Michael L. Leetzow
Michael L. Leetzow focuses his practice on intellectual property including trademarks, patents, copyrights and trade secrets. Mr . Leetzow is within the 1% of Florida Lawyers to be certified by the Florida Bar, in Intellectual Property. Certification is the highest level of evaluation by the Florida Bar of the competency and experience of attorneys in the area of law in which the attorney is certified; certified attorneys are the only lawyers allowed to identify or advertise themselves as experts or specialists.
Practice Areas:
- Intellectual Property
- Patents
- Copyrights
- Trade Secrets
- Confidentiality Agreements
- Non-Disclosure Agreements
- Non-Compete Agreements
- Real Estate Law
- Intellectual Property Litigation
Legal Experience
- MICHAEL L. LEETZOW, P.A., Sanford and Lake Mary, FL
Intellectual Property Attorney: August 2002 – Present
Advising clients in all intellectual property matters. Drafting and prosecuting patent and trademark applications world-wide. Counseling clients on all matters related to intellectual property issues, including confidentiality agreements, licensing issues and agreements, and strategy on filing and maintaining IP portfolios. Expert witness for infringement, misappropriation, and royalty issues in medical device patent litigation; jury awarded client in excess of $500 million and later settled for $1.35 billion. - CORNING CABLE SYSTEMS, Hickory, NC
Patent Counsel: June 1998 – September 2002
Responsible for enforcement and licensing of IP company wide. Responsible for Intellectual Property issues for the Hardware and Equipment Division: all aspects of patent portfolio, litigation, non-disclosure agreements, clearance opinions, and managing other attorneys and outside counsel. Assimilating about 250 patent families into portfolio during corporate acquisition. - PENNIE & EDMONDS LLP, Washington, DC
Senior Associate: July 1997 – June 1998
Broad intellectual property litigation and prosecution experience in a large New York-based firm of 190 attorneys. Responsible for updating and maintaining large client's patent portfolio; directing day-to-day activities in litigation, including document discovery, third-party depositions, writing motions, and corresponding with opposing counsel. - FINNEGAN, HENDERSON, FARABOW, GARRETT & DUNNER, L.L.P., Washington, DC
Associate: May 1991 – July 1997; Summer Associate & Law Clerk: 1989 – 1991
Broad experience in all phases of intellectual property practice at a 150+ attorney firm specializing in intellectual property. Litigation experience in drafting briefs, motions, validity and infringement opinions, discovery requests and legal memoranda. Prepare and prosecute patent and trademark applications in the areas of medical devices, ultrasound, MRI, CT scanners, other xray devices, flour milling technology, and golf club technology. Participate in all aspects of client counseling, discovery, and pro bono program activities.
Technical Experience:
- UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA, Gainesville, FL
DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH & SAFETY: RADIATION CONTROL
Public Health Physicist: 1987-1988
NEUTRON ACTIVATION ANALYSIS LABORATORY
Graduate Research Assistant: 1986 - MAYO CLINIC, Rochester, MN
DEPARTMENT OF DIAGNOSTIC RADIOLOGY
Summer Research Assistant: 1986 - GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, Atlanta, GA
GEORGIA TECH RESEARCH REACTOR
Student Health Physicist: 1984-1986
Education:
- WASHINGTON COLLEGE OF LAW, THE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY, Wash. DC
Juris Doctorate, May 1991 Order of Barristers, 1991
- UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA, Gainesville, FL
Masters Degree, concentration in Medical Physics, December 1988
Thesis: "Inhomogeneity Delineation with Computed Tomography for Radiation Treatment Planning" - GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, Atlanta, GA
Bachelors Degree in Health Physics, Minor in German, June 1986
3.7 GPA, Highest Honors
Bar Admissions:
- State Courts of Florida and Georgia (Inactive in GA)
- United States District Court For The Middle District Of Florida
- District of Columbia, including U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
- U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Moot Court:
- Director Upperclass Moot Court Competition, 1990-1991
- Member Giles S. Rich Intellectual Property Moot Court Team, 1991, National Quarterfinalist
- Member ABA National Appellate Advocacy Moot Court Team, 1990
- Semifinalist Upperclass Moot Court Competition, 1989, Best Brief for Petitioner
- Participant FirstYear Moot Court Competition, 1988
Publications and Presentations:
- “You Have the Idea, How to Protect It” – 2004 TiE Florida (Entrepreneur Group)
- 1996 Federal Circuit Review; American University Law Review, Vol. 46, No. 6, 1997, Co-author.
- "So You Want To Be An Expert Witness?" 1996 AAPM Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA
- "Patent Pending An Overview of U.S. Patent Law" 1995 AAPM Annual Meeting, Boston, MA
- "Estimated Fatal Radiation Dose From Multislice CT Studies," AJR 154:185-190, January 1990 Coauthor
Associations:
- American Intellectual Property Law Association
- Federal Circuit Bar Association
- American Bar Association; Section of Intellectual Property Law
- Seminole County (FL) Bar Association
