   Bourelly, George And Brodey Pllc

   Jan 2025 — Present · Washington, DC, US

Education

• The University of Texas School of Law

  Juris Doctor (J.D.), Law

  1990 — 1992

• Yale University

  Bachelor's Degree, History

  1985 — 1989

• London Business School

  Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.), Finance

  2000 — 2002

Skills

• Trials
• Commercial Litigation
• Business Litigation
• Class Actions
• Litigation
• Securities Litigation
• Civil Litigation
• International Arbitration
• Oil & Gas
• Oil & Gas Industry
• Dispute Resolution
• Intellectual Property
• Arbitration
• Joint Ventures
• Torts
• Breach of Contract
• Fraud
• Tortious Interference
• Trademark Infringement
• Mergers & Acquisitions
• Courts