Our Team
Michael P. Mazza
Michael Patrick Mazza, the principal of Michael P. Mazza, LLC, concentrates his practice in all aspects of intellectual property litigation and prosecution, including, licensing, and client counseling. Mr. Mazza received his J.D. from Loyola University of Chicago in 1989 and his Master of Laws in Intellectual Property from the John Marshall Law School in Chicago in 1995. Prior to that he graduated in Civil Engineering from the University of Notre Dame in 1986. Click here to see attached CV
Upon graduation from law school, Mr. Mazza spent 12 years with the then-nationally recognized IP lawfirm, Niro, Scavone, Haller & Niro. Mr. Mazza opened his own law firm in 2003, and continues to handle a wide variety of intellectual property litigation and prosecution. Mr. Mazza’s clients have realized tens of millions in recoveries resulting from his litigation and licensing activities. As examples of many, two of Mr. Mazza’s professional highlights include obtaining a $26 million patent infringement award in federal court in Milwaukee on behalf of his client, Schreiber Foods of Green Bay, in a case that involved high-speed cheese processing machines, and obtaining a preliminary injunction in federal court in Oxford, Mississippi on behalf of his client, Vulcan Towing, in a case involving damage-free towing devices. In addition to litigating IP matters in U.S. district courts across the country, Mr. Mazza also has significant prosecution experience obtaining hundreds of patents and trademarks from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and working with foreign associates to obtain foreign patents and trademarks.
Mr. Mazza also enjoys regularly counseling clients regarding the development and creation of their IP, the licensing of their IP, and prosecution and enforcement strategies for their IP.
Paul R. Hale
Paul Robert Hale, a partner at Michael P. Mazza, LLC, practices general intellectual property and civil litigation. Mr. Hale received his J.D. from Southern Illinois University School of Law in 2015 and his B.S. in Biological Sciences from Marquette University in 2010. Mr. Hale was admitted to the Illinois State Bar in 2015.
During law school, Mr. Hale clerked for Hon. Michael J. Powers, Circuit Judge for the 12th Judicial Circuit Court in Will County, IL. Mr. Hale also worked for Professor Joanna Wells, guardian ad litem for Jackson County, IL, where he helped represent minors under the Illinois Juvenile Court Act. Additionally, Mr. Hale participated in an externship at the Southern Illinois University Paul Simon Public Policy Institute where he presented his term limits research at the Chicago Term Limits Symposium and also had this research published in The Simon Review. Finally, Mr. Hale worked as an Illinois Supreme Court Rule 711 licensed prosecutor for the Will County State’s Attorney’s Office and the Union County State’s Attorney’s Office. As a 711 prosecutor, Mr. Hale obtained guilty verdicts in several misdemeanor trials and also practiced in felony court.
At Southern Illinois University School of Law, Mr. Hale served as the Student Bar Association President and as an Articles Editor for the Southern Illinois University Law Journal. As a member of law journal, Mr. Hale’s comment was published in the Southern Illinois University Law Journal. Additionally, Mr. Hale was awarded the Southern Illinois University School of Law Pro Bono Public Interest Award for the most public service hours performed by a third year law student. Mr. Hale graduated cum laude from Southern Illinois University School of Law.