Michael D. Makofsky

Overview

Michael D. Makofsky is McCarthy Lebit’s Administrative Principal and a member of the firm’s Board of Directors. He represents a diverse range of businesses, investors, financial institutions, lenders, and financial service providers in transactional and day-to-day business matters. His practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions, corporate transactions, business reorganizations, commercial finance, secured lending, investment transactions, and other complex business and financial matters. Michael works closely with clients to understand their business objectives and provides practical legal counsel tailored to the unique circumstances and needs of each matter.

Michael regularly represents businesses in mergers and acquisitions, including companies that are selling, acquiring, reorganizing, or merging. He assists clients throughout all stages of complex M&A transactions, including evaluating and structuring transactions, conducting and managing due diligence, establishing and coordinating financing relationships, negotiating purchase and sale terms and other transaction terms, and preparing, reviewing, and negotiating transaction documents. He advises clients on the legal and business considerations involved in corporate acquisitions, dispositions, mergers, reorganizations, and other strategic business transactions.

He also works closely with angel and venture capital funds, corporate strategic investors, family offices, and other institutional investors on investments and business transactions. His experience includes advising investors and companies on the structure and terms of investments and other business transactions, as well as negotiating and documenting those transactions. He also provides practical counsel tailored to the unique needs of emerging growth companies, helping address the legal considerations associated with their investments, financing arrangements, and other corporate matters.

Additionally, Michael represents a broad range of financial institutions and financial service providers, including banks, commercial finance companies, mezzanine lenders, and specialty lenders. He counsels borrowers, agents, and syndicate members in commercial finance transactions ranging from large, complex financings to single-lender, single-borrower transactions.

His commercial finance practice encompasses lending and financing structures such as asset-based lending, cash flow lending, multi-state financing, multi-currency financing, cross-border secured financing, and financing transactions secured by unusual or specialized types of collateral. He also handles ESOP loans, letter of credit facilities, health care financing, bond financing, and other capital transactions. Michael advises clients on the structure, negotiation, documentation, and closing of these transactions, addressing legal and business considerations involving collateral, financing arrangements, transaction terms, and the rights and obligations of the parties involved. Through his representation of lenders, borrowers, agents, syndicate members, investors, and businesses, he advises clients on corporate, transactional, financing, and investment matters.

Throughout his career, Michael has received recognition from prominent legal publications, including The Best Lawyers in America® and Ohio Super Lawyers®, which use peer-reviewed selection processes to recognize attorneys for their professional accomplishments and work in their respective areas of practice. The Best Lawyers in America® has recognized Michael for his work in Banking and Finance Law, Commercial Finance Law, and Mergers and Acquisitions Law. Ohio Super Lawyers® has recognized him for his work in Banking and Mergers & Acquisitions. These distinctions reflect Michael’s experience, professional accomplishments, and contributions within the legal community and his areas of practice.

Why McCarthy Lebit?

More Than A Firm. A Vision in Motion. 

After practicing for a decade, Michael Makofsky was looking to broaden his practice focus and take on new challenges. When considering a career at McCarthy Lebit, he found himself looking for a firm that would allow him the structure and support to build his practice into what he had always imagined.

“I chose McCarthy Lebit because they saw my vision and desire to make a greater impact and helped bring it to life. What sets the firm apart is its commitment to support attorneys who want to take initiative, collaborate, and build their practice into something greater than before. It’s through that collaboration and support that I’ve been able to grow my career and step into the role of Administrative Principal. I wholeheartedly believe this level of growth would not have been possible without that support behind me,” shared Michael.

For Michael, McCarthy Lebit isn’t just a workplace, it’s a firm where ambition and ideas can take shape. Here, attorneys are given the support to grow and turn their aspirations into impact.