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Schmidtberger, Michael J.

Michael J. Schmidtberger

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Biography

MICHAEL SCHMIDTBERGER is chair emeritus of the firm’s Executive Committee and a former member of the Management Committee. He served on the Executive Committee from February 2002 through April 2025, chairing the committee from January 2018. He served on the firm’s Management Committee from October 2008 through April 2025. Mike served as the managing partner of the New York office from September 2011 through December 2017, and previously served as a global co-leader of the Investment Funds practice.

Mike’s principal areas of practice are securities and futures-related funds and corporate transactions, including related regulatory matters. He advises and represents clients in domestic and international offerings of hedge funds, hybrid funds, fund of funds, public and private commodity pools, and structured derivative and principal-protected transactions. He has also counseled clients in numerous fund restructurings and work-out situations.

Mike’s leadership in assisting clients has earned him acknowledgment in numerous industry publications. He has been ranked by Chambers Global in Nationwide Hedge Funds as a Band 1 lawyer from 2013–2018 and as an Eminent Practitioner from 2019–2025. He was recognized by Chambers USA as a Band 1 lawyer in the same category from 2010–2017 and as an Eminent Practitioner 2018–2025. According to clients in the 2022 guide, Mike is “one of the brightest legal minds,” and “is incredibly smart, has a gracious style and a unique ability to bring parties together.” Chambers has also described Mike as a hedge funds lawyer who is renowned for his fund formation and securities focus. “He ‘has a unique combination of business sense and in-depth technical knowledge,’ enthused one client.”

Sidley’s award-winning Investment Funds group provides top-tier service to all aspects of the private funds industry. Chambers USA has awarded the group top band rankings in Hedge Funds every year since 2008. Sidley has also been named “Law Firm of the Year” in Private Funds/Hedge Funds Law in U.S. News – Best Lawyers 2022 “Best Law Firms.”

In March 2013, Mike received The John Jay Award, which is presented to members of the Columbia College family for distinguished professional achievement.

Community Involvement

Membership & Activities

  • Member of the Board of Trustees of the Museum of the City of New York
  • Member of the Board of Directors of the United Way of New York City (2012–June 2024); Co-Chair of the Board (July 2016–June 2023)
  • Chair of the Columbia College Board of Visitors
  • Representative to the Partnership for New York City, the nonprofit membership organization consisting of New York business leaders
  • Trustee of the Citizens Budget Commission, New York's leading economic and fiscal research organization
  • Trustee of Phillips Exeter Academy

Credentials

Admissions & Certifications
  • ニューヨーク州
Education
  • Columbia Law School, 法務博士, 1985, Editor-in-Chief, Columbia Human Rights Law Review
  • Columbia College, B.A., 1982, cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, Bennett Cerf Prize in English

Capabilities

News & Insights

Speaking engagements include:

  • Speaker, “State of the NY Legal Market,” Sandpiper Partners LLC 19th Annual New York Legal Market Conference 2025, Sandpiper LLC, New York, NY, June 18, 2025.
  • Speaker, “Talent: M&A, Lateral Hiring, Groups, Real Estate and Working Differently,” Sandpiper Partners LLC 19th Annual New York Legal Market Conference 2025, Sandpiper LLC, New York, NY, June 18, 2025.
  • Moderator, “David R. Sawyier Memorial Fireside Chat,” Sidley Austin LLP Private Funds: Developments and Opportunities, New York, NY, March 13, 2025.
  • Speaker, “State of the London Legal Market,” Sandpiper Partners LLC 12th Annual London Legal Market, Army Navy Club, London, England, June 19, 2024. 
  • Speaker, “War For Talent,” Sandpiper Partners LLC 12th Annual London Legal Market, Army Navy Club, London, England, June 19, 2024. 
  • Speaker, “State of the New York Legal Market,” Sandpiper Partners LLC 18th Annual New York Legal Market Conference 2024, Sandpiper LLC, New York, NY, June 12, 2024.
  • Speaker, “War for Talent,” Sandpiper Partners LLC 18th Annual New York Legal Market Conference 2024, Sandpiper LLC, New York, NY, June 12, 2024.
  • Speaker, “State of the Law Firm Market,” Sandpiper Partners LLC 17th Annual Leading Law Firms New York Conference, Sandpiper LLC, New York, NY, January 23, 2024.
  • Speaker, “Client Perspective – What Clients Want?” Sandpiper Partners LLC 17th Annual Leading Law Firms New York Conference, Sandpiper LLC, New York, NY, January 23, 2024.
  • Speaker, “State of the New York Legal Market,” Sandpiper Partners LLC 17th Annual New York Legal Market Conference 2023, June 7, 2023.
  • Speaker, “Talent,” Sandpiper Partners LLC 17th Annual New York Legal Market Conference 2023, June 7, 2023.
  • Speaker, “Leadership, Strategy and Governance,” Sandpiper Partners LLC 16th Annual Leading Law Firms New York Conference, December 6, 2022.
  • Speaker, “State of the “Hot” Market with High Client Demand, Talent Frenzy Hotter Than Ever and What Clients Want: Driving Change and Assessing Performance,” Sandpiper Partners LLC 15th Annual Leading Law Firms Conference, December 14, 2021.
  • Speaker, “State of the “Hot” Market with Demand Up and the Talent War Raging and What Clients Want: Driving Change and Assessing Performance of Their Service Providers,” 14th Annual Global Law Firm Leaders Conference, October 20, 2021.
  • Speaker, “State of the New York Legal Market: What Should You Be Examining for 2021 and Beyond?” Sandpiper Partners LLC 15th Annual New York Legal Market Conference, April 21, 2021.
  • Speaker, “How Leadership and Timetables are Changing Eight Months After the COVID-19 Pandemic Began and The Clients Speak on Their Priorities,” Sandpiper Partners LLC 14th Annual Leading Law Firms Conference,  December 4, 2020. 
  • Speaker, “Law Firm of the Future: Will the World Become Less Global Amid Lingering Uncertainty?” 13th Annual Global Law Firm Leaders Conference, October 8, 2020.
  • Guest Lecturer, “Hedge and Private Equity Funds: Law and Policy, Fund Documents & Terms,” Harvard Law School, September 24, 2020.
  • Speaker, “Law Firms Discuss the State of the Market in Turbulent Times and Talent,” Sandpiper Partners LLC 14th Annual New York Legal Market Conference, May 20, 2020.
  • Speaker, “State of the Market: In Flux and Changing Rapidly and Strategy, Governance, Succession Planning,” Sandpiper Partners LLC 13th Annual Leading Law Firms Conference, November 22, 2019.
  • Speaker, Sandpiper Partners LLC 13th Annual New York Legal Market Conference, March 28, 2019.
  • Guest Lecturer, “Hedge and Private Equity Funds: Law & Policy, Fund Documents & Terms II,” Harvard Law School, February 18, 2019.
  • Speaker, “Implementing Change in a Law Firm,” Sandpiper Partners LLC Twelfth Annual Leading Law Firms Conference, November 16, 2018.
  • Speaker, “Growing the Top Line: Implementing Global, National, Regional and Local Strategies,” Sandpiper Partners LLC The Future of Law Firm Leadership and Management: Reimagining the Practice of Law and the New Business Tenets, June 19, 2018.
  • Guest Lecturer, “Hedge and Private Equity Funds: Law & Policy, Fund Formation,” Harvard Law School, February 8, 2018.
  • Speaker, “Leadership and Strategy, Structural Issues,” Sandpiper Partners LLC Eleventh Annual Leading Law Firms Conference, November 16, 2017.
  • Speaker, “Management and Leadership – Building and Leading Diverse and Inclusive Teams, Thomson Reuters and Sidley Austin LLP, October 16, 2017.
  • Keynote Speaker, Colliers International Occupier Advisors Annual Event, October 2, 2017.
  • Moderator, “Fireside Chat,” Sidley Austin LLP Private Funds 2017: Developments and Opportunities, June 13, 2017.
  • Moderator, “Fireside Chat: Regulatory Landscape and Priorities,” Managed Funds Association’s Legal & Compliance Conference, May 9, 2017.
  • Speaker, Sandpiper Partners LLC 11th Annual New York Legal Market Conference, March 22, 2017.
  • Guest Lecturer, “Hedge Fund Law & Policy, Legal Relationships Between Hedge Funds and Their Investors,” Harvard Law School, February 23, 2017.
  • Speaker, “Future of the Hedge Fund Industry,” Deloitte’s Hedge Fund Symposium, October 26, 2016.
  • Speaker, Sandpiper Partners LLC 10th Annual New York Legal Market Conference, February 24, 2016.
  • Speaker, “Constance Baker Motley Symposium: The Impact of Implicit Bias on Lawyers and the Legal Profession,” New York State Bar Association, January 28, 2016.
  • Speaker, “Staffing Models and Compensation in Transition–How They are Affecting People, Practices and Profits,” Sandpiper Partners LLC Ninth Annual Leading Law Firms Conference, November 20, 2015.
  • Speaker, “Current Issues,” Ernst & Young Global Hedge Fund Symposium, November 10, 2015.
  • Sidley Austin LLP Private Funds 2015: Developments and Opportunities, Hedge Fund Insider Interview of Larry Robbins, CEO of Glenview Capital Management, September 17, 2015. 
  • Speaker, Sandpiper Partners LLC Boston Legal Market Conference, June 24, 2015.
  • Speaker, ABA Task Force on Gender Equity, May 20, 2015. 
  • Speaker, Sandpiper Partners LLC Ninth Annual New York Legal Market Conference, March 27, 2015.
  • Speaker, “Navigating and Impacting Your Organization to Create a Nurturing and Collaborative Environment,” Women in Law Empowerment Forum, Culture is Key!, March 24, 2015.
  • Speaker, Columbia Business and Law Association Investment Management Panel, November 3, 2014.
  • Speaker, “Operating a Fund Manager: Opportunities and Pitfalls,” Sidley Austin LLP Private Funds 2014: Developments and Opportunities, September 10, 2014.
  • Speaker, “Conflicts and Other Ethical Issues for Fund Counsel,” 14th Annual International Conference on Private Investment Funds, March 10–12, 2013.
  • Speaker, “Current Industry Trends,” Ernst & Young Global Hedge Fund Symposium, November 13, 2012.
  • Speaker, “Trends in Fund Structure and Terms,” Goldman Sachs’ 13th Annual Hedge Fund Conference, May 26, 2010.
  • Moderator, “The Future of Hedge Funds,” 11th Annual International Conference on Private Investment Funds, March 8–9, 2010.