Christopher M. Turoski ’98

Christopher M. Turoski ’98 is a seasoned intellectual property leader with decades of experience shaping IP strategy at the highest levels of industry and academia. As Director and Assistant Professor at the University of Minnesota Law School, he leads the Master of Science in Patent Law and the LL.M. in Patent Law programs—preparing the next generation of IP professionals for today’s innovation-driven economy.

Before entering academia, Turoski held executive legal roles at Cargill, the largest privately held company in the U.S., where he directed global intellectual property efforts in the business and across mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, and divestitures. As Vice President of CAN Technologies (a Cargill subsidiary), he led IP strategy for high-stakes IP issues, including a multibillion-dollar acquisition of a competitor and a multimillion-dollar software licensing program. He served as Managing Senior Counsel at Cargill, where he led a legal IP function and oversaw a worldwide network of attorneys.

Turoski’s legal treatises, published by Thomson Reuters and cited to the U.S. Supreme Court and United States Patent and Trademark Office, include:

• Patent Claims (2024–2025)
• Assets & Finance: IP in Mergers & Acquisitions (2024)
• The America Invents Act: A Guide to Patent Litigation & Procedure (2024)
• Patent Jury Instruction Handbook (2025)

Turoski is the former President of the National Association of Patent Practitioners. He supports nonprofit health and human services causes through board leadership roles with Minnesota Distance Elite and the Epilepsy Foundation of Minnesota.

Turoski began his legal career at Foley & Lardner LLP and earned his J.D. magna cum laude from the University of Minnesota Law School, where he served on the Law Review.

Turoski is admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, Federal Circuit, USPTO, and state and federal courts in Minnesota and Wisconsin.