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Michelle Arishita
Michelle Arishita
Counsel — Commercial & Business Litigation
Counsel — Commercial & Business Litigation

Michelle Arishita

Michelle Arishita
Austin

200 West 6th Street
Suite 2500
Austin, Texas 78701

Michelle Arishita

Experience Highlights

  • (AAA Arbitration) – Represented a private equity investor against an oil and gas company operator concerning mismanagement and faulty accounting of joint operations; secured complete victory for the client, including an award of attorneys’ fees, following a two-day arbitration

  • (W.D. Tex.) – Represented multi-state amenity management company in a trade secret and contract dispute; obtained multiple temporary restraining orders and favorable settlement

  • (AAA Arbitration) — Represented international construction contractor against a turbine supplier for fraudulent misrepresentation and breach of contract related to equipment and services for a major power plant project; obtained award for all damages sought

  • (Tex. Dist. – Harris Cnty.) – Represented developer of self-storage businesses in a contract dispute with a purchaser; obtained favorable settlement

  • (W.D. Tex.) — Defended a Fortune 500 life-sciences company against federal and state antitrust claims involving the allergy testing and immunotherapy markets

  • (W.D. Tex. and D. Del.) – Defending multiple transportation companies in disputes with a former consultant alleging contract and various tort claims

  • (Del. Ch. Ct.) – Representing sellers of technology company in Delaware Court of Chancery on breach of contract and fraud claims related to sales pipeline and accounting issues

  • (ICC Arbitration) – Representing subcontractor in dispute with contractor in connection with construction of SH 130 toll road

  • (C.D. Cal.) – Defending technology company in dispute with an investor alleging securities, fraud, and contract claims

  • (AAA Arbitration and Tex. Dist. – Pecos County) — Represented an oil and gas production and exploration company in disputes in state court and arbitration proceedings implicating issues related to royalty payments, lease terminations, and surface restoration obligations concerning property in West Texas

  • (W.D. Tex.) – Defended technology company in dispute with an investor alleging contract and fraud claims

  • (AAA Arbitration) – Represented space technology company in a contract dispute related to financing obligations

  • (Tex. Dist. – Travis Cnty.) – Represented alternative investment manager in a contract dispute related to an investment in an oil and gas development; obtained temporary restraining order and favorable settlement

  • (Tex. Dist. – Travis Cnty.) – Represented an international publicly traded online vacation rental company in a dispute arising from an acquisition of a foreign vacation rental company

  • (Tex. Dist. – Harris Cnty.) – Represented an oil and gas production and exploration company in a contract dispute related to the delivery of overriding royalty interests

  • (Del. Ch.) – Represented a publicly-traded life-sciences company in a contract dispute following a merger

  • (Bankr. S.D. Tex.) – Represented equity owners in connection with the restructuring of publicly traded energy company in Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings

  • (Bankr. S.D. Tex.) – Represented equity owner in connection with the liquidation of energy company in Chapter 7 bankruptcy proceedings

  • (Bankr. D. Del.) – Represented equity owners in connection with the restructuring of energy company in Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings

  • (Bankr. S.D. Tex.) — Representing an ad hoc group of member-owner electric power cooperatives in an electric power company’s bankruptcy case caused by Winter Storm Uri

  • (Immigration Court – Houston) – Second chair in bench trial achieving grant of asylum for client and her daughter from Honduras

  • (Tex. Dist. – Bexar Cnty.) – Representing a nonprofit organization that publishes information regarding prison conditions in a dispute with a publicly traded private prison operator related to the Texas Public Information Act

  • (Tex. App. – Austin) – Represented pro bono client in an appeal of a default judgment in a contract dispute; obtained favorable settlement following obtaining a grant of new trial in a restricted appeal

  • First-chaired three jury trials through the City of Austin’s Attorney Exchange Municipal Court Program

Credentials

  • The University of Texas School of Law, J.D. with honors, 2014 (Associate Editor, Texas Law Review; Teaching Assistant for LLM Legal Research and Writing Program; ABA National Appellate Advocacy Team)
  • Texas A&M University, B.S., Psychology summa cum laude, 2010 (University and Foundation Honors; Phi Beta Kappa)
  • Chambers USA,  “Up and Coming” in Litigation: General Commercial (Austin), 2024
  • The Best Lawyers in America© (BL Rankings, LLC), “Ones to Watch,” Antitrust Law (Austin), 2023–2025
  • Selected to the Texas Rising Stars list, Super Lawyers (Thomson Reuters), 2023 and 2024
  • Legal 500 U.S., Dispute Resolution: General Commercial Disputes, 2023
  • Board Member: Asian Family Support Services of Austin, a nonprofit organization that provides assistance to Asian and other immigrant families dealing with domestic violence, sexual assault and trafficking
  • Member: Austin Young Lawyers Association, Travis County Women’s Lawyers, Austin Asian American Bar Association, Austin Bar Association
  • Texas
  • U.S. District Court for the Western, Northern, and Southern Districts of Texas