Michael O. Warnecke Honored for Excellence in IP Law

    CHICAGO, IL, October 08, 2015 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Michael O. Warnecke, Partner and former Co-Chair of the Patent Litigation Group at Perkins Coie LLP, has been recognized for showing dedication, leadership and excellence in intellectual property law.

Mr. Warnecke has 48 years of professional experience, with eight years as a partner and Co-Chair of the Patent Litigation Group at Perkins Coie LLP. Throughout his career, he has built up a comprehensive skill set that includes intellectual property, litigation, trial law, patent trial law and trademark law.

Mr. Warnecke has three children, including two sons who are both attorneys; both went to The George Washington University Law School. One is a patent litigator in Chicago, another son works for an entertainment association stationed in D.C., where he's in-house senior lawyer. His daughter is a clinical psychologist at a hospital in the Chicago area.

Mr. Warnecke has focused his practice on major patent litigation cases, including international patent, technology licensing and other intellectual property matters. He has been first chair on numerous patent litigation cases in which he represented companies such as Caterpillar Inc., Brunswick Corporation, MetLife and Mitsubishi Corporation. In one of the most significant cases of his career, Mr. Warnecke obtained successful damages and injunctive relief for Rockwell International on a major trade secret matter. The case was later affirmed on appeal where it garnered substantial national media attention for its innovative use of computer graphics to present evidence.

More recently, in August 2010, Michael was lead trial counsel in the Riddell v. Schutt case. This patent infringement case involved Riddell's significant football helmet technology developed to reduce concussions. The jury award of $30 million was the largest in Wisconsin history for a patent case.

Looking back, Mr. Warnecke attributes his success to his dedication and hard work. He says that "the harder I work, the luckier I get." He was well trained as a young lawyer in terms of advising clients; his mentor, Attorney Sid Neuman, taught him how to practice law. He became involved in his profession after first obtaining an engineering degree from Purdue. Mr. Warnecke worked during the day and went to law school at night.

Mr. Warnecke received a JD from The George Washington University Law School in 1967 and a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from Purdue University in 1963. He was recently inducted into Worldwide Registry and also maintains affiliation with the American Bar Association and the American College of Trial Lawyers. In recognition of his excellence throughout his career, he was named as a Best Lawyer in America in Intellectual Property and Patent Litigation, Patent Law and Trademark Law, starting in 2006. He has also been honored as a Top Ten Illinois Super Lawyer. In the next five years, Mr. Warnecke's goals are to continue to try and bring in business for the firm, continue to build up the reputation for Perkins Coie LLP intellectual property and be a mentor to the younger attorneys and continue to integrate them with his clients.

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