Michael F. Merlie

As head of the Business Law Department at Gawthrop Greenwood, Michael F. Merlie concentrates his practice in the areas of finance, secured transactions (including creditors’ rights), mergers, acquisitions, admiralty/maritime law, real estate law and startup businesses. Representing institutional, corporate and entrepreneurial clients in a wide variety of business matters, his experience includes negotiating and documenting mergers, acquisitions and real estate transactions. He has also represented institutional lenders in negotiating and documenting financing transactions and has developed a particular expertise in maritime financing. Michael also assists entrepreneurs in all phases of start-up organizations.

Michael is experienced in commercial litigation and bankruptcy matters with reported decisions in both the District Court and the Bankruptcy Court of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Prior to his legal career, he was a certified public accountant with a Big Four accounting firm in Philadelphia. He graduated from Villanova University and the Villanova University School of Law where he was a member of the Villanova Law Review.

Michael is a member of the American and Pennsylvania Bar Associations, the Maritime Law Association of the United States and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, as well as to the Supreme Court of the United States.

Michael has served on various nonprofit boards, most recently on the board of the Chester County Economic Development Council.