Michael G. McManus

Mike graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in Political Science and a love of college football. He then graduated from the University of Arkansas  School of Law  (Dean's Honor Roll, All Semesters) in Fayetteville, Arkansas with a J.D.  and a deep appreciation for the people of Arkansas. He returned to  Georgia and practiced law part-time while also pursuing a second Bachelor's degree in biology and later a Master's degree in chemistry. 

​

He moved to Washington, D.C. for his first full-time legal job working for Customs and Border Protection (then U.S. Customs) in the Office of Regulations and Rulings. Ready to try the private sector, he then worked for several Washington, D.C. law firms  where he learned IP litigation in the district courts and before the International Trade Commission. During this time, he and one of his law partners authored a book regarding Section 337 litigation before the ITC which was published by Law Journal Press.

​

In 2016, he accepted an appointment from the Secretary of Commerce to serve as an Administrative Patent Judge on the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB).  There, he worked on both ex parte appeals (that is, patent applicants' appeals of Patent Examiner rejections ) and inter partes reviews (also known as IPRs, where the Patent Office is asked to take a second look at whether a patent is valid over the prior art). While at the Patent Office, he was selected to serve on a long-term detail at the International Trade Commission. There, he had a great experience working as an aide to Commissioner (and later, Chairman) David Johanson. In 2024, he  returned to the Board  where he continued to work on ex parte appeals and IPRs.

 

Mike returned to the private sector in 2025. After a brief stint with a firm concentrating on district court litigation, he decided to pursue his dream since law school of launching his own practice with a Washington focus. 

​

He is married and resides in northwest Washington, D.C., with his wife and two teenaged sons. He is a member of Mensa.