Christopher M. Turoski ’98
- Assistant Professor of Patent Law Programs
Degrees
- University of Minnesota Law School, J.D.
Expertise
- Intellectual Property
- Patent Law
Christopher M. Turoski '98 is Director and Assistant Professor of Patent Law Programs at the University of Minnesota Law School. Turoski brings two decades of progressive, real-world experience to lead the Master of Science in Patent Law and the LL.M. in Patent Law programs, which prepare students to excel in the modern business environment.
Turoski is the author of the following treatises, each published by Thomson Reuters: (i) "Patent Claims," (ii) "Assets & Finance: Intellectual Property in Mergers and Acquisitions," (iii) "The America Invents Act: A Guide to Patent Litigation and Patent Procedure," and (iv) the forthcoming “Patent Jury Instruction Handbook.” Turoski's writings are cited to the U.S. Supreme Court and the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office.
Turoski is the immediate past President of the National Association of Patent Practitioners. Previously, Turoski held executive-level positions at Cargill, the largest privately held corporation in the United States. As a vice president at CAN Technologies (a Cargill company), he led all intellectual property aspects of the company's mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, and joint ventures, including a multibillion-dollar purchase of a primary competitor. He managed a multimillion-dollar intellectual property and software licensing program as secretary and counsel at Format Solutions (another Cargill company). Turoski also served as managing senior counsel at Cargill, where he led intellectual property matters for the company legal acquisitions team and managed a global team of lawyers.
Turoski is a board member of Minnesota Distance Elite, a non-profit dedicated to training distance runners for National and Olympic competition. Turoski previously served as secretary and general counsel for the Epilepsy Foundation of Minnesota and on the board of directors for Minnesota Distance Running Association and the MDRA Foundation (d/b/a Run Minnesota). He began his legal career at Foley & Lardner, an international law firm. Turoski graduated from the University of Minnesota Law School magna cum laude, serving on the law review.
Turoski’s court and bar admissions include: U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Court of Appeals (Federal Circuit), U.S. District Court (Western District of Wisconsin), U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, State of Minnesota, State of Wisconsin.