Alan is a shareholder in the firm of Briggs and Morgan, Professional Association. A nationally recognized trial lawyer with several decades of experience, Alan is certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy as a civil trial advocate and by the Minnesota State Bar Association as a civil trial specialist. Alan practices principally in the areas of:
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