Overview
Mike loves seeing the fruits of innovation. His contribution to frontline science and product development is figuring out how to best protect inventions with intellectual property.
Clients appreciate Mike’s transparency and dependability. Their worries become his worries. His clients work in various industries including, medical devices, consumer products, food and beverage, household gadgets and sports equipment. Mike engages all kinds of entrepreneurs to really understand their innovations and then meaningfully protect their differentiated products and solutions through a comprehensive IP protection plan. That plan includes determining the significance of a client’s intellectual property and protecting that property with documents that will grow with a client’s success.
A key tenet of Mike’s practice is his commitment to client service. In more than 20 years of practicing law, Mike has served individuals and companies of various sizes as outside counsel, and served as in-house counsel for a Fortune 200 company. He’s learned that the volume, variety and depth of a client's legal matters may vary, but each client deals with the same issues regardless of their size. His experience as in-house counsel enables him to better understand his clients’ experiences and tailor services to fit their needs.
Mike’s grandfather taught him that if you find your passion, you never have to work a day in your life. As someone who truly loves what he does, he thinks of that philosophy often and remembers his grandfather fondly when he goes to work.
Experience
Membership & Involvement
- Chair, Member Programs Committee: National Associate of Patent Practitioners (NAPP)
- Chair: Junior Achievement: Wisconsin, Winnebago Region
- Co-Chair and Board Member: The Farmory
- Board Member: Junior Achievement: Wisconsin
- Member: National Associate of Patent Practitioners (NAPP); Green Bay Innovation Group; Wisconsin Technology Council
Resources & Insights
Alerts
Speaking Engagements
Published Works
Blog Posts
- Protecting Innovation: Best Practices for Managing Patents and Trade SecretsProtecting Innovation: Best Practices for Managing Patents and Trade Secrets
Protecting and leveraging intellectual property (IP) is critical for businesses of all sizes to remain competitive in today’s innovation-driven market. In this insightful presentation, Tom Pienkos and Mike Bendel will share actionable strategies for identifying, safeguarding, and managing patents and trade secrets, while addressing emerging challenges in the digital era.
- Amundsen Davis’s Leadership & Management 2024 Certification Training SeriesAmundsen Davis’s Leadership & Management 2024 Certification Training Series
Transform your managers into dynamic leaders who can cultivate a thriving culture and drive your business to new heights with our Leadership & Management Training Series.
- Avoiding Employee Threats to Intellectual PropertyAvoiding Employee Threats to Intellectual Property
Whether accidental or intentional, a company's employees are often one of the biggest threats to a company's intangible assets. However, by acting proactively, a company and its attorneys can work together to avoid such a situation and keep the business moving forward with its IP intact and not at risk of compromise.
- PFAs in Food PackagingPFAs in Food Packaging
Education
John Marshall Law School, J.D.
St. Norbert College, B.A.
Admissions
- Illinois
- U.S. Patent & Trademark Office
- Wisconsin