Michael Fehner is senior counsel in the Newport Beach office of Irell & Manella LLP, where he has represented a broad variety of clients in many areas of litigation. Mr. Fehner’s practice has included prosecuting and defending trade secret, trademark, and trade dress cases; litigating business and commercial tort and contract matters across the country; and helping clients with employment, antitrust, and regulatory issues.

Mr. Fehner's experience at the trial level has been broad and extensive. In addition to his common fare in business and intellectual property litigation, he has recently managed and litigated a number of matters in the insurance coverage context, from jurisdiction (2004 WL 1977220) to interpretation (410 F. Supp. 2d 875). He has also been active in litigating numerous adversary proceedings in large reorganizations. Mr. Fehner's appellate experience includes writing on cases involving transportation regulation (126 F.3d 426) and antitrust issues (133 F.3d 103).

In 2006 and 2007, Mr. Fehner was selected for inclusion in Los Angeles Magazine's Southern California "Rising Stars" in business litigation.

Mr. Fehner received his J.D. from Yale Law School where he was a teaching assistant to Professor James Q. Whitman. After graduating from law school, Mr. Fehner clerked for the Honorable Richard H. Kyle, United States District Court Judge for the District of Minnesota.

After his clerkship, has worked for firms in Washington, D.C. (where he also taught legal research and writing at the George Washington University Law School), and Minneapolis, Minnesota (where he also spent several months as a special assistant city attorney prosecuting misdemeanors and gross misdemeanors).

Professional Activities

• American Bar Association; Minnesota State Bar Association; D.C. Bar Association; Orange County Bar Association

Bar & Court Admissions

• 2000, California; 1997, District of Columbia; 1995, Minnesota
• 2004, Northern District of California; 2000, Central District of California; 1997, District of Columbia; 1996, U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota