Chicago-based law firm Much Shelist recently announced the addition of Michael J. Femal as a Principal in the Intellectual Property & Technology practice group.

Femal has nearly four decades of experience advising clients on all aspects of patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret and unfair competition law and litigation. He regularly counsels clients in the evaluation, protection, procurement, and transfer of domestic and foreign IP rights, including the negotiation of licensing deals across the United States and in Asia, Europe and South America. Femal also frequently negotiates and drafts IP licenses, as well as joint venture, joint development, brand label and secrecy agreements. An experienced litigator, he represents clients in jury and non-jury court cases, mediation and arbitration, and regularly coordinates legal strategies in global IP disputes.

Femal joined Much Shelist from McDonald Hopkins, where he was a Member in the Chicago office. Trained as an electrical engineer, he served as Senior IP & Special Counsel for Square D Company/Schneider Electric S.A. before entering private practice.

Femal holds a J.D. from Chicago-Kent College of Law and a B.S.E.E. from Marquette University.