Michael N. Santeufemia

Michael N. Santeufemia is a member of the Firm’s Executive Committee and is the Managing Shareholder of the Firm, responsible for the day-to-day oversight of the Firm’s financial and operational concerns.   He has been recognized by the New York Times and DBusiness Magazine as a top lawyer in Michigan and for more than ten consecutive years selected for inclusion in the list of Michigan Super Lawyers®; a distinction awarded to less than five percent of all Michigan lawyers.  Mr. Santeufemia is also a member of the National Association of Distinguished Counsel, an organization awarding membership to top attorneys throughout the United States.

Mr. Santeufemia’s clients are involved in several different industries, including banking, music entertainment, professional sports, artificial intelligence, manufacturing, real estate, health care, and franchising.  His areas of emphasis include all aspects of corporate, contract, business and entertainment law, including mergers and acquisitions, sports and entertainment-related negotiations and contracts, buy-sell and other agreements among owners of businesses, employment law matters, succession planning, franchising, private foundations, public charities, estate planning, prenuptial agreements, loan agreements, and workouts. Mr. Santeufemia often serves as legal counsel of choice for many high profile clients who work in entertainment and sports, and as private general counsel to several family offices working collaboratively with the family, its family office and the family’s other professional advisors.  Mr. Santeufemia’s depth of experience in this specialized area of practice helps him understand the unique needs of his many high profile clients.

Mr. Santeufemia’s diverse law practice experience, entrepreneurial spirit and strong outside the box problem solving skills form the basis for his no-nonsense practical approach to lawyering that his clients appreciate.

Mr. Santeufemia is proud to serve as a Board Member of the Fifth Third Bank Eastern Michigan Board of Directors.  “It is important for the Fifth Third Bank Eastern Michigan Board to have someone sitting on the Board that has an intimate, hands-on relationship with the people that are doing the significant deals in our market, and Michael fills that seat for us”, says David F. Girodat, President and CEO, Fifth Third Bank Eastern Michigan.

When he isn’t doing legal work for his clients or managing the Firm, Mr. Santeufemia enjoys actively and generously giving back to the community.  For more than a decade, Mr. Santeufemia participated in fundraising activities for the Capuchin Soup Kitchen as a Co-Chair of its annual fundraising SOCK Event, and now through his membership in The Hundred Club of Detroit, he helps provide for the surviving spouses and families of first responders who have lost their lives in the line of duty.  Mr. Santeufemia also serves as a Board Member of several important foundations, including the Kid Rock Foundation, Justin Verlander's Wins For Warriors Foundation, and the Jimmy Howard Foundation.  Proud of his Italian heritage, Mr. Santeufemia is also an active member and past Board Member of the Italian American Chamber of Commerce of Michigan.  These are just some of the many advisory and foundation boards Mr. Santeufemia has served.

Mr. Santeufemia was born and grew up in Detroit.  He is a graduate of Wayne State University, where he excelled in the business school curriculum and graduated at the top of his class, before earning his law degree at Loyola University Chicago School of Law in 1992.  Mr. Santeufemia joined the Firm immediately after graduating from law school.