MICHAEL J. HOLDEN is the founding member of the Phoenix law firm of Holden Willits PLC. A 1980 graduate of Duke Law School, he has concentrated his practice for over 43 years in the areas of construction law, representing primarily owners, contractors, subcontractors, materials suppliers and sureties. Mr. Holden is a frequent author and speaker on a wide range of construction issues. He helped draft the 1992 and 1998 amendments to the Arizona mechanics’ and materialman’s lien laws. He was also one of the primary authors of Arizona’s revolutionary private sector prompt payment law enacted in 2000 and the 2010 prompt pay amendments. He was the founder and first chair of the Arizona State Bar Construction Law Section, and he previously served as legal counsel for the Arizona Builders Alliance from 2008 to 2023. He is also an adjunct professor at Arizona State University School of Law and has taught a course on construction law for the past 20 years. In 2010, 2013, 2019 and 2024, he was selected by Best Lawyers in America^® as the Lawyer of the Year for Construction Law in Phoenix.  Southwest SuperLawyers has named him one of the top 50 lawyers in Arizona twelve of the last fourteen years.  He was elected as a Fellow to the American College of Construction Lawyers in 2011.