Skip to content
Jackson Walker
  • People

        • View All People
  • Experience
        • Bankruptcy, Restructuring, & Recovery
        • Business Immigration & Compliance
        • Corporate & Securities
        • Cybersecurity, Data Protection, & Privacy
        • Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation (ERISA)
        • Energy
        • Environment & Natural Resources
        • Finance & Banking
        • Government Relations & Public Policy
        • Healthcare
        • Insurance
        • Intellectual Property
        • International
        • Investigations & White Collar Defense
        • Labor & Employment
        • Land Use
        • Real Estate
        • Tax
        • Trial & Appellate Litigation
        • Wealth Planning
  • News
        • All News
        • Fast Takes Podcasts
        • Subscribe to JW News & Insights
        • Insights
        • COVID-19 Insights & Resources
  • Offices
        • Austin
        • Dallas
        • Fort Worth
        • Houston
        • San Angelo
        • San Antonio
        • Texarkana
  • Meet JW
    • How We Work
      • Globalaw
      • Project Management
      • Value Management
    • What We Value
      • Community
      • Diversity & Inclusion
      • Jackson Walker Women
      • Pro Bono
    • Who We Are
      • Meet JW Videos
      • Fast Takes Podcasts
      • Recognition
      • JW Alumni
  • JW Careers
  • Contact Us
  • Search



Contact | Careers | COVID-19
Jackson Walker
Michael E. Taten

Michael E. Taten

Partner, Dallas
214.953.5931
mtaten@jw.com
Email LinkedIn vCard Print
Practice Experience Recognition & Accolades Publications & Speeches Community Involvement Areas of Focus

Practice Areas

  • Corporate & Securities

Experience

  • Biotech, MedTech, & Life Sciences
  • Family Office
  • Family-Owned Business
  • Healthcare Mergers & Acquisitions
  • Mergers, Acquisitions, & Divestitures
  • Private Equity

Biography

Michael E. Taten represents a wide range of clients in business law transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, corporate transactions, joint ventures, executive employment and compensation arrangements, equity financing transactions, and corporate governance. His clients represent a diversity of industry sectors, including healthcare, manufacturing and distribution, technology and service providers.

Mike serves as the Managing Partner of the Firm’s Dallas office, and serves on the Firm’s Management and Compensation Committees.

Mike is routinely called upon by publicly-traded and privately owned companies, family-owned businesses, family offices, and entrepreneurs seeking assistance with corporate transactions that are transformational for their businesses. He also advises executives and employers in structuring executive employment and compensation arrangements.

Mike is hired in situations requiring the management of complex and sensitive issues, guiding clients through transactions by approaching difficult legal situations with practical, value-oriented solutions and an overlay of good business judgment.

Mike’s transactional practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, recapitalizations, equity financing transactions and corporate governance. He represents investors, buyers and sellers of businesses, achieving their objectives and protecting their interests through transaction structure, due diligence, and strategic crafting of representations and warranties, deal protections, and indemnification provisions.

Mike’s practice relating to executive employment arrangements focuses on issues facing high-level executives and the organizations employing them, including:

  • Negotiation of executive employment agreements in a manner that reflects positively on the client;
  • Protection against liability through indemnification, exculpation, and insurance;
  • Equity compensation structures, including profits interests, restricted stock, stock options, restricted stock units, phantom stock arrangements, change in control agreements;
  • Related shareholder, investor and buy-sell agreements;
  • Liaising with tax advisors regarding tax planning, including deferred compensation issues under Section 409A and parachute compensation issues under Section 280G for optimum tax efficiency; and
  • Issues unique to constituency directors, such as conflicts between their fiduciary duties to the portfolio company and the investor.

