C. Michael Deese

C. MICHAEL DEESE, a partner in the McLean, Virginia office of Howe & Hutton, Ltd., graduated from Davidson College (A.B. in Political Science), the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (M.A. in International Relations) and the University of Pennsylvania Law School (J.D.). Mike has served as a member of the Board of Trustees of Davidson College. His law practice focuses primarily upon the representation of national and international nonprofit organizations. Mike’s work on behalf of trade associations, professional societies, charitable organizations and their related entities has included corporate matters (incorporation, mergers and consolidations, bylaws development, obtaining and retaining tax exempt status, consulting regarding insurance coverage, review of publications and advertising, development of codes of ethics and certification and accreditation programs, and antitrust and tax compliance, including board member training), contract negotiation and drafting (with convention centers, hotels, endorsed product and service providers, publishers, website development and maintenance providers, association executives and association management companies), litigation (Title VII, ADA, First Amendment and contract disputes) and general counseling regarding the antitrust, tax and other consequences of client actions and programs. Mike currently serves as outside general counsel to numerous national and international nonprofit organizations, as well as several regional associations and automobile dealer advertising associations. Mike is a member of the Legal Section of the American Society of Association Executives, where he has served on the Editorial Advisory Committee for the Section's Association Law & Policy newsletter. Also a member of ASAE's Association Management Company Section and previously of its Section Council, Mike authors articles for that Section and speaks frequently on association governance and other legal topics, both at ASAE conferences and at conferences of other organizations including The AMC Institute.

• Partner

• Association Legal Issues, AMC Institute, 1996 - Present
• Association Law Symposium, ASAE, various
• Representative Clients
• Trade Associations,Professional Societies and Other Nonprofit Organizations
• Meetings, Events, Trade Shows, Conventions & Hospitality
• Intellectual Property
• Employment / Human Resources
• Litigation / Risk Management
• Administrative Law Matters
• Antitrust
• Governance

• Ohio, 1976
• District of Columbia, 1978
• U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia, 1979
• U.S. Court of Appeals 4th Circuit, 1988
• Supreme Court of the United States of America, 1988
• Virginia, 2018

• Davidson College, 2000 - 2001 (Member, Board of Trustees)
• American Society of Association Executives, Legal Section, 1988 - Present (Member)
• American Society of Association Executives, Legal Section, 1999 - 2004 (Editorial Advisory Committee for Association Law and Policy Newsletter)
• ASAE, Association Management Company Section (Member)
• ASAE, Association Management Company Section, 2001 - 2018 (Section Council)
• American Bar Association, 1976 - Present (Member)
• Virginia State Bar, 2018 - Present (Member)
• Fraternities and Sororities
• Phi Eta Sigma