Experienced Intellectual Property Attorney Michael Justus Joins Carlton Fields

TAMPA, FL – Michael Justus has joined Carlton Fields’ Intellectual Property Practice as a shareholder in the firm’s Tampa office. He was most recently a partner at Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP.

Justus brings more than 15 years of experience in intellectual property, advertising law, and emerging issues involving artificial intelligence and technology. His practice serves a broad client base including Fortune 100 and publicly traded companies across a wide range of industries.

Justus advises on global trademark clearance, registration, and enforcement, litigates disputes in federal courts and before the U.S. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, and handles domain name conflicts under international protocols. He also counsels clients and handles disputes regarding advertising issues under the Lanham Act, FTC regulations, NAD precedent, and other global advertising standards.

“We are excited to welcome Mike to the firm,” said Eleanor Yost, chair of Carlton Fields’ Intellectual Property Practice. “His strategic approach to protecting and enforcing IP and creative assets yields practical, high-impact solutions that will be invaluable to our clients.”

Justus is passionate about exploring legal issues at the intersection of law and artificial intelligence. He advises clients on a wide array of emerging legal issues related to AI and generative AI, including copyright, confidentiality, right of publicity, trademark, advertising, and licensing, while also helping organizations develop and implement responsible AI use policies and governance programs. Justus holds the certified AI Governance Professional (AIGP) credential from the International Association of Privacy Professionals.

“There is a natural, complementary fit between my practice and the full-service national platform offered by Carlton Fields,” said Justus. “I see these strong synergies as opportunities for growth, not only for the intellectual property practice but also for the advertising and AI practices and other related areas that are critical to clients, such as data protection and class action defense.”

Justus obtained his J.D. from Wake Forest University School of Law and a B.S. from Pennsylvania State University.

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