Bio
Mike O’Donnell is a Partner of the Firm, providing a range of commercial litigation services to clients—particularly title insurance companies and financial institutions. He served as Co-Managing Partner of Riker Danzig from 2017-2023, and is a member of the Firm’s Executive Committee.
Mike believes in working with his clients to set end goals at the inception of any matter and striving to get there in the most efficient manner without ever sacrificing the flexibility needed for changing circumstances.
His work includes title disputes, mortgage fraud claims, lender liability claims, loan work-out, commercial foreclosure and evictions, judgment collection, fraud and fraudulent transfer claims, defense against RESPA, TILA and other consumer protection laws, and class action defense for the banking and title insurance industries.
Mike has represented every major title insurer, including Chicago Title Insurance Co., First American Title Insurance Co., Fidelity National Title Insurance Co., Old Republic National Title Insurance Co., Stewart Title Guaranty Company, Westcor Land Title Insurance Co., North American Title Insurance Company, WFG Title Insurance Company, and Connecticut Attorneys Title Insurance Co., as well as their insureds. He has served as coverage counsel for title underwriters on numerous wide-ranging real estate frauds, some of which losses exceeded $45 million. Finally, he represents title agencies in similar matters.
As to lending clients, Mike has represented most of the major financial institutions such as Wells Fargo, Bank of America, and JP Morgan Chase, as well as smaller regional banks including Investors Bank, Carver Federal Savings Bank, Lakeland Bank, and Manasquan Savings Bank. He also represents Simon Property Group in commercial litigation and rent disputes in New Jersey and New York.
Mike has tried to verdict a wide range of commercial cases from lender liability claims and boundary-line disputes to a 31-day dispute among the members of a family-owned real estate business valued at over $50 million. He has also litigated numerous class actions from the overcharging of recordation fees to funds availability practices. He successfully argued in the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit for the dismissal of a $170 million class action against the major title insurance companies for overcharges. He also successfully argued in the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit for the dismissal of a $120 million class action against a bank for alleged violation of funds availability practices. Mike also investigated and brought a fidelity bond claim that resulted in the Resolution Trust Corp., receiving a $23.5 million payment from an insurance company for a bank officer’s misdeeds. This resulted in a recovery that was the largest in RTC’s history as to fidelity bonds.
Results may vary depending on your particular facts and legal circumstances.
Mike serves as a Neutral in the Morris County Chancery Division’s pro bono mediation program. He lectures frequently on title insurance and banking matters, and he has authored a number of articles and runs a firm blog on these same areas.
When he is not practicing law, Mike is active in the community. He is currently Vice Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Zufall Community Health Centers. He served as Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Colonial Symphony in Morristown, as well as teaching CCD and Pre-Cana classes in his parish. Mike is also Past Chair of the District XB Ethics Committee. He is a Life Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. He is a member of the American Bar Association (TIPS Title Insurance Committee), Title Counsel Section of American Land Title Association, the Association of the Federal Bar of New Jersey, New Jersey State Bar (Banking, Real Estate and Federal Bar Sections), and Morris County Bar Association (Financial Services Committee). Finally, Mike had the honor of serving five years in the United States Marine Corps.
Areas of Emphasis
Title Insurance
Real Estate Litigation
Financial Institutions
Loan Work-Outs
Lender Liability
Shareholder Disputes
Bar Admissions
New Jersey
New York
Pennsylvania
United States District Court, District of New Jersey
United States District Court, Southern District of New York
Untied States District Court, Eastern District of New York
United States District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania
United States District Court, Western District of Pennsylvania
United States District Court, Middle District of Pennsylvania
United States Court of Appeals, Second Circuit
United States Court of Appeals, Third Circuit
United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
United States Supreme Court
Education
University of Virginia School of Law, J.D., 1988
University of Notre Dame, B.A., Government, 1980
Professional Activities
Member, Association of the Federal Bar of New Jersey
Member, American Bar Association
Member, American Land Title Association
Member, New Jersey State Bar Association
Member, Morris County Bar Association
Neutral, Pro bono Mediation Program, Morris County Chancery Division
Vice Chairperson, Board of Directors of Zufall Community Health Centers
Rankings & Recognitions
Mike was ranked in the 2024 Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business publication for Litigation: General Commercial.
Since 2007, Mike has been included in The Best Lawyers in America®, a peer review of U.S. lawyers, in the fields of Commercial Litigation, Banking Litigation and Real Estate Litigation.
Thomson Reuters has included him on New Jersey’s “Super Lawyers” list for Business Litigation since 2011.
See Awards and Honors Methodology.
No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.
Case Decisions
101 Hudson Props., LLC v. Birch Real Est. Servs., LLC, No. A-0506-23, 2025 N.J. Super. Unpub. LEXIS 1169 (App. Div. June 26, 2025)
53 Spencer Realty, LLC v. Fidelity Natl. Title Ins. Co., 236 A.D.3d 716 (N.Y. 2d Dept. 2025)
Debose v. Dun & Bradstreet Holdings, Inc., Civil Action No. 22-0209 (ES) (JRA), 2025 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 41346 (D.N.J. Mar. 7, 2025)
City of Philadelphia v. Germantown Invs., LLC, 272 A3d 542 (Pa. App. 2022)
Bank of New York Mellon v. Corradetti, 245 N.J. 136 (2021)
Chassen v. Fid. Nat'l Fin., Inc., Civil Action No. 09-cv-00291 (PGS)(DEA), 2020 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 210085 (D.N.J. Nov. 10, 2020)
JPMorgan Chase Bank v. Klein, 54 Misc. 3d 1213(A), 54 N.Y.S.3d 610 (N.Y. Sup. Ct. 2017), aff’d, JPMorgan Chase Bank, Nat’l Ass’n v. Klein, 178 A.D.3d 788, 113 N.Y.S.3d 741 (2d Dept. 2019)
Lambs Lane Realty, LLC v. Lakeland Bank, 2019 WL 1500903 (N. J. App. Div. 2019)
Charming Way Homeowners Ass’n v. Miracle Inv. Grp. Lakewood, LLC, 2018 WL 5986080 (N.J. App. Div. Nov. 15, 2018)
Emigrant Bank v. Commonwealth Land Title Ins. Co., 2017 WL 4286335 (S.D.N.Y. Sept. 26, 2017)
Mocco v. Frumento, 710 Fed. Appx. 535 (3rd Cir. 2017)
Loreto v. Wells Fargo, 62 Misc. 3d 1202 (A), aff’d, 85 N.Y.S. 2d 900 (4th Dept. 2018)
Tower Lien, LLC v. Cepeda, 2017 WL 2590120 (N.J. App. Div. June 15, 2017)
Saran v. Chelsea GCA Realty Partnership, 50 N.Y.S. 3d 463 (2nd Dept. 2017)
Chassen v. Fid. Nat’l Fin., Inc., 836 F.3d 291 (3rd Cir. 2016)
Elaine Wallace v. BSD-Realty, LLC, 36 N.Y.S. 3d 884 (2d Dept. 2016)
Crown Construction Builders and Project Managers Corp. v. Chavez, 130 A.D.3d 969 (N.Y. 2d Dept. 2015)
Hoffman v. Nutraceutical Corp., 563 Fed. Appx. 183 (3rd Cir. 2014)
Guilford v. First Am. Title Ins. Co., 2012 N.J. Super. Unpub. LEXIS 1797 (App. Div. 2012)
Law Offices of K.C. Okoli, P.C. v. BNB Bank, N.A., 481 Fed. Appx. 622 (2nd Cir. 2012)
Dare Invs., LLC v. Chi. Title Ins. Co., 2011 U.S. Dist. Lexis 130288 (D.N.J. 2011)
Gonzalez v. Wilshire Credit Corp., 207 N.J. 557 (2011)
JYS Invs., L.L.C. v. Fisher, 2011 N.J. Super. Unpub. LEXIS 1615 (App. Div. 2011)
Kitchens International v. Evans Cabinet Corp., Ltd., 413 N.J. Super. 107 (App. Div. 2010)
Chicago Title Insurance Co. v. Anthony F. Natale, 2010 U.S. Dist. Lexis 24072 (D.N.J. 2010)
Centrum Fin. Servs. v. Chi. Title Ins. Co., 2010 U.S. Dist. Lexis 22902 (D.N.J. 2010)
Chicago Title Insurance Company v. Daniel Ellis and MS Financial Services, 409 N.J. Super 444 (N.J. Super. App. Div. 2009)
Castlewood (US) Inc. v. Nat’l Indem. Co., No. 06-CV-6842 (KMK), 2006 U.S. Dist. Lexis 77634 (S.D.N.Y. Oct. 24, 2006)
British Int’l Ins. Co., LTD. v. Seguros La Republica, 200 F.R.D 586 (W.D. Tex. 2000)
British Int’l Ins. Co. v. Seguros La Republica, S.A., 212 F.3d 138 (2nd Cir. 2000)
Pollution Control Fin. Auth. v. County of Somerset, 324 N.J. Super. 391 (App. Div. 1999)
Resolution Trust Corp. v. Spagnoli, 811 F. Supp. 1005 (D.N.J. 1993)
Hendrickson v. E.P.C. Real Estate Equities, Inc., 1991 U.S. Dist. Lexis 8341 (D.N.J. 1991)
