Practice Areas
Education
- J.D., 1982, University of Virginia School of Law
- B.S., with high distinction, 1978, University of Virginia
Clerkships
- Law Clerk of the Delaware Court of Chancery
Admissions to Practice
- Delaware, 1982
Mike's practice involves the representation of governmental entities, such as the Delaware River and Bay Authority and the Port of Wilmington, as well as representation of banks, trust companies, insurance companies and public utilities in commercial transactions and before regulatory authorities and state, county, and local governments. He has drafted and advocated, for clients or for gubernatorial task forces, legislation granting insurance powers to Delaware chartered banks, interstate banking legislation, the limited liability partnership statute, and Delaware's electronic transactions statute.
For the past 15 years Mike has advised numerous entities, including Fortune 500 companies, on unclaimed property issues. He has represented various companies in connection with unclaimed property audits as well as voluntary compliance with the unclaimed property laws of Delaware and other jurisdictions. Mike has also provided comments to the Delaware Division of Revenue on its new regulations regarding unclaimed property audit procedures and voluntary disclosure procedures for holders.
Mike has helped draft and enact numerous pieces of legislation in Delaware including Delaware’s Bank Insurance Powers Act, Limited Liability Partnership Act, Revised Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code and Delaware’s “ Technology Court” legislation granting the Delaware Court of Chancery jurisdiction over complex business disputes involving technology and allowing the Court to mediate many types of complex business disputes. Mike has recently served as a member of the Task Force which has drafted a comprehensive revision of Delaware’s Captive Insurance Statute.
Mike is currently the Vice President and a member of the Executive Committee of the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws (“NCCUSL”) and is former Chair of the NCCUSL Legislative Committee, which develops and oversees the NCCUSL legislative enactment agenda.
Mike serves as a member of the Delaware Supreme Court's Court Resources Task Force, is Co-State-Finance Chair of the Campaign Committee of Delaware's current Governor, Governor Ruth Ann Minner, and is active in a variety of political, professional and community organizations including the Delaware Democratic Party, the Commercial Law Section of the Delaware Bar and fundraising committees for various local schools and charities.
He recently served on the Transition Teams of County Executive Chris Coons and Insurance Commissioner Matt Denn. Mike was appointed by the Delaware Supreme Court to Chair the Committee on Interest on Lawyers Trust Accounts (“IOLTA”) and he serves on various committees and task forces involving judicial compensation and judicial resources, at the request of the Delaware Supreme Court.
News
- BNA Unclaimed Property Treatise Co-Authored by Morris Nichols Attorneys
Partners Michael Houghton and Walter C. Tuthill led a team of attorneys at Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell LLP in writing a comprehensive analysis of the law of unclaimed property, recently released by the nationally recognized legal publisher, the Bureau of National Affairs (BNA). Jointly authored by Morris Nichols and the accounting firm Deloitte & Touche LLP, the treatise is published in BNA’s Corporate Practice Series Portfolio 74-2nd “Unclaimed Property.” [Michael Houghton et al., Unclaimed Property, 74-2nd C.P.S. (BNA)]
Publications
- Houghton, Michael, Walter Tuthill, Josiah Osibodu, Valerie Jundt, and Mark Paolillo, Unclaimed Property, BNA Corporate Practice Series No. 74-2nd (2006)
- Michael Houghton, William M. Lafferty, Andrew H. Lippstone, The Expansion of the Delaware Court of Chancery's Jurisdiction to Adjudicate or Mediate Certain "Technology Disputes" -- An Evolution, Not a Revolution, ABA Network: The Newsletter of the Business Law Section, Committee on Business and Corporate Litigation, Vol. 11, Issue 1 (Spring 2003)
- David Ley Hamilton, Michael Houghton, New Filings Under Revised Article 9– A Delaware Perspective, Business Law Today, March/April 2002, at 57
Professional and Community Activities
- Member, American Bar Association
- Member, Delaware State Bar Association
- Former Chair, Commercial Law Section of the Delaware Bar Association
- Vice President and former Legislative Committee Chair, National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws("NCCUSL")
- Member, Delaware Supreme Court’s Court Resources Task Force
- Campaign Finance Co-Chair, Campaign of Delaware Gov. Ruth Ann Minner
- Fundraising Committee, Delaware Democratic Party