Michael J. Bowers: Partner at Balch Bingham LLP | Legal Services | Business Law

 

Summary

Michael J. Bowers is a partner at Balch & Bingham LLP, a leading law firm in the Southeast U.S. focusing on corporate and litigation law. He has significant experience in complex civil litigation, appeals, financial services, and class-action defense.

At Balch & Bingham, Michael J. Bowers provides counsel to clients in financial services, white collar defense, healthcare, and corporate and securities law. He also assists clients with class action defense and appellate advocacy. His practice focuses on legal strategies that address the unique needs of each client, with the aim of providing the best possible outcome.


Michael J. Bowers has nearly thirty years of civil litigation experience, has tried numerous cases successfully in both state and federal courts, and has argued numerous appeals before the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. He has also acted as lead counsel in numerous class action defense cases.

In addition to providing legal services, Michael J. Bowers is active in professional organizations. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Georgia Lawyer Referral Service and is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. At Balch & Bingham, he leads a pro bono program that provides legal services to low-income individuals.

Michael J. Bowers is a partner at Balch & Bingham LLP, a top law firm serving the Southeast U.S. He has extensive experience in corporate and litigation law as well as class action defense, appeals, and financial services. He has successfully tried numerous cases in federal and state court, argued appeals before the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, and is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. He is active in professional organizations, such as the Georgia Lawyer Referral Service, and leads a pro bono program at Balch & Bingham. Michael J. Bowers provides counsel to clients that addresses the specific needs of each case with the goal of achieving the best possible outcome.
 

Michael J. Bowers, Partner at Balch Bingham LLP

Michael J. Bowers joined Balch Bingham LLP in 2015 and holds the position of Partner. Balch Bingham LLP is a southern-based law firm with offices in Birmingham, Huntsville, Atlanta, and Nashville. The firm is dedicated to providing comprehensive legal services to its clients. The firm has over 200 attorneys and advisory professionals. Mr. Bowers has been practicing law since 1989 and focuses on corporate and commercial law.
 

Practice Focus of Michael J. Bowers

Michael J. Bowers is an experienced corporate and commercial lawyer who has practice experience in areas such as acquisitions, corporate restructurings, venture capital transactions, real estate financing, public and private securities offerings, mergers, and more. He also counsels clients on general business matters and has significant experience in the banking, automotive, and telecommunications industries.
 

Representative Matters Handled by Michael J. Bowers

Michael J. Bowers has represented a wide range of clients including public companies, private equity funds, private companies, and financial institutions. He has extensive experience in both domestic and international transactions. Some of the more well-known matters include advising a publicly-held automotive parts company in its acquisition of an Italian supplier of automotive components, representing a private equity fund in its acquisition of a software company, and advising a publicly-held spa manufacturing company in its acquisition of a large spa manufacturer.
 

Recognition of Michael J. Bowers

Michael J. Bowers has been recognized by his peers in numerous professional publications. He has been listed as a “Georgia Super Lawyer” in the area of business/corporate law and was also chosen as one of the “25 Most Influential Business Leaders” in Georgia by the Georgia Business Journal. He is also listed in Who’s Who in American Law and Who’s Who of Emerging Leaders in America.

When asked what made him want to become an attorney, Bowers took a trip down memory lane to the dusty bases and sticky concession stands of a Georgia baseball field.

"I had a baseball coach when I was a boy, 50-something years ago, who was a court of appeals judge here in Atlanta for the state of Georgia, and he has always been one of my heroes," he said. "I guess that was my first contact with the law, and I thought that what Judge Townsend did just seemed so interesting to me, and that was where I first had the thought of becoming a lawyer."

Bowers earned his J.D. from the University of Georgia in 1974, and upon graduation, he interviewed for a job as an assistant attorney general and was hired. His favorite parts of the job were getting to go to court frequently and working on a wide variety of interesting litigation. He worked as an assistant attorney general for seven years until he was appointed attorney general, a job he described as "extraordinarily interesting." He was reelected four times and served as attorney general from 1981 to 1997.

As attorney general, Bowers worked with hundreds of other full-time and part-time attorneys to provide legal representation to the state's executive branch. He also headed up investigations concerning misconduct within the state government, in addition to managing other duties.

Currently, Bower is a partner at Balch & Bingham. He started working at the firm in 1998 and was named partner in 2000. He works primarily in the area of general civil litigation, and his favorite part of going to work every day is getting ready for and going to court.

"It's a wonderful way to make a living," he said. "I'm 65 years old, and if I had the chance, I'd do it all over again."

In addition to serving as a partner at Balch & Bingham, Bowers is the chairman of the Judicial Nominating Committee, a committee appointed by the governor to advise him on how to best fill judicial vacancies for the state court, superior court, court of appeals, and Supreme Court.

Bowers' advice to law students reflects his Southern values.

"This will sound hokey to you, I'm sure, but rule one on being a successful lawyer, I believe, is 'live within your means.' That's so critical, and it's violated so often," he said. "Be willing to tell clients 'no.' Remember that law is a business as well as a profession. You've got to make money. You've got to take care of the business end. And always tell the truth—in court, to your clients, to the other side, always tell the truth."

Bowers is married, has three grown children, and currently lives in Commerce, GA.