Michael Joseph is a transactional lawyer widely regarded for his experience and expertise in representing clients in a broad range of corporate, healthcare, franchise, and business law matters. His successful, aggressive representation of client interests has been recognized by clients and peers alike and has earned his inclusion in Chambers USA Guide to America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, The Best Lawyers in America, and Oklahoma Super Lawyers.
As a business lawyer, Mike represents privately-owned businesses in joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, strategic and business planning, and corporate finance. He also represents numerous industry leaders, as well as emerging companies and tax-exempt organizations, in a variety of business transactions. In addition to transactional work, he regularly advises senior management and boards of directors on a host of organizational and operational matters.
Mike’s diverse business practice includes extensive experience representing and advising healthcare clients in a wide range of business transactions. He represents physicians and physician groups in Oklahoma and surrounding states, including a number of multi-specialty and single-specialty group practices in both private and academic settings. Also, he represents hospitals, including major tertiary referral centers, nonprofit hospitals, investor-owned hospitals, physician-owned specialty hospitals, religious-sponsored hospitals, academic medical centers, children’s hospitals, rural community hospitals, critical access hospitals, and government hospitals. Included among his clients are numerous other types of healthcare facilities, health-related institutions and foundations, trade associations, educational institutions, and healthcare organizations.
Mike regularly represents businesses using franchising, licensing, and direct selling arrangements for the distribution of goods and services. He has a broad range of experience in representing franchisors in transactional and regulatory matters, including acquisitions and divestitures, contracting, development of franchise agreements and franchise systems, franchise registration, operational advice, antitrust, and dispute resolution. He has represented franchise clients in a number of industries, including retail photography, food distribution, restaurant, healthcare, business services, building products, home accessories, and other products and services.
He has worked with a host of nonprofit organizations, including public charities, private foundations, supporting organizations, and other 501(c)(3) organizations. Leading organizations in the nonprofit sector frequently turn to him for guidance and assistance in legal matters applicable to nonprofit organizations, including those involving tax compliance, board governance, board and management responsibilities, fundraising and donor solicitation, planned giving, political advocacy, executive compensation, grants and grant-making, and a full spectrum of issues and challenges that the nonprofit sector faces. Additionally, Mike has also provided pro bono legal representation to numerous Oklahoma charitable and civic organizations.
A leader in the community, Mike serves on numerous community, civic, and educational boards, advisory boards, selection committees, task forces, and legislative advisory committees. He is a frequent speaker and organizer of educational conferences covering a variety of topics.