Michael W. Spence

Mr. Spence joined Ray Quinney & Nebeker as a Director and Shareholder in 1999 after spending fourteen years with his former law firm. He was awarded his B. S. degree in Business Finance from the University of Utah in 1982. He was awarded his law degree, with an emphasis on business, debtor and creditor and commercial law from the University of Utah in 1985. He served as Chairman of Ray Quinney & Nebeker’s Business Law Section from both June of 1999 through June of 2004, and is presently the Chairman of the Firm's Automobile Dealer Law Practice Group and its Business Development Committee. Mr. Spence also has been elected to and serves on Ray Quinney & Nebeker's Executive Committee. The Executive Committee manages all aspects of the Firm's business.

Mr. Spence’s educational training and his legal practice have always emphasized corporate, commercial, debtor and creditor, and real estate transactions and litigation. He has developed a particular expertise in representing banks and automobile dealers. With respect to his state, regional and nationwide automobile dealer law practice, Mr. Spence represents new automobile dealers in structuring, negotiating and documenting dealership sales, mergers and acquisitions and has been the lead attorney in approximately one hundred thirty such transactions. Mr. Spence is also experienced in negotiating transactions with, and litigating for dealers against, motor vehicle manufacturers such as Ford, General Motors, Honda, Mitsubishi, Toyota, Nissan, Lamborghini, Mercedes, Saab, Volvo, Jaguar, Hyundai and Chrysler.

Mr. Spence also represented twelve separate Ford, Lincoln-Mercury and Mazda dealers along the Wasatch Front in negotiating, structuring, documenting and closing their partnership with Ford Motor Company resulting in what was known at the time as the Utah Auto Collection. The Utah Auto Collection was the second, and the largest, of the so-called Ford Retail Networks in the United States. Mr. Spence represented many of the same dealers in the dissolution of the Utah Auto Collection and related litigation against Ford Motor Company.

Based on such experience, Mr. Spence is recognized as a leading attorney in representing motor vehicle dealers in all aspects of their dealership business and legal needs. He represents many of Utah’s, the Intermountain West’s and the country's most well-known and well-respected motor vehicle dealers.

Mr. Spence also has extensive experience representing banks, developers and other financial institutions in negotiating, structuring, documenting, and litigating real estate purchase and sale agreements, real estate development and construction agreements, and real estate financing transactions.

As indicated above, Mr. Spence also knows his way around the courtroom. His litigation practice focuses on motor vehicle dealer disputes with manufacturers, commercial, construction, banking and real estate disputes, creditor’s rights and creditor representation in bankruptcy proceedings. He represents his banking, motor vehicle and other clients in commercial litigation, bankruptcy, dispute resolution and creditors’ rights before administrative agencies, arbitrators, mediators, state, federal and bankruptcy courts in Utah and throughout the United States.

Mr. Spence also served as a Judge Pro Tem in the Third Judicial District Court in Salt Lake City from 1993-96, and has been retained on numerous occasions as a mediator in commercial disputes.

He maintains an AV Preeminent (5.0) rating with Martindale-Hubbell, which is the highest rating awarded to attorneys for professional competence and ethics. Mr. Spence has also been named as one of The Best Lawyers in America in Corporate Law, and has also been repeatedly voted by his peers throughout the State of Utah as one of Utah's "Legal Elite" in the categories of Corporate Law, Business Litigation, Banking/Financial Law and Bankruptcy/Creditor Rights Law (as published in Utah Business Magazine).

As managing partner of his former law firm for six years, a current member of Ray Quinney & Nebeker's Executive Committee, as well as Chair of both the Automobile Dealer Law Practice Group, and his Firm's Business Development Committee, Mr. Spence brings not only proven legal expertise, but also sound business and management judgment, to every legal and business matter he handles.