Overview
Paul M. Mersino is a Shareholder in the Detroit office of Butzel. He is the President & CEO of Butzel and serves on the firm's Board of Directors. Prior to joining the firm's Board, he served as the Chair of the Litigation Practice Department. Mr. Mersino represents public and private companies, both as plaintiff's attorney and defendant's attorney, in a number of areas including complex commercial litigation, contract disputes, non-competition and trade secret disputes, automotive supplier disputes, construction litigation, and First Amendment litigation. Mr. Mersino also represents and advises a number of Startup companies, assisting them with their legal needs and matching them with potential venture capital funding. Mr. Mersino also handles appeals in the Michigan Court of Appeals, the Michigan Supreme Court, and in federal courts across the country. He has been recognized as a Michigan Super Lawyer, as a Top Lawyer by DBusiness Magazine, as one of Oakland County’s Elite 40 under 40, as one of DBusiness's "30 in their 30s," and as an “Up and Coming Lawyer” by Michigan Lawyers Weekly.
Mr. Mersino is admitted to the State of Michigan, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals, the Supreme Court of the United States, and has been admitted on a temporary basis in several state and federal courts across the United States.
Mr. Mersino's publications include Patents, Trolls, and Personal Property: Will eBay Auction Away a Patent Holder's Right to Exclude?, 6 AVE MARIA L. REV. 307 (2007); Five Things Every Startup Needs to Know, Corp Magazine, December 19, 2013; New Law’s Message to Business: Protect Trade Secrets, Crain’s Detroit Business, May 23, 2016; Understanding the New Defend Trade Secrets Act, Institute of Continuing Legal Education, 2016; The New Federal Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016: Some Things Old, Some Things New, and How Courts Have Already Begun to Apply It, The Detroit Lawyer, October 2016; and Lesson from Autonomous Vehicle and Tech Companies: Protect Your Trade Secrets, In-House Defense Quarterly, Summer 2018. He has presented nationally on the topic of the Defend Trade Secrets Act in Washington, D.C.; Orlando, Florida; and Chicago, Illinois and internationally on the same subject in Milan, Italy. He has also served as a speaker and moderator on numerous expert panels discussing Startups.
Mr. Mersino has served on the Board of Directors of the Detroit Bar Association, has served as an advisor to the Michigan Institute of Continuing Legal Education's Litigation Advisory Board, and is a Trustee of the Butzel Long Charitable Trust.
Primary Practice Areas
All Related Practice Areas
- Appellate Law
- Appellate Specialty Team
- Business & Commercial Litigation
- Construction
- Construction Litigation
- Construction Specialty Team
- Emerging Technology Specialty Team
- Infrastructure & Transportation
- Litigation and Dispute Resolution
- Media Law
- Media Litigation
- Media, Entertainment, and Digital Content Law Specialty Team
- Non-Compete & Trade Secret
- Trade Secret & Non-Compete Specialty Team
Credentials
Education
Northwood University 2005, B.A.
Ave Maria School of Law 2008, J.D.
Admissions
- Michigan
- Supreme Court of the United States
- United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
- United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan
Memberships
- American Bar Foundation, Fellow
- Michigan State Bar Foundation, Fellow
- Detroit Bar Association, Board of Directors
- Detroit Lawyer Magazine, Editorial Board
- Leadership Oakland XXV
- Leadership Detroit XXXIX
- State Bar of Michigan
- American Bar Association
- Delta Mu Delta (Honorary Business Fraternity)
- American Inns of Court (Past Member)
- Institute of Continuing Legal Education, Litigation Advisory Board
Awards & Recognitions
Awards & Recognitions
Best Lawyer in Michigan, Commercial Litigation
Michigan Super Lawyers
DBusiness Top Lawyers in Metro Detroit, Commercial Litigation & Trade Secrets, Construction Law
Crain's Detroit Business 40 under 40
Oakland County Executive’s Elite 40 Under 40 Class