Education

A.B., Stanford University
J.D., Duke University School of Law

Bar Admissions

Texas, 1994

Practice Experience Recognition & Accolades Publications & Speeches Community Involvement Areas of Focus
  • Represented private equity firm in acquisitions that led it to be ranked the most acquisitive firm in the south by Pitchbook Data in the first quarter of 2020.
  • Represented $4 billion distribution company in multiple acquisitions and divestitures, including two simultaneous acquisitions to establish a footprint in a new market area and a joint venture with a competitor.
  • Represented Fortune 15 company in auction of subsidiary, a $30+ million acquisition of a competitor’s division and several private equity investments.
  • Represented Fortune 60 company in multiple investments in new energy ventures.
  • Represented distribution company in creation of nationwide industry leading company through a joint venture with strategic partner
  • Represented management team in equity rollover and new employment agreements and equity awards with public company acquiror
  • Represented public company in negotiation of employment agreement with incoming CEO
  • Represented numerous CEOs, CFOs, and other c-level executives in their negotiations with public and private companies
  • “Best Lawyers in Dallas,” D Magazine, 2021
  • Texas Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers by Thomson Reuters, 2014-2019
  • Texas Rising Star, Super Lawyers by Thomson Reuters, 2004-2007
  • Dallas Business Journal
    • Best Sale award
    • Best Buyout or Change of Ownership award
    • M&A Transaction of the Year award
  • “Dallas law executive ‘cautiously optimistic’ for 2021,” Dallas Business Journal (December 2020)
  • Dallas Regional Chamber, Board of Directors
  • Committee on Mergers & Acquisition (formerly Negotiated Acquisitions Committee)
  • American Bar Association – Business Law Section, Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation Committee
  • State Bar of Texas
  • Dallas Bar Association
  • Ardent Hospice, Advisory Board
  •  State Bar of Texas – Business Law Section, Donated Legal Services Committee – Former Chairman
  • Corporate & Securities
  • Healthcare

Practice Experience

  • Represented private equity firm in acquisitions that led it to be ranked the most acquisitive firm in the south by Pitchbook Data in the first quarter of 2020.
  • Represented $4 billion distribution company in multiple acquisitions and divestitures, including two simultaneous acquisitions to establish a footprint in a new market area and a joint venture with a competitor.
  • Represented Fortune 15 company in auction of subsidiary, a $30+ million acquisition of a competitor’s division and several private equity investments.
  • Represented Fortune 60 company in multiple investments in new energy ventures.
  • Represented distribution company in creation of nationwide industry leading company through a joint venture with strategic partner
  • Represented management team in equity rollover and new employment agreements and equity awards with public company acquiror
  • Represented public company in negotiation of employment agreement with incoming CEO
  • Represented numerous CEOs, CFOs, and other c-level executives in their negotiations with public and private companies

Recognition & Accolades

  • “Best Lawyers in Dallas,” D Magazine, 2021
  • Texas Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers by Thomson Reuters, 2014-2019
  • Texas Rising Star, Super Lawyers by Thomson Reuters, 2004-2007
  • Dallas Business Journal
    • Best Sale award
    • Best Buyout or Change of Ownership award
    • M&A Transaction of the Year award

Publications & Speeches

  • “Dallas law executive ‘cautiously optimistic’ for 2021,” Dallas Business Journal (December 2020)

Community Involvement

  • Dallas Regional Chamber, Board of Directors
  • Committee on Mergers & Acquisition (formerly Negotiated Acquisitions Committee)
  • American Bar Association – Business Law Section, Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation Committee
  • State Bar of Texas
  • Dallas Bar Association
  • Ardent Hospice, Advisory Board
  •  State Bar of Texas – Business Law Section, Donated Legal Services Committee – Former Chairman

Practice Areas

  • Corporate & Securities

Experience

  • Biotech, MedTech, & Life Sciences
  • Family Office
  • Family-Owned Business
  • Healthcare Mergers & Acquisitions
  • Mergers, Acquisitions, & Divestitures
  • Private Equity

News

  • ‘D CEO’ Features Mike Taten Among Dallas 500
  • ‘D Magazine’ Names 23 Jackson Walker Attorneys Among “Best Lawyers in Dallas” for 2021
  • Dallas Managing Partner Mike Taten Quoted in ‘Dallas Business Journal’ About 2020 Challenges and 2021 Outlook
  • Jackson Walker Appoints Priya Coffey and Mike Taten as Office Managing Partners
  • Jackson Walker Expands Real Estate and Transactional Practices With Addition of Joe Flack, David Parker, John Wittenberg, and Dana Murphy
More News
© 2022 Jackson Walker LLP
  • Terms of Use
  • Cookies & Tracking Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Attorney Advertising
  • SCAC
  • JW Login
LinkedIn Twitter Facebook Instagram
  • Who We Are
  • What We Value
  • How We Work
Subscribe to JW News & Insights
This website uses cookies to improve user experience. By using our website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy. View Cookie Policy Allow Cookies
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT