Michael F. Patterson is a shareholder who practices in business and securities transactions. Mike previously lived and worked in Mexico City and Costa Rica for 10 years, both in a missionary capacity and as a U.S. lawyer primarily assisting U.S. companies in managing their legal needs there. He reads, writes and speaks Spanish fluently.

Mr. Patterson earned his Juris Doctor degree cum laude from Arizona State University in 1995. He was a member of the Arizona State Law Journal, which published his critique of a United States Court of Appeals decision involving English-only rules in the workplace. As a moot court advocate, Mr. Patterson won first place in the southwest region and fifteenth in the world in the Philip C. Jessup International Moot Court Competition. While a student, Mr. Patterson completed the Mexican Legal Studies Program presented by the University of Houston Law Center in Mexico City.

Mr. Patterson graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Arizona State University in 1984. He is also the graduate of a seminary and of the Instituto de Lengua Española in Costa Rica.

Prior to entering the legal field, Mr. Patterson worked in the financial services industry, was licensed by the Arizona Department of Insurance and was a registered representative with the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. He also had substantial customer service experience in the utilities industry.

As a U.S. lawyer, Mr. Patterson has substantial experience in commercial transactions and securities law issues, including: due diligence and drafting of public offering prospectus and private placement memoranda; going-private transactions; opinions regarding restricted stock; general representation of corporations before the Securities and Exchange Commission; drafting of periodic reports for public companies; preparation and review of press releases; general commercial transactions; licensing, franchising and intellectual property issues and business disputes.

Mike has been a frequent speaker on business, securities, cross-border and e-commerce issues, including the following: Cross-Border Liability for Subsidiaries. National Law Center for Inter-American Free Trade, April 22, 2003. Overview of Current Securities Issues, Anderson-Brody, Scottsdale Arizona, April 19, 2003. American Chamber of Commerce, E-Culture Conference, Mexico City, October 19, 2001, Legal Aspects of Use of Company E-mail ; Nafinsa Small & Medium Size Business Conference, (Co-Presenter with Mexican President Vicente Fox, U.S. Ambassador Jeffrey Davidow & Cabinet Members), March 27, 2001, Legal Aspects of Doing Business in the United States for an audience of 1200 Mexican potential exporters; Information Week, E-Conference, Monterrey, Mexico, May 15, 2001, Show Me the Money!  Capital Raising Issues for E-Commerce; Expo-Manufacturer, Monterrey, Mexico, March 20, 2001, Legal Tips for U.S. Companies Doing Business in Mexico ; American Chamber of Commerce, E-Commerce Conference, Legal Issues for Raising Capital , Nikko Hotel, Mexico City, December 5, 2000; Securities Laws: The Basics and Current Hot Issues (State Bar Co-Presenter), Sponsor: Securities Regulation Law Section, State Bar of Arizona 67th Annual Convention, Tucson, Arizona (June 2000).

He is the current Chair-Elect of the Securities Regulation Section of the State Bar; the past President of the Scottsdale Bar Association; the past Chairman of the Maricopa County Bar Associations International Law Section and a member of both the Arizona International Lawyers Group and the Governors Arizona-Mexico Commission.

Mr. Patterson was born in Harlingen, Texas. He presently resides in Phoenix.

E-Mail: mpatterson@tbb-law.com

Return to Attorney Profiles.