The Co-Managing Partner is profiled in Business by LA Times for her M&A and ownership succession work with architecture and engineering firms.
IRVINE, CA, UNITED STATES, October 28, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — The recognition keeps coming for Michelle R. Generaux, whose dealmaking expertise with design firms has now placed her in the running for one of Orange County’s most prestigious business honors. Southern California law firm Murtaugh LLP announced today that Co-Managing Partner Michelle R. Generaux has been named a nominee for the 2026 OC Leadership Awards and is profiled in the October 2026 edition of Business by LA Times Studios. The awards recognize Orange County executives whose contributions have shaped their organizations and the regional business community. The nomination follows Generaux’s selection in August to Business by LA Times Studios’ 2026 Private Equity and M&A Visionaries list.
The profile centers on Generaux’s expertise in mergers and acquisitions, private equity sales, and internal ownership succession for design professional firms—a cornerstone practice area for Murtaugh LLP. It spotlights her recent representation of an architectural firm in a significant asset acquisition, alongside her work as lead counsel in the sale of a contracting firm to a private equity buyer.
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“When an architecture or engineering firm changes hands, the agreement has to account for licensure, active projects, and the people who will carry the work forward,” said Marin T. Bradshaw, Co-Managing Partner of Murtaugh LLP. “Michelle structures every transaction with that full picture in view, and the design community in Orange County has come to rely on her judgment.”
Generaux’s leadership trajectory at the firm has been steady and significant. She served as Murtaugh LLP’s sole Managing Partner for ten years before stepping into her current role co-managing the firm alongside Bradshaw. Beyond transactional work, she serves as outside general counsel to multiple architecture and engineering firms, where she negotiates contracts with counterparties that include Fortune 500 companies and advises on the multi-jurisdiction licensing that enables her clients to expand into new states. She is also a frequent speaker at industry events hosted by the American Institute of Architects and the American Council of Engineering Companies.
Her impact on Orange County reaches far beyond her legal practice. Generaux serves as President and board member of the Notre Dame Club of Orange County, and she founded Notre Dame Professionals of Orange County, a professional network she has grown to more than 140 members. She earned her B.A. from the University of Notre Dame and her J.D., cum laude, from William Mitchell College of Law (now Mitchell Hamline School of Law).
About Murtaugh LLP
Founded more than 45 years ago, Murtaugh LLP is a Southern California law firm that handles the transactional and litigation needs of businesses, families and professional firms. Its work spans complex civil litigation, business transactions, and trusts and estates, including sophisticated estate planning and high-value trust and estate disputes. Learn more at https://www.murtaughlaw.com/
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Why it matters: Generaux’s nomination underscores how specialized legal expertise in niche sectors like design professional firms is gaining recognition at the regional leadership level. Her dual role as both a dealmaker and a community builder reflects the broader expectation that top executives contribute to their local business ecosystem, not just their bottom line.
