Biography
Michelle advises clients, from emerging startups to large corporations across a variety of industries, in connection with all aspects of the development, maintenance and protection of global trademark and copyright portfolios. Michelle’s practice includes trademark clearance, copyright and trademark prosecution, intellectual property enforcement, as well as drafting and negotiating license agreements. Michelle has extensive experience utilizing online brand protection tools to enforce clients’ copyright, trademark and right of publicity across a variety of online marketplaces and has successfully resolved domain name disputes through the Uniform Dispute Resolution Procedure (UDRP). She also regularly counsels clients seeking enrollment in Amazon’s Brand Registry and assists brand owners facing unique challenges on the ecommerce platform.
Prior to joining Neal & McDevitt in 2019, Michelle gained valuable experience serving as in-house counsel for Learfield Licensing Partners, now the Collegiate Licensing Company (CLC), a leader in the collegiate licensing space representing hundreds of colleges, universities, athletic conferences, high schools, and specialty brands across the country. In her role as Associate Counsel with Learfield, Michelle counseled business teams on legal matters related to the licensing industry and advised clients on a variety of matters related to intellectual property protection, trademark registration, licensing, infringement pursuit, and overall brand management. Prior to joining Learfield, Michelle was one of the select law clerks serving in the General Counsel’s office of the NCAA for two years. As a law clerk, she addressed a variety of intellectual property matters related to the use NCAA intellectual property assets for NCAA Championship events, including contests and sweepstakes, managed the associations trademark infringement procedures, and conducted legal research for potential and active litigation matters involving the NCAA.
Michelle received her J.D. from Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law where she was an Editorial Board Member of the Indiana International and Comparative Law Review, served as President of the Sports & Entertainment Law Society, and was a Member of the Lambda Law Society. She received her B.A. in Political Science from Saint Xavier University where she played on the nationally ranked NAIA Division I – Women’s Basketball team.
Published Articles
What Does Arthrex Mean For The Trademark Trial And Appeal Board – ABA-IPL Landslide Magazine, Sept. 22, 2021
Admitted to Practice
- Indiana (2017)
- Illinois (2022)
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana (2019)
Education
- J.D., 2016, Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law
- B.A., Political Science, 2012, magna cum laude, Saint Xavier University (Spanish Minor)
Outreach
Community Engagement
- Saint Xavier University National Alumni Board (2025-present)
- Tutor Associate Board Member, Tutoring Chicago (2025-present)
- Volunteer Tutor, Tutoring Chicago (2020-present)
Non-Profit Board Service
- Board Member, Project Purse Indianapolis (2016-2020)
Recent Lectures:
- 2018 ICLA Winter Symposium – The Basics of IP Enforcement on Social Media and Ecommerce Platforms
- 2021 ABA-IPL Virtual Trademark Days with the USPTO – Choosing Marks for Registration, Use, and Enforcement, and Managing the Portfolio
Professional Memberships
Member:
- International Trademark Association (INTA)
- American Bar Association – IPL Section (ABA-IPL)
- Vice Chair, USPTO Trademark Practice, Policy and Ethics Committee
- Sports Lawyers Association (SLA)
- College Sports Learning & Education Subcommittee
- ChIPs® – Chicago Chapter
- Project Hire Holdings Inc. and TALENThire, LLC v. CEIPAL CORP., (WD NY) (Trademark infringement) (Plaintiffs’ Counsel)
- Principal Financial Services, Inc. v. Registration Private, Domains By Proxy, LLC / Carolina Rodrigues, Fundacion Comercio Electronico (WIPO – UDRP) (Counsel for Principal Financial Services, Inc.)
- Principal Financial Services, Inc. v. Withheld for Privacy Purposes, Privacy Service Provided by Withheld for Privacy ehf / leo smart, Dsenator.club (WIPO -UDRP) (Counsel for Principal Financial Services, Inc.)
- Principal Financial Services, Inc. v. Domains By Proxy, LLC / Carl Simmions (WIPO -UDRP) (Counsel for Principal Financial Services, Inc.)
- Principal Financial Services, Inc. v. Privacy service provided by Withheld for Privacy ehf/ bei shang (WIPO -UDRP) (Counsel for Principal Financial Services, Inc.)
- Principal Financial Services, Inc. v. Withheld for Privacy ehf / Ramin H, RPP (WIPO -UDRP) (Counsel for Principal Financial Services, Inc.)
- Principal Financial Services, Inc. v. Ahmet Peker, Antalya Web Tasarim (WIPO -UDRP) (Counsel for Principal Financial Services, Inc.)
- Principal Financial Services, Inc. v. Host Master, Transure Enterprise Ltd (WIPO -UDRP) (Counsel for Principal Financial Services, Inc.)
- CWI, INC. v. Privacy service provided by Withheld for Privacy ehf / Noria Bekri (WIPO -UDRP) (Counsel for CWI, Inc.)
- CWI, Inc. v. Registration Private, Domains by Proxy, LLC / Matthew Dunlop (WIPO -UDRP) (Counsel for CWI, Inc.)
- CWI, Inc. v. Jaehun Song (WIPO -UDRP) (Counsel for CWI, Inc.)
Michelle Tourtillott
Senior Associate
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Neal & McDevitt, LLC Chicago, IL |
