MICHAEL TOTH
Driftwood,TX
Summary
An executive leader with the range of skills necessary to grow and uplevel an organization. Able to identify strategic objectives and channel talent from across functional areas to deliver consistently successful outcomes.
Overview
23
23
years of professional experience
Work History
Founding Partner
PNT Law Firm
01.2024 - Current
- Launched law practice specializing in General Counsel services for early-stage companies.
- Navigated a business-purpose lending startup through the California licensing process.
- Spearheaded the first successful federal contract bid for a digital identification platform.
- Led a successful stock purchase transaction for a cosmetic company.
- Resolved an ongoing business dispute to pave the way for a private-equity backed real estate developer to raise additional funds.
Vice President for Legal and Corporate Secretary
Backflip
08.2022 - 01.2024
- Collaborated with executive team and investors to close $15 million Series A financing
- Grew legal, compliance, and financial infrastructure from one to six teammates to match business growth.
- Organized new workflow process reducing processing time for legal requests by 90 percent
- Negotiated equity and credit agreements to increase capital supply by more than $10 million.
Senior Vice President and General Counsel
Rex – Real Estate Exchange
09.2019 - 07.2022
- Managed a cross-cutting, in-house legal department, covering all matters relating to contracts, data privacy and security, intellectual property, employment, and litigation
- Engaged with public officials on policy issues relating to housing and mortgage finance
- Contributed content to leading media outlets and news publications on real estate trends.
Special Counsel for Civil Litigation
Texas Office of Attorney General
04.2016 - 09.2019
- Spearheaded challenges to federal regulatory actions in federal courts across Texas resulting in numerous injunctions against rules that exceeded federal power in 2016
- Advanced Office’s multi-state coalition efforts to ensure that the maximum number of states joined Texas-led cases involving constitutional, statutory, and regulatory issues
- Collaborated with and supported Office's communications team and prepared Attorney General for television, radio, and other media appearances and op-ed opportunities.
State Appellate Judge
Texas Third Court of Appeals
09.2018 - 12.2018
- Appointed by Texas Governor Greg Abbott to vacant seat on the Texas Third Court of Appeals after campaigning across 24 counties and prevailing in competitive back-to-back primary and runoff elections
- Published six judicial opinions during tenure on various legal issues.
Constitutional Law Fellow
Stanford Law School
09.2014 - 06.2015
- Researched and published numerous articles on constitutional law issues focusing on individual rights.
Military Attorney
United States Marine Corps
01.2007 - 05.2011
- Currently serving as a Lieutenant Colonel as a reserve staff judge advocate
- Served as Commanding Officer of Service Battalion and led a unit of more than 270 Marines in mission accomplishment and training requirements
- Deployed as lead Marine Corps attorney advising the unit Commander and staff on operational and fiscal law in a deployment to Haiti in the aftermath of 2010 earthquake
- Completed three overseas assignments to Latin America and served as lead Spanish-English translator on assignment to Colombia, Guatemala, Panama, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua
Law Clerk
Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal
09.2013 - 09.2014
- Developed skills in federal appellate practice by serving as a judicial law clerk to a federal appellate judge on the Circuit covering Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi.
Law Clerk
Southern District of Florida
08.2011 - 08.2013
- Developed skills in federal civil practice by serving as a judicial law clerk to a federal trial court judge in an active district with a high-volume of complex civil cases.
Public Affairs Specialist
White House Office of Management and Budget
08.2001 - 05.2003
- Collaborated with White House Budget Director Hon Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. on speeches, editorials, press releases, and press briefings.
Education
J.D. & M.A., History -
University of Virginia School of Law
Charlottesville, VA01.2006
B.A., History, with highest honors -
Stanford University
Stanford, CA01.2001
Skills
- Strategic Visioning
- Operations Management
- Thought Leadership
- Content Strategy
Additional Information
- Published four op-eds in the Wall Street Journal over six months in 2024.
- Correctly predicted that the Supreme Court ruling in Students for Fair Admission would lead to equal opportunity standards in private employment in an op-ed titled "Is Your Company's DEI Program Lawful" published within days of the ruling.
- Frequent contributor to The Hill, Newsweek, and Real Clear Politics on corporate legal issues, closely-watched litigation cases, and regulatory and statutory trends.
- Author of Founding Federalist, a 2011 biography of the early U.S. Chief Justice Oliver Ellsworth reviewed in national publications.
- Board Member of St. Michael’s Catholic Preparatory School in Austin, Texas. Fluent in Spanish; Active runner; Avid reader of history and contemporary fiction.
Timeline
Founding Partner
PNT Law Firm
01.2024 - Current
Vice President for Legal and Corporate Secretary
Backflip
08.2022 - 01.2024
Senior Vice President and General Counsel
Rex – Real Estate Exchange
09.2019 - 07.2022
State Appellate Judge
Texas Third Court of Appeals
09.2018 - 12.2018
Special Counsel for Civil Litigation
Texas Office of Attorney General
04.2016 - 09.2019
Constitutional Law Fellow
Stanford Law School
09.2014 - 06.2015
Law Clerk
Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal
09.2013 - 09.2014
Law Clerk
Southern District of Florida
08.2011 - 08.2013
Military Attorney
United States Marine Corps
01.2007 - 05.2011
Public Affairs Specialist
White House Office of Management and Budget
08.2001 - 05.2003
J.D. & M.A., History -
University of Virginia School of Law
B.A., History, with highest honors -
Stanford University
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