Michael de León Hawthorne

Michael de León Hawthorne is nationally recognized in the areas of corporate law, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), and securities law. He has extensive experience working on securities matters and helps his clients comply with related laws and regulations, and also works with clients involved in complex commercial litigation.

Michael assists public and private companies to successfully implement corporate structures that allow them to grow their business through capital formation, M&A, debt financings, and joint venturing with potential business partners. He advises companies preparing for a public or private offering, ensuring these companies are structured properly in all stages of their development. He has represented seed, venture, and private equity investment funds worth more than $6 billion. Michael also regularly represents private investment firms seeking investment opportunities and companies raising capital. On either side of these transactions, he taps his extensive knowledge of complex securities and financial instruments to discover, document, and close deals that achieve, and frequently exceeds, his client's goals. Michael has handled more than 100 private placements, more than 25 public offerings, and hundreds of M&A deals and has restructured numerous domestic and international companies.

Michael also has extensive experience in working with tax laws and how to structure companies and deals to help work with and maximize tax benefits and savings (e.g., tax-free transactions, 1202 benefits, partnership taxation, like-kind exchanges, tax incentives and financings).

With the regulatory environment getting increasingly more complicated, Michael understands that his clients want straightforward advice so that they can make informed and sometimes difficult decisions. He gets to know his clients and related industries in depth so he can provide traditional as well as non-traditional options that allow them to balance risk and return on investment.

Michael's clients are involved in a wide range of industries, including technology, logistics, motion pictures, telecommunications, ticketing, manufacturing, natural resources, health care, energy, restaurant, real estate, financial industry, lending, and broker dealers. He represents many family-owned businesses and works collaboratively with their advisors to provide cross-disciplinary approaches that address issues that are unique to these clients, such as succession planning, trusts and estate preparation, and balancing the needs of multiple generations and other family members. Michael is a member of the Board of Directors of the International Association of Attorneys for Family-Held Enterprises, Inc. (afhe) where he is a long-time member, and was its President and Chair for for seven years. 

What is afhe? 

Awards & Accolades

• Best Lawyers in America, Corporate Law, Mergers & Acquisitions, Securities/Capital Markets Law, Washington, D.C. (2007-2026)  
• Washington D.C. Super Lawyers, Mergers and Acquisitions (2007-2012, 2023-2025)
• Kentucky Super Lawyers, Mergers and Acquisitions (2008-2011)
• Legal Leaders, Washington D.C. & Baltimore's Top Rated
• Louisville Magazine, "Top Lawyer," 2012
• Martindale-Hubbell® AV Rated

News & Insights

Community and Professional Activities

• Chair of the Audit and Governance Committee, and Board Member, Sports Illustrated, Inc.
• The International Association of Attorneys for Family-Held Enterprises, Inc. (afhe), Chair & President (2010-2017), Board of Director Member (2010-2017, 2023-present)
• Vice Chair, Denison University Regional Network DC
• American Bar Association
• District of Columbia Bar
• Family Firm Institute, Member, 2014 DC Regional Advisory Committee
• Kentucky Bar Association
• Leadership Greater Washington DC
• Leadership Kentucky
• Mediation Association of Kentucky

• Member of the Bank Insurance & Securities Association (BISA) Regulatory and Compliance Advisory Board (2014-2018)

Programs

• 2025 AFHE (Attorneys for Family-Held Enterprises) Fall Conference Co-Chairperson and Presenter (October 15-17, 2025)
• 2025 AFHE (Attorneys for Family-Held Enterprises) Spring Conference 2025, Panel Moderator, "My Missional Renaissance," featuring panel keynote speaker Tony Young, co-founder of film studio The Kingdom Story Company and founder of Diversified Automation and Aegis Sortation (March 2024)
• Stafford CLE: "Estate and Business Succession Planning: Estate and Tax Considerations, Planning Vehicles, Best Practices" (November 2024)
• Bailey Glasser Webinar: "From Beeple to Billions – What You Need To Know About NFTs"(2022)

• Bailey Glasser Webinar: "Raising Capital & Staying Compliant: It's Not Easy Being Green" (2022)