Fish & Richardson Principal Michael Hamlin Named a National Law Journal "Boston Rising Star"

Boston, MA, November 18, 2015 - Fish & Richardson announced today that Michael Hamlin, a principal in the firm's Boston office, has been named a "Boston Rising Star" by the National Law Journal (NLJ). According to the NLJ, the Rising Stars "stand out as new leaders in the legal profession." The 40 Rising Stars, who are all under the age of 40, were selected based on their practice influence, strong leadership qualities, unique practice areas, litigation or transactional expertise, and pro bono commitment. Hamlin, who is one of the country's top patent prosecutors in the highly complex and competitive medical devices industry, was recognized on November 12, 2015 at an event in Boston.

At Fish, Hamlin counsels clients on patent portfolio development, conducts freedom-to-operate studies and due diligence investigations as part of mergers & acquisitions, and advises on licensing. He is also frequently involved in patent litigation matters. With one of the largest patent prosecution and counseling practices at the firm, Hamlin works with clients whose businesses focus on a wide range of technologies including medical devices, consumer products, sporting goods, machine tools, and automotive design and manufacturing.

Hamlin currently works on a pro bono basis with the non-profit Thomas E. Smith Foundation, which is dedicated to helping those affected by spinal cord injury (SCI) and paralysis, and finding a cure for paralysis. He has prepared and filed a patent application for the Look-Up Line^TM warning track, which is intended to reduce the incidence of hockey players crashing head first into the boards of the rink and sustaining an SCI. Hamlin also advises the foundation regarding trademark issues.

He is also involved in another unique program, the Frederick P. Fish and William K. Richardson Patent Awards, which provide pro bono patent applications and prosecution, as necessary, for the inventions of high school students.

Hamlin has served as the recruiting principal for Fish's Boston office since 2011. He is one of only 14 attorneys across the country to serve on the National Association for Law Placement Foundation for Law Career Research and Education, which is dedicated to identifying and addressing issues related to legal recruiting. He has served on the National Advisory Board since 2012 and recently joined the Board of Trustees.

Hamlin received his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School in 2003, where he was on the staff of the Michigan Telecommunications and Technology Law Review, and his B.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Alabama at Huntsville in 2000.