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.