Mikhail Murshak
Partner
Phone: (517) 371-8103 | Email: mmurshak@iplawusa.com
Mikhail Murshak is a partner at Schmeiser Olsen, helping businesses, entrepreneurs, and innovators protect and commercialize their ideas, as well as safeguard their brands. His practice focuses on patent and trademark strategy, intellectual property portfolio development, licensing, and commercialization.
With more than 20 years of focused intellectual property experience, Mikhail brings a distinctive combination of legal, technical, and business insight to his practice. His practical, client-specific strategies have helped companies secure valuable intellectual property assets, support investment and growth, and strengthen their competitive positions in the marketplace.
Mikhail works with clients ranging from individual inventors and early-stage startups to universities, research institutions, and established companies. He has extensive experience protecting university-based research and emerging technologies, working with researchers and stakeholders to identify patentable innovations, develop effective filing strategies, and position those technologies for licensing and commercialization.
He is particularly passionate about working with startups and emerging companies, guiding founders through the intellectual property issues that arise during product development, fundraising, commercialization, and market expansion. By combining technical knowledge, legal strategy, and business insight, Mikhail helps clients identify opportunities, avoid common pitfalls, and build valuable intellectual property portfolios.
Before joining Schmeiser Olsen, Mikhail served in both private practice and in-house roles. His experience advising clients as outside counsel and managing intellectual property within technology companies gives him a practical understanding of how intellectual property decisions affect product development, operations, investment, and growth.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Mikhail’s practice includes patent and trademark preparation and prosecution, portfolio development, licensing, intellectual property due diligence, agreement negotiation, and strategic business counseling. He regularly helps clients evaluate intellectual property assets and develop protection strategies that align legal spending with commercial priorities.
His technical experience spans medical devices, manufacturing technologies, consumer products, software and computer technologies, automotive systems, aerospace technologies, chemical engineering, nanotechnology, and sleep technologies.
Mikhail began his intellectual property career as an intellectual property analyst for a jet-engine manufacturer, where he supported patent portfolio development and innovation strategy involving advanced engine data-acquisition technologies. He later served as lead intellectual property counsel for a Michigan-based sleep technology company. In that role, he directed the company’s patent and trademark acquisition strategy, collaborated closely with research and development teams, and helped strengthen the company’s intellectual property position within its industry.
In addition to his legal practice, Mikhail serves as an adjunct professor teaching trademark law and other intellectual property courses. He also consults with organizations that help inventors and entrepreneurs develop and commercialize new technologies.
EDUCATION
- B.S., Chemical Engineering, Michigan State University
- J.D., University of Connecticut School of Law
- Oliver Ellsworth Scholarship Recipient
BAR ADMISSIONS
- State of Michigan
- State of Connecticut
- State of New York
- United States Patent and Trademark Office
LEADERSHIP & COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
- Adjunct Professor, Michigan State University College of Law
- Adjunct Professor, Western Michigan University Cooley Law School
- Consultant, InventTribe
- Member, Michigan Intellectual Property American Inn of Court, Barrister
- Former Board Member, Meridian Township Economic Development Corporation
- Former Board Member, The Davies Project
- Former Board Member, Entrepreneur Institute
- Former Board Member, Okemos Athletic Boosters
SPEAKING & PUBLICATIONS
Mikhail is a frequent speaker on patent and trademark strategy, intellectual property portfolio development, and innovation planning. He regularly presents to entrepreneurs, business organizations, and university audiences about intellectual property best practices and emerging legal developments.
Mikhail is also the author of IP Monday with IP Mike, a blog offering practical, entertaining, and easy-to-understand guidance on patents, trademarks, and other intellectual property issues affecting startups and established businesses.