Michael litigates intellectual property and trade secret disputes with a focus on enforcement, defense, and risk mitigation. Drawing on his experience as both a litigator and a patent and trademark prosecution attorney, he develops strategies that anticipate validity challenges, enforcement risks, and injunctive exposure. He regularly handles trademark, trade secret, and unfair competition matters, including disputes involving restrictive covenants and confidential information.
Listed in The Best Lawyers in America®, Patent Law, 2024-2026 Listed in Mid-South Super Lawyers, "Rising Stars" 2022-2025 General Litigation, 2016-2018 Intellectual Property, 2019-2021 Cameron J. Miller Award for Excellence & Community Service, 2019 Bradley Diversity Leadership Award, 2023 First-chaired a jury trial to verdict in a plaintiff-friendly jurisdiction, securing a complete defense verdict in a case involving malicious prosecution and wrongful termination claims. Defended a global petrochemical manufacturer in a multi-plaintiff catastrophic injury case arising from an alleged plant explosion, where plaintiffs sought damages exceeding $1 billion; resolved on favorable terms on the first day of trial, substantially mitigating exposure and avoiding jury risk. Represented a leading global online payments platform in complex commercial disputes, including breach of contract claims arising from payment-processing relationships; consistently positioned such matters for early resolution or favorable outcomes. Retained as trial counsel weeks before trial for a high-net-worth individual in a high-exposure dispute and drove a favorable pretrial resolution, avoiding jury risk. Represented an international law firm in high-stakes business tort and injunction proceedings involving tortious interference, barratry, and reputational harm, including pursuit of emergency injunctive relief to halt coordinated efforts to disrupt client relationships. Defended a national retail tenant in commercial lease litigation involving claims for past-due rent, accelerated future rent, and related damages exceeding six figures; resolved on favorable terms, substantially mitigating the client’s exposure. Defended a media entity in a high-profile defamation action involving claims of defamation per se and actual malice, securing a favorable non-monetary resolution. Obtained a defense verdict for an individual accused of fraud and breach of contract, eliminating all exposure.
