Fish Principal Michael E. Florey Named "2013 Attorney of Year" by Minnesota Lawyer

Minneapolis, MN, February 3, 2014 - Fish & Richardson today announced that Michael E. Florey, a principal at the firm, has been named a "2013 Attorney of the Year" by Minnesota Lawyer. The "Attorneys of the Year" recipients are selected based on leadership in the profession and involvement in major cases. Florey will receive his Minnesota Lawyer award on February 20, 2014.

In 2013, Florey won a major, precedent-setting, 10-year-long case for client Fresenius USA (Fresenius USA, Inc. and Fresenius Medical Care Holdings, Inc. v. Baxter International, Inc. and Baxter Healthcare Corporation), which reversed a combined damages and ongoing royalty award that would have reached $150 million had it stood. The case demonstrated the importance of using all available avenues - including jury trial, appeal to the Federal Circuit, and post-grant review in the USPTO - when a defendant is facing potentially large patent infringement claims, and set an important precedent for IP law that will change dramatically the strategies companies use in future patent disputes.

Florey is actively involved in a variety of programs for law students and attorneys of color. Florey has served as a member representative for Twin Cities Diversity in Practice for the past five years. The mission of this organization is to attract, recruit, advance, and retain attorneys of color in the Twin Cities legal community.

Florey received his J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Illinois College of Law in 1988 and his B.A., cum laude, from Carleton College in 1985.