Michael L. Martinez

Direct Dial: (704) 332-0209
E-mail: mmartinez@grierlaw.com

Born in Belleville, NJ, June 25, 1984; admitted to bar, 2009, North Carolina and U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina (2009).

Education

University of Florida (B.A. in Political Science and English with a Concentration in Film and Media Studies, Cum Laude 2006); University of North Carolina (J.D., 2009); Staff Member, North Carolina Law Review (2007-2008); Symposium Editor, North Carolina Law Review (2008-2009).

Areas of Practice

Bankruptcy, Debtor/Creditor and Business Workouts
Corporate & Business Law

Certifications

Board Certified Specialist in Business Bankruptcy Law (NC State Bar)
Certified as Business Bankruptcy Specialist (American Board of Certification)

Memberships

Mecklenburg County Bar Association
North Carolina Bar Association (Member, Bankruptcy Law Section)
North Carolina State Bar
American Bankruptcy Institute
National Association of Bankruptcy Trustees

Reported Cases

Grier v. Gallagher, 2014 WL 4682083 (W.D.N.C. Sep. 19, 2014); Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina v. Jemsek Clinic, P.A., 506 B.R. 694 (W.D.N.C. Mar. 11, 2014); In re Nolan, 2013 WL 3153849 (Bankr. W.D.N.C. June 19, 2013); Mauney v. Cricket/Bojangles Coliseum, 2012 WL 5985497 (W.D.N.C. Oct 3, 2012); Bowers v. Hemphill (In re Nolan), 2012 WL 4738841 (Bankr. W.D.N.C. Oct 3, 2012); In re Nolan, 2012 WL 2564894 (Bankr. W.D.N.C. Jul 2, 2012).

Publications and Presentations

360° of Investigation: Investigation of Debtors and Recovery of Assets, 2021 ABI SE Workshop
“Subchapter V Trustee Duties and Pre-Plan Considerations,” 2020 NABT Subchapter V Bootcamp
Co-Managing Editor, North Carolina Bankruptcy Practice Manual, Eighth Edition (2017)
“The Ebb of Rising-Tide Distributions in Ponzi Scheme Bankruptcies,” XXXV ABI Journal 6, 16, 69-70, June 2016
“What’s New in Chapter 11 Practice?,” 2014 Western North Carolina Bankruptcy Seminar

Community Involvement

NCBA Bankruptcy Section Council, Member (2017-2021); Mecklenburg Bar Foundation, President (2021-2022), Incoming President (2020-2021), Secretary (2019-2020); Board of Directors (2018-2019); MBF Development Committee, Vice-Chair (2018-2019), Member (2018-2021); NCBA Annual Bankruptcy Institute Planning Committee, Chair (2020-2021), Member (2019-2021); 2020 Western District of North Carolina Bankruptcy Local Rules Committee; MCB / MBF Bar Leadership Institute Committee, Chair (2018-2019), Vice-Chair (2017-2018), Member (2015-2019); MCB Continuing Legal Education Committee, Member (2016-2019); MCB Communications Committee, Chair (2014-2015), Vice-Chair (2013-2014), Member (2012-2015); NCBA / Legal Aid of North Carolina Lawyer on the Line Program Volunteer (2012-Present); NCBA YLD Pro Bono and Poverty Issues Committee, Member (2015-2017); NCBA YLD Project Grace Committee, Member (2015-2017); Western North Carolina Bankruptcy Seminar Planning Committee, Chair (2014-2015), Vice-Chair (2013-2014), Member (2012-2015); MCB Linking Lawyers Mentorship Program Volunteer (2015); MCB Lunch with a Lawyer Mentorship Program Volunteer (2010-2011); NCBA YLD Wills for Heroes Program Volunteer (2010-2011).

Recognition

American Bankruptcy Institute 40 Under 40, Class of 2020
2018 NCBA Bankruptcy Section Outstanding Achievement in Pro Bono Award
Supreme Court of North Carolina Pro Bono Society (2016)
2015 Next Generation Program, National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges
MCB / MBF Bar Leadership Institute, Graduate Class of 2014
2013 Legal Services of Southern Piedmont Outstanding Pro Bono Service Award

Michael L. Martinez

Super Lawyers (A registered trademark of Thomson Reuters) (Bankruptcy) (since 2018)

North Carolina Legal Elite (Bankruptcy, Young Guns) by Business North Carolina (since 2021)