Alexandria, VA — The Hon. Paul R. Michel (Ret.) is being recognized by Continental Who's Who as a Lifetime Achiever for his remarkable contributions to Public Law and in acknowledgment of his many years of outstanding service to the United States Judiciary.

Following more than 44 years of distinguished public service, Mr. Michel retired in 2010 after serving for 22 years on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Nominated to this post on Dec. 19, 1987, by then-President Ronald Reagan, he was confirmed two months later by the U.S. Senate and received his commission on Mar. 4, 1988. In 2004, he became Chief Judge of the circuit and thus one of the 26 judges who serve on the Judicial Conference of the United States, the governing body of the federal judiciary. By appointment of the United States Chief Justice, he served on the Conference's seven-judge Executive Committee. He held these three positions until his retirement on May 31, 2010.

Since retiring, Mr. Michel has continued to offer his expertise as an independent legal consultant. He has assisted lawyers in patent litigations in the Federal Circuit, Federal trial courts, Patent Trial and Appeal Board, and International Trade Commission. In dozens of legal cases, the parties have also selected him to serve as mediator or arbitrator. He has testified as an expert on U.S. patent law in court cases in the United Kingdom and Norway and several International Arbitrations. Finally, he has been invited to testify on patent reform before the intellectual property committees of the United States Senate and House of Representatives.

Until he became a Chief Judge, Judge Michel taught Appellate Practice and Procedure as an adjunct faculty member at George Washington University's National Law Center and appellate advocacy at John Marshall Law School and his judicial duties. He also authored numerous legal articles and co-authored a case book for West publishing titled Patent Litigation and Strategy in 1999. Judge Michel was a highly sought speaker at legal conferences all around the country and abroad during his time on the bench. The international association of private practitioners of intellectual property law, FICPI, made him a Member of Honor.

In preparation for his legal career, he obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree (majoring in Political Science) from Williams College in 1963 (in 2013, receiving its Kellogg Award for Outstanding Leadership in Law and Public Service). In 1966, he earned his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Virginia Law School.

Before his appointment to the bench, Mr. Michel served for 22 years successively as an assistant district attorney in Philadelphia, Deputy District Attorney for Investigations, an Assistant Watergate Special Prosecutor, Assistant Counsel to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Activities, known as the Church committee, Korea-gate prosecutor at the Department of Justice, Associate Deputy Attorney General and just before the appointment to the court as Chief of Staff and Counsel to U.S. Senator Arlen Specter.

Since retiring, the judge has been even more active as a public speaker and has authored or co-authored dozens of articles. His articles have been featured in numerous publications, including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Newsweek magazine, the Boston Sunday Globe, Forbes, Thompson-Reuters, The Hill, Roll Call, Bloomberg Law, and the National Review. Judge Michel also co-authored scholarly articles in various journals with David J. Kappos, Matthew J. Dowd, and John T. Battaglia, including for the University of California's Berkeley Law School, the Drake University Law School, and IPWatchdog. He has worked diligently to assist the media, members of Congress, and other policymakers to better understand intellectual property law, especially patent law. In addition to testifying before Congress, he has submitted amicus briefs to the U.S. Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

In recognition of his expertise, he was named by Managing Intellectual Property magazine as one of the 50 most influential leaders in patent law. He was inducted by Intellectual Asset Management magazine into its international Hall of Fame. Judge Michel was awarded the Jefferson Medal, Katz-Kiley Award, and Eli Whitney Award. He was awarded lifetime achievement recognition by many IP organizations, including the American Intellectual Property Law Association, Intellectual Property Owners Association, ABA-IP Section, Licensing Executive Society, and the Sedona Conference. He received honorary Doctor of Laws degrees from The Catholic University of America and John Marshall Law School.