Michael Halfenger is a partner with Foley & Lardner LLP. He is a member of the Appellate, Antitrust, and Business Litigation & Dispute Resolution Practices. Mr. Halfenger has litigated a wide spectrum of complex commercial matters, including antitrust, patent, RICO, Lanham Act, trade secret, unfair trade practices, misrepresentation, and civil rights claims, as well as shareholder disputes. He has tried cases in both federal and state court, and he is a member of the Trial Bar of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Mr. Halfenger co-chairs Foley's Appellate Practice, and he has represented clients regarding matters before the United States Supreme Court, the Wisconsin Supreme Court, and many federal and state appellate courts. He has argued several times in the Wisconsin Supreme Court and in the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. Mr. Halfenger has been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® in the area of appellate law. He was also selected for inclusion in the 2011 list of Wisconsin Super Lawyers®. Mr. Halfenger is the co-author of "The Insider's Guide to the Wisconsin Appellate Courts" in Appeals Across America: An Insider's Guide to State and Federal Appellate Courts (forthcoming), and is a contributing author of The Attorney's Guide to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals (2011). Recently reported representative appellate matters include: · Thompson v. Retirement Plan for Employees of S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc., 651 F.3d 600 (7th Cir. 2011) (ERISA) · Bostco LLC v. Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage Dist., 2011 WI App 76, 334 Wis. 2d 620, 800 N.W.2d 51 (municipal tort liability and governmental immunity) · State v. Sveum, 2010 WI 92, 328 Wis. 2d 369, 787 N.W.2d 317 (Amici Counsel) (civil rights) · Jackson v. Buchler, 2010 WI 135, 330 Wis. 2d 279, 793 N.W.2d 826 (civil rights) · Flying J Inc. v. J.B. Van Hollen, 621 F.3d 658 (7th Cir. 2010) (Antitrust preemption) · E-L Enterprises, Inc. v. Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, 2010 WI 58, 326 Wis. 2d 82, 785 N.W.2d 409, cert. denied, 131 S.Ct. 798 (2010) (Constitutional takings and inverse condemnation) · Notz v. Everett Smith Group, Ltd., 2009 WI 30, 316 Wis. 2d 640, 764 N.W.2d 904 (Minority shareholder dispute) · Friends of Milwaukee's Rivers and Alliance for Great Lakes v. Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage Dist., 556 F.3d 603 (7th Cir. 2009) (Clean Water Act) As a member of the Antitrust Practice, Mr. Halfenger has litigated and advised clients on a range of antitrust and competition law matters. He has litigated cases involving Sherman Act sections 1 & 2, as well as state antitrust laws. Mr. Halfenger has counseled clients in a variety of industries on antitrust limitations on, among other things, distribution practices, pricing, advertising, and IP licensing. He has published and spoken on a variety of antitrust topics. Representative reported antitrust matters include: · Flying J, Inc. v. Van Hollen, 621 F.3d 658 (7th Cir. 2010) · Major League Baseball Properties, Inc. v. Salvino, Inc., 542 F.3d 290 (2d Cir. 2008) · Volvo Trucks North America, Inc. v. Reeder-Simco GMC, Inc., 546 U.S. 164 (2006) (amici counsel) · Szukalski v. Crompton Corp., 296 Wis. 2d 728, 726 N.W.2d 304 (Ct. App. 2006) · Major League Baseball v. Crist, 331 F.3d 1177 (11th Cir. 2003) · Conley Pub. Group, Ltd. v. Journal Communications, Inc., 265 Wis. 2d 128, 665 N.W.2d 879 (Wis. 2003) · Phillips Getschow Co. v. Green Bay Brown County Prof'l Football Stadium Dist., 270 F. Supp. 2d 1043 (E.D. Wis. 2003) · Servais v. Kraft Foods, Inc., 246 Wis. 2d 920, 631 N.W.2d 629 (Ct. App. 2001) Mr. Halfenger was a judicial clerk to the Honorable Frank H. Easterbrook, Circuit Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. He is a graduate of the University of Chicago Law School (J.D., with honors), where he was an associate comment editor on the University of Chicago Law Review and was elected to membership in the Order of the Coif. Mr. Halfenger received his undergraduate degree from Lawrence University (B.A., summa cum laude), and was elected to membership in Phi Beta Kappa. Before joining Foley, he was an associate in Sidley & Austin's Chicago office. Mr. Halfenger is actively involved in a number of bar organizations. He is a member of the Seventh Circuit Bar Association's Board of Governors. Mr. Halfenger was the 2010-2011 chair of the State Bar of Wisconsin's Appellate Practice Section Board and the 2010-2011 president of the Eastern District of the Wisconsin Bar Association. He is a member of the American Bar Association's Antitrust Section. Mr. Halfenger also sits on several federal and state court committees. He serves on the rules committees of both the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. Mr. Halfenger served on the Wisconsin Supreme Court's Appointment Selection Committee from 2003-2011. He is currently a member of the board of directors of the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra. |