Mike Collyard is Chair of Greenberg Traurig’s Affirmative Recovery Practice and is a battle-tested trial lawyer known for handling complex multibillion- and multimillion-dollar cases.
A trial lawyer from a national trial firm described Mike in the Star Tribune as “the best trial lawyer I have encountered in 42 years of practice...His ability to take complexity and reduce it to lay language for jurors is unmatched.” A former client called him “a rock” who is “tenacious.” A court reporter who handled one of Mike’s trials commented that his opening statement and cross-examinations were among the best she had seen in 20 years of handling federal jury trials. Mike is also known for obtaining the largest jury verdict in Minnesota-$564 million-which was subsequently reversed on appeal after the appellate court determined that the trial court had erred in refusing to allow an available equitable defense.
Mike’s practice spans a wide range of complex business disputes, including fraud, Ponzi schemes, breach of fiduciary duty, antitrust, breach of contract, and intellectual property. A significant part of his practice involves financial litigation, where he frequently represents financial institutions, trustees and receivers in cases that involve fraud, proving knowledge and intent, and presenting complex financial evidence in simple terms that juries can understand.
Over the course of his career, Mike has served as lead counsel in many complex high-stakes business and financial disputes on both sides of the “v.” On the plaintiff side, he has served as lead counsel for companies, financial institutions, receivers, and trustees in multibillion-dollar and multimillion-dollar matters and tried cases to verdict. In one case he secured a $28 million settlement without having to take a single deposition. On the defense side, Mike was lead counsel for a major financial institution in a multi-billion-dollar case that settled on the eve of a multi-month trial with his client paying nothing, while other defendants paid eight figures to resolve the claims. As lead counsel he has also secured several dismissals on multimillion-dollar cases.
Mike takes a hands-on approach to his cases. He runs his cases lean, is closely involved in every phase of them, and is known for developing creative strategies early that simplify the issues. Mike has also litigated high stakes spoliation issues at the trial level, obtained adverse inference jury instructions based on intentional destruction of evidence, and successfully defended clients against spoliation allegations in federal court evidentiary hearings.
That same passion, creativity, and tenacity extend to his pro bono work. In a Minnesota case of first impression, he represented a guardian ad litem at trial and achieved a favorable resolution following his opening statement.
Mike is ranked in Chambers USA for Litigation: General Commercial in Minnesota and has been recognized by The National Law Journal on its “Top 100 Verdicts” and “Plaintiffs’ Attorneys Trailblazers” lists. He is listed in Best Lawyers and has been named to Lawdragon’s “500 Leading Litigators in America” and “500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers in America.” Minnesota Lawyer named him an “Attorney of the Year” and recognized him on its “Minnesota Legal 250,” “Power 30: Business Litigators,” and “The Power List: Business Litigation.” He has also been honored by Minnesota Monthly as a “Top Lawyer,” by Thomson Reuters as a “Stand-out Lawyer,” and by Super Lawyers on the “Minnesota Super Lawyers” list.
Mike is a member of the Commercial Receivers Association, the National Association of Federal Equity Receivers, the Turnaround Management Association, the Federal Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the American Bankruptcy Institute, the International Trademark Association, and other professional organizations. He has served on the Dean's Advisory Board at Mitchell Hamline School of Law, mentored law students at the University of St. Thomas School of Law, and served as a guest professor there. Mike regularly teaches trial skills to other lawyers through advocacy training programs and has spoken at conferences hosted by professional associations and law schools across Minnesota on topics including trial strategy, aiding and abetting liability, eDiscovery, and receivership practice.
Before joining Greenberg Traurig, Mike was a senior partner at a national trial firm, where he served as Chair of the Banking & Financial Fraud Litigation Group, Chair of the eDiscovery Group, and was an elected member of the firm’s Executive Board.
Recognition & Leadership
Awards & Accolades
•Listed, Chambers USA Guide, Litigation: General Commercial, 2025-2026
•Listed, The National Law Journal
•“Top 100 Verdicts for 2022,” 2023
•“Plaintiffs’ Attorneys Trailblazers,” 2023
•Listed, Lawdragon
•“500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers in America,” 2024-2026
•“500 Leading Litigators in America,” 2024-2026
•Listed, The Best Lawyers in America, 2024-2026
•Commercial Litigation, 2024-2026
•Litigation - Banking and Finance, 2025-2026
•Litigation - Bankruptcy, 2025-2026
•Litigation - Intellectual Property, 2024-2026
•Listed, Minnesota Lawyer
•“Minnesota Legal 250,” 2026
•“The Power List: Business Litigation,” 2025
•“Power 30: Business Litigators,” 2023-2024
•“Attorney of the Year,” 2022
•Listed, Super Lawyers magazine, Minnesota Super Lawyers, 2023-2025
•Listed, Thomson Reuters, “Stand-Out Lawyers,” 2023-2024
