Michael Hugh Johnson

Mr. Johnson's practice focuses on counseling domestic and international public and private entities in areas including cross border transactions, foreign direct investment, international trade and market entry, economic development, and commercial and corporate law.  Mr. Johnson has served as the Honorary Consul of Brazil for Alabama since his appointment in 1995, and has also served as the legal advisor to the Brazilian Consulate General in Atlanta covering six Southeastern states.

Mr. Johnson’s professional experience includes five years as Director of International Development with the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama, where he recruited industry to the State of Alabama, worked with new and established companies for expansion projects, and worked with public sector entities in collaborative projects including new and expanding industry and promotion of international trade. 

Mr. Johnson speaks English, French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Italian and Catalan.  To date, he has worked on every continent except Antarctica.

He has worked extensively on trade and investment projects in Europe, Latin America, and Africa.  He worked in São Paulo, Brazil for Noronha Advogados and Pfliederer InfrastrukturTechnik, A.G., as well as served as a consultant to the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Relations, the Brazilian Ministry of Planning, Management and Budget, and UNCTAD, the Geneva-based United Nations Conference on Trade and Development for economic development training, and the Ministry of Export, Innovation and Economic Development of Québec.

Mr. Johnson has worked for the Federation Internationale  de Football Association (FIFA), for  football (soccer) tournaments since 1998 as a FIFA Media Officer responsible for venue media operations, including the FIFA World Cups in France (1998), Korea/Japan 2002,  Germany (2006) and South Africa (2010), as well as other FIFA tournaments.


Leadership Positions

  • Honorary Consul General of Brazil for Alabama, 1995 - present
  • Alabama State Bar, Co-Chair, Spanish-Speaking Lawyers Committee, 2008 – present
  • Brazilian American Chamber of Commerce (Atlanta), Board of Directors (2008-present)
  • Howard College Advisory Board, Samford University, (charter member, 2004-2007)
  • Samaritan Foundation, Board of Directors (2008-present)
  • International Business Afterhours, Birmingham International Center, Chairman (2008-present)
  • Governor-appointed Alabama representative to the First Conference and signing of the Accord of the Governors of the Gulf Of Mexico, Campeche, Mexico (1995 )

Professional Associations

  • American Bar Association
  • Alabama State Bar Association
  • Birmingham Bar Association
  • Alabama Automotive Manufacturers Association
  • Alabama Germany Partnership


Presentations

  • Presenter, Business Opportunities in Brazil’s Oil and Gas Sector, Lafayette Petroleum Club, Lafayette, Louisiana, March 16, 2010.
  • Presenter, Accessing the Brazilian Market Workshop, Brazilian American Chamber of Commerce, Atlanta, Georgia, October 28, 2009.
  • Panelist and Trainer, UNCTAD Seminar on Investment Promotion,  for Brazilian commercial service and investment promotion personnel, Lisbon, Portugal, October, 2002.
  • Panelist and lecturer, Investing in Brazil, US-Brazil Business Council seminar with Brazilian Ambassador to the US, the Honorable Rubens Barbosa, Atlanta, Georgia, 2002.
  • Panelist and lecturer, Workshop on Basic Techniques of Investment Promotion, Goiás and Brasília, Brazil, sponsored by United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and Brazilian Ministry of Planning, Budget & Management, November, 2001.
  • Panelist  and presenter, Forum on Formation, Organization Perfection  of Investment Promotion Agencies, jointly sponsored by by Brazilian Ministry of Planning, Budgeting and Management,  and UNCTAD, Brasília and Goiás, Brazil, November, 2000.
  • Presenter and witness before the US Sub-Committee on Foreign Trade on tariff structures on behalf of US-based Brazilian importers of alloy and metallic products, Washington, D.C., 1999.

Areas of Practice:

Business and Tax
Commercial Litigation
Economic Development
International Trade
Litigation

Law School:

University of Miami (Florida), J.D., 1992


Education:

Samford University, B.A., International Relations & Spanish, 1987
The University of Alabama, Completed coursework for M.A. in Romance Languages, 1989
Universidad Complutense, (Madrid), 1988
Universite de Paris I, 1986

Languages:

Catalan
French
German
Italian
Portuguese
Spanish

Admitted to Practice:

  • Alabama, 1992
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
  • United States District Courts for the Northern District of Alabama
  • United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Alabama

Email: MHJ@johnstonbarton.com
Phone: 205-458-9421
Fax: 205-458-9500

Legal Secretary:

Emily R. Edmonson
ERE@johnstonbarton.com
205-214-7241