J. Michael Levengood
FAX: 404.527.4198
Experience
Mike Levengood has focused on commercial and estate litigation, workouts, and corporate reorganizations for twenty-nine years. He represents numerous clients before state and federal courts, mediators, arbitration tribunals, and regulatory agencies in a wide variety of commercial litigation matters. Mr. Levengood also represents debtors in possession, trustees, creditors, and other interested parties in corporate reorganizations and prosecutes and defends bankruptcy litigation matters including avoidance actions and injunctive relief. Additionally, he has substantial experience representing fiduciaries in the administration of decedents’ estates.
Mr. Levengood regularly speaks on bankruptcy and litigation issues. He chairs the firm’s Atlanta litigation department education committee and is a member of the firm’s national litigation training committee. For several years, he has participated as adjunct faculty in the Emory University School of Law Kessler-Eidson Program for Trial Techniques and as in-house faculty for the firm’s National Institute for Trial Advocacy learning programs. During the Spring 2010 semester Mr. Levengood will teach the bankruptcy law course as adjunct faculty at the University of Georgia School of Law.
Representative Matters
- Centennial Healthcare Corp. reorganized debtors
- Federal Receiver for Ply-Marts, Inc.
- Fiduciary defense litigation relating to Farmer’s Furniture and World Access
- Debtor’s counsel for A.E. Barnes, III, Major Leasing, Georgia Properties, Sky Valley, South Financial Corp., Orbit Industries, Appleton Midwestern Television, and Southern Pan & Shoring
- Trustee’s counsel in the North American Acceptance Corp., Sayman’s, Speir Insurance Agency, Starling Enterprises, and Zohouri Group Mustang Island LP bankruptcy cases
- Counsel for a professional in the Dan River bankruptcy case
- Counsel for a secured creditor in the President Casino Broadwater Resort bankruptcy case
- Counsel for potential purchasers in Galleria Investments and Winn-Dixie bankruptcy cases
- Executory contract litigation for non-debtors in Enron, K-Mart, iPCS, Twin Eagles Golf & Country Club, Planet Hollywood and All-Star Café, and Pike Nurseries
Pro Bono
Mr. Levengood participated in the JUSTGeorgia juvenile justice project and served on the Georgia Appleseed Education Advisory Committee. He also served on the 2008 Georgia Commission for School Board Excellence Advisory Committee.
Community Involvement
Mr. Levengood is a community leader in Gwinnett County and received the 2009 “Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce Public Service Award.” He is currently serving as Co-Chair of Engage Gwinnett. He also serves on the executive committees of the Chamber’s Board of Directors and of Partnership Gwinnett, is the Chamber’s Vice Chair for Education and Leadership and is the Partnership Gwinnett Education & Workforce Excellence Committee Chair. Mr. Levengood is the Leadership Gwinnett Steering Committee Chair elect, a charter member of the Superintendent’s Council of Community Advisors and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Gwinnett County Public Schools Foundation. He served on the Parkview High School Local School Council from 2002 to 2007 as a business representative and is a past PTSA President.
Mr. Levengood was named 2007 “Volunteer of the Year” by the Georgia Recreation and Park Association for his work as the Chair of the Gwinnett Parks Foundation a 501(c)(3) organization that he formed with fellow citizens in 2001 to support the Gwinnett County parks system (National Recreation & Park Association 2008 Gold Medalist).
Mr. Levengood has chaired the successful campaigns to promote passage of the 2002 and 2007 Gwinnett Education SPLOST renewals, the 2008 Gwinnett Education Bond referendum, and the 2009 Gwinnett County SPLOST renewal, all of which are funding about $2 billion of capital projects for Gwinnett County and Gwinnett County Public Schools (recognized in 2009 by the Broad Foundation as one of the top five largest school systems in the nation).
Education
- J.D., University of Georgia School of Law, cum laude, 1980
- B.A., University of Georgia, 1977
Admitted
- Georgia
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia
- U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
Publications:
- “Protecting Clients Against Technology Vendor Bankruptcy,” Practicing Law Institute’s 23rd Annual Institute on Computer Law, (2003).
- “Norton Bankruptcy Law & Practice, 2d,” Forms, Co-Managing Editor, (1992-2000).
- “Georgia Journal of International & Comparative Law,” (1978-80).
Civic Activities:
- Leadership Gwinnett, Class of 2003
- Mountain Park Athletic Association, President (1993-1999)
- State Bar of Georgia National Moot Court Competition Committee Co-Chair (1985-86)
- University of Georgia Moot Court Executive Board, Chair (1979-80)
- University of Georgia Young Alumni Council, President (1985-87)
- Sphinx, Gridiron, Blue Key
- Sigma Phi Epsilon, President
Professional Activities:
- American Bankruptcy Institute
- American Bar Association
- Association of Transportation Practitioners (1981 -1990)
- Atlanta Bar Association
- State Bar of Georgia National Moot Court Competition Committee Co-Chair (1985-86)