Fishman Stewart is pleased to announce that Michael Stewart, co-founding member and managing partner, has been named a Go To Lawyer in Intellectual Property by Michigan Lawyers Weekly. The legal trade publication’s Go To Lawyer editorial program recognizes lawyers across the state who are leaders in a particular field of law, in this case, intellectual property. In being recognized as a “Michigan Go To Lawyer,” Stewart meets the criteria as:
- An expert in his field, well-versed in the nuances of the case law, statutes and regulations clients will encounter.
- Experienced, with a record of success in many cases and/or transactions.
- A lawyer to whom other lawyers make referrals because of his expertise and accomplishments.
- A lawyer who can think creatively and identify all options for a client.
- A lawyer you would name when a friend needs legal help.
- A lawyer you might call yourself if you needed legal help in his or her field of expertise.
A strategic adviser to CEOs and senior executives, Stewart develops IP management strategies for U.S. and foreign-based companies, from middle market to Fortune 500, to safeguard their business assets throughout the world. He has substantial experience managing, administering and conducting worldwide projects involving updating ownership records of large intellectual property portfolios and applies a comprehensive, cross-disciplinary approach to maximize the scope of intellectual property protection and beneficial usage. His litigation experience includes both trials and oral arguments before the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. He is also admitted before the United States Supreme Court.
Stewart puts his four University of Michigan degrees to work each day to provide creative client solutions. Clients have said of Stewart, he is “…very strategic and innovative…he is prepared to tailor his approach to the specific circumstances to maximize effectiveness”; “very knowledgeable of…options to improve your ability to enforce a patent or continuation”; “he has been a great asset to our company, focusing on efforts to protect our IP while bringing practical and business thinking to the issues.”
The Go To Lawyer nod follows several other professional awards for Stewart. In 2021, he received the Soaring Eagle award from the Michigan chapter of Vistage, presented annually in recognition of a member’s overall success in the business community and also acknowledging the member’s contribution to supporting and encouraging fellow Vistage Michigan members throughout the year. He has been a recipient of both the Best Lawyers in America and Michigan Super Lawyers awards multiple times, as well as being named a DBusiness Top Lawyer by DBusiness Magazine and an IP Star by Managing Intellectual Property Magazine.
Taking to heart the ethos of the legal profession that its members contribute to society, Stewart is extraordinarily committed to pro-bono service and volunteerism within the profession and for non-profit organizations and has been recognized by the State Bar of Michigan’s “A Lawyer Helps” program for giving back to the community. He was instrumental in the founding of annual “World IP Day” (April 26) events throughout the United States in cooperation with organizations including the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) and the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA). He is a frequent author, speaker and lecturer on intellectual property protection and enforcement for organizations including the International Trademark Association (INTA), AIPLA and Michigan Bar Association, as well as the USPTO and the National Science Foundation and has also presented to engineering, business and law students at some of the nation’s top schools.
Prior to practicing law, Stewart was an engineer for a major automotive OEM and a systems engineer for the Computer Aided Engineering Network for the College of Engineering at the University of Michigan. He holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan Law School and an M.S. in Aerospace Engineering, a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and a B.A. in English, all also from the University of Michigan.
