Michael J. Shipley

To say that Shipley had a busy 2014 would be an understatement. He has served as co-lead trial counsel for Pershing Square Capital Management in its unsolicited offer for Allergan Inc., the company that makes Botox.

The hostile takeover was one of the most talked-about bids in recent memory, due in large part to the amount of money involved (more than $50 billion) and because the takeover bid paired an activist investor with strategic corporate buyer Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc.

In the matter, which began in April with the initial offer, Shipley managed the expedited discovery process in response to a preliminary injunction motion filed by Allergan. He produced several hundred thousand pages of documents from 20 depositions in a few weeks.

"From when the case started in August, I billed almost 1,000 hours. I was essentially in trial for three months."

Shipley, who graduated from UC Hastings College of Law in 2004, got his feet wet serving as senior trial associate in a case for actor-producer Don Johnson over unpaid profits from "Nash Bridges." The team won a $52 million judgment for Don Johnson Productions Inc., though it was reduced on appeal.

Being a litigator is not for everyone, but for Shipley, he was one right out of the gate, and it is something he truly likes.

"I enjoy the dialectic of the whole process with two competing sides marshalling the law and the evidence to solve real problems. The best thing about being in a courtroom is having the opportunity to make sophisticated arguments to a really smart judge, and of course, the satisfaction of winning for your clients."

Shipley is widely respected throughout the firm because of truly unique talents, according to Kirkland partner C. Robert Boldt.

"Mike combines an encyclopedic knowledge of the law with an exceptional ability to anticipate how judges and clerks will view particular issues-the combination of which helps him develop creative, practical, and winning arguments," Boldt said.

As he approaches his 40th birthday in September, Shipley said he has set several goals for the rest of his career.

"I want to get a little better every day working new cases with new issues and new clients. I am always looking for a chance to learn something new, go deep on a new area of law or learn about a new business, all to figure out some argument or strategy nobody has considered before."

And he wants more people to read "111 North Hill Street," his blog on California civil procedure.

- Jason Pafundi