
Michael R. King
Founding Member
Practice Areas
Education
- J.D., University of Arizona, 1979
- B.A., University of Arizona, 1975
- Profile
- Experience
- Professional + Civic
Michael King is a seasoned attorney and founding member of Gammage & Burnham. His practice emphasizes creditors’ rights, construction law, employment law and real estate matters for a diverse range of clients including banks, developers, mortgage companies, and construction professionals. King is adept at handling complex legal issues with a strategic, solution-oriented approach and serves as a true business partner to his clients.
Mike is a founding member of Gammage & Burnham, where he focuses on creditors’ rights, construction, employment, real estate, lending and business law. With extensive experience in bankruptcy cases, general litigation, loan documentation, workouts, foreclosures, and forcible detainers, Mike is skilled at navigating the intricacies of creditors’ rights and complex business transactions. His clients include financial institutions, developers, construction professionals, and companies across industries such as agriculture, hospitality, and non-profits.
His real estate practice spans a broad spectrum, including construction, lending and finance, development, leasing, and sales of various property types, such as retail, office, hotel, residential, and multi-family. Mike also represents construction clients—such as architects, engineers, contractors, and material suppliers—on lien and bond claims, litigation, and contract negotiation and preparation.
In addition to his construction and real estate work, Mike provides legal counsel on a wide range of business transactions, including drafting and negotiating security agreements, sales and license agreements, and intellectual property matters such as copyright and trademark applications. His depth of experience allows him to effectively advise clients on issues such as labor law, employment agreements, and credit agreements.
Over the course of his distinguished career, Mike has earned numerous accolades, including recognition by Martindale-Hubbell, Super Lawyers, Best Lawyers, and North Valley Magazine. He was also named “Lawyer of the Year” in Phoenix for Construction Law by The Best Lawyers in America in 2019. As a Charter Fellow of the Construction Lawyers Society of America, Mike is widely regarded as a leader in his field.
Court Admissions
- State Bar of Arizona
Publications
- Arizona Construction Law Book, HLK Global Communications (2015)
- State Bar of Arizona Construction Law Practice Manual (Chapters on Construction Liens and Stop Payment Notices)
Significant Representations
- Collected $4,250,000 from a Mexican agricultural entity that was in insolvency court in Mexico City.
- Successfully recovered pre-petition unsecured debt for suppliers in Chapter 11 proceedings of debtors in such diverse industries as mining and agriculture.
- Successfully recovered more than $800,000 for a general contractor on a mechanic’s lien claim on a hospitality property.
- Updated and revised all credit documents, including credit policies and procedures, credit applications, promissory notes and guarantees, for a national distributor of products.
Professional & Community Involvement
- AIA Arizona, Member
- Alliance for Construction Excellence, Former Member
- American Bar Association, Member
- American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE), Member
- Arizona Builders Alliance, Member
- Arizona Farm Bureau, Member
- Arizona Small Business Association, Member
- Arizona Town Hall, Member
- Arizona Women Lawyers Association (AWLA), Member
- Association of Fundraising Professionals, Member
- Barrow Neurological Foundation, Former Board Member and Former Secretary (2015-2018)
- Board of Directors of Experience Scottsdale, Executive Committee (Ex-officio Member)
- Central Arizona Society for Healthcare Engineering (CASHE), Former Member
- Commercial and Financial Development Division of NACM (CFDD), Member
- Commercial Law League of America (CLLA), Member
- Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA), Member
- Construction Lawyers Society of America (CLSA), Fellow
- Construction Management Association of America (CMAA)
- Credit Management Association (CMA), Member
- Credit Professionals International (CPI), Member
- Desert Mission – Honor Health, Former Board Member
- Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce
- Greater Phoenix Economic Council (GPEC), Ambassador
- Maricopa County Bar Foundation, Member (Chairman – 1994)
- National Association of Credit Managers, Former Director of Arizona Chapter
- Arizona Charitable Gift Planners (AZCGP) (fka Planned Giving Roundtable of Arizona), Member
- Scottsdale Bar Association, Member
- Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, Member
- Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), Member
- Turnaround Management Association (TMA), Member
- University of Arizona Engineering Council, Member
- University of Arizona Law College Association, Member (President 2016-2018)
- Valley of the Sun YMCA, Former Director (Chairman 2011-2012)