Biography

Mike Scanlon is a litigator who focuses on insurance recovery. Before coming to Haynes Boone, Mike worked in Hawaii where he represented a major insurance broker in a series of cases focusing on whether insurance defects are covered loss under CGL policies. At Haynes Boone, Mike has represented companies seeking insurance coverage for payments made to shareholders challenging M&A transaction in two of the first cases to consider the scope of the “bump-up exclusion” in D&O insurance policies.

In addition to his insurance coverage work, Mike has a broad range of litigation experience. He served as the lead associate on two federal jury trials—a month-long toxic tort trial involving alleged dust and pesticides blowing off a seed farm and a two-week trade secret case involving technology to track and remediate domain abuse. He also helped with high-profile white-collar investigations and has worked on many environmental and trade matters.

Before attending law school, Mike earned a Ph.D. in Japanese literature, which required him to conduct research using a wide variety of Japanese-language resources. In addition, Mike served as counsel for the Hawaii Federal Judicial Selection Commission, and he was a teaching assistant for a seminar on white collar crime at the University of Hawaii. Following a position as a research assistant to Professor William B. Gould IV, a former chairman of the National Labor Relations Board, Mike volunteered to be a contributing editor for Chapter 16 of The Developing Labor Law, 6th edition, Bloomberg BNA, 2012.

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  • Included in the "Ones to Watch" category of Best Lawyers in America, Woodward/White, Inc., Insurance Law, 2022-2024, Litigation- Environmental, 2023-2024; Litigation - Antitrust, 2024 - 2025

  • “What Are PFAS and What Actions Are Being Taken in the US to Regulate Them,” co-author, Chemical Watch, March 3, 2022.
  • Becoming a Master of Disasters: Environmental Issues Associated with Disaster Planning and Response,” co-author, ABA Section of Environment, Energy and Resources Trends, October 25, 2019.
  • “California’s Prop 65: Case Studies and Compliance Strategies,” speaker, Society of Chemical Manufacturers and Affiliates (SOCMA) Webinar Series, February 27, 2019.
  • “State Action Immunity After North Carolina State Board of Dental Examiners,” author, American Bar Association Section of Antitrust Law Compliance and Ethics Spotlight newsletter, Winter 2017.

Education

J.D., Stanford Law School, 2010

Ph.D., Japanese Literature, Columbia University in the City of New York, 2004

B.A., East Asian Languages and Cultures, Columbia University in the City of New York, 1994, summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa

Admissions

District of Columbia

Hawaii

Court Admissions

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii