Michael Shimokaji
"Creative . . . insightful . . . trusted . . . personable . . . kind . . . knowledgeable . . . strategic . . . listens . . . quality . . . efficiency" - as described by Michael's clients.
He is passionate about partnering with clients to make a difference in their business.
Background
Early in his legal career, Michael practiced in different areas of law - business, corporate, securities, real estate, products liability, and general litigation. That work enabled him to work with tech companies.
From his work with tech companies, Michael found that he wanted to focus his practice in intellectual property to combine his loves of science and law.
Expertise
Michael's expertise includes the strategic development of patent and trademark portfolios. He identifies those patents and trademarks that are valuable to his clients by providing them with a competitive advantage. Then, Michael obtains patent and trademark registrations in the US and abroad.
Michael helps his clients in avoiding infringement of IP rights.
He also works on business transactions - sales, mergers and licenses - where intellectual property is involved. Michael assists a party to the transaction in due diligence and evaluating the worth of patents, trademarks, and copyrights being bought, sold or licensed.
He specializes in the health care industry, including medical devices, medtech, and life sciences. Over the last 30 years, Michael has also supported clients in industries as diverse as aerospace, apparel, chemicals, computer hardware and software, consumer household products, photocopiers, restaurants, semiconductors, and telecommunications.
Michael works with a variety of clients - from startups to Fortune 500 companies in patent commercialization and monetization.
Community Activities
Michael is the past President of the Orange Coast Optimist Club, which is a local chapter of Optimist International. The Club supports kids through educational and sports programs.
He serves as an Innovation Advisor in the University of California Wayfinder incubator program, advising startups in the program on intellectual property issues.
Michael is also an Expert-in-Residence for the West Coast Consortium for Technology & Innovation in Pediatrics which helps the growth of medical device startups.
Professional Activities
Michael was instrumental in the firm receiving from the California Minority Counsel Program the Minority-Owned Law Firm Client Service Award. The award was based on recommendations from the firm's clients which included some of the world's largest innovation companies.
He has lectured for local and national organizations in the US, as well as abroad, on various intellectual property topics.
He was a co-chair for the patent litigation committee of the American Intellectual Property Law Association, and co-chair for the patent committee of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association. He served for three years on the Executive Committee for the California State Bar Intellectual Property Section, and another three year term on the California State Bar Federal Courts Committee.
Michael has been a member of the editorial board for The Journal of the Association of University Technology Managers. He has been a member of the Steering Committee for the California Minority Counsel Program. He was a founding director of the Orange County Japanese-American Lawyers Association and has served as an instructor in the paralegal program at the University of California, Irvine.
Education
Following graduation from the University of California, Irvine with a bachelor's degree in chemistry, Michael received his Juris Doctorate degree from Southwestern University School of Law. In law school, Michael was an executive editor for the school's law review.
He served as a judicial extern for the Honorable Robert M. Takasugi, Judge, United States District Court.
He is admitted to the California State Bar and the United States Patent and Trademark Office.