Michael Joseph Napoleone

Michael J. Napoleone, a shareholder with the firm, focuses his practice on the representation of businesses and individuals in significant contract disputes, including shareholder and partnership litigation, noncompetition agreements, trade secrets, and contracts for the purchase and lease of real property. His experience in litigating corporate disputes has provided him with a unique perspective on the drafting of corporate formation documents, including shareholder and operating agreements. In addition to his focus on corporate formation and disputes, Mr. Napoleone also maintains a practice in complex trust and probate litigation and appellate work. He has written on topics such as strategies and considerations when forming a new business, e-discovery, and civics education. While no stranger to the courtroom, Mr. Napoleone believes that the most cost-effective solutions can often be achieved by narrowing the issues and focusing on the client’s goals at the outset, in an effort to avoid protracted and expensive litigation.

Mr. Napoleone, who joined the firm in 2000, is a past president of the Palm Beach County Bar Association, where he previously served as an elected member of its board of directors, and as chairman of the PBCBA’s Committees on Professionalism and Diversity. He was the creator and chair of the PBCBA’s “Leadership Academy,” designed to educate and motivate lawyers to become leaders with respect to ethical, professional and community service issues. He was instrumental in helping the PBCBA generate funds to achieve a decades-long desire to own its own building.

In 2016, Mr. Napoleone was elected without opposition to serve on the Wellington Village Council, where is distinguished as the first new council member to take a Wellington council seat through an unchallenged election. Since 2011, he has served as a board member of the Early Learning Coalition of Palm Beach County and in May 2013, Governor Scott appointed him to serve as vice chair.

Mr. Napoleone served for four years as the chair of the PBCBA’s Judicial Campaign Practices Commission, which monitors judicial elections and provides advisory opinions in response to complaints regarding judicial candidates. He also served two terms as chair of The Florida Bar’s Constitutional Judiciary Committee, after having served for two years as vice chair. He previously served six years as a member of The Florida Bar’s Standing Committee on Professionalism and chaired the Masters Seminar on Professionalism presented at The Florida Bar’s annual meeting.

He is an active member of the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County, The Forum Club of the Palm Beaches, and The Economic Forum of Palm Beach County. He is also an alumnus of Leadership West Palm Beach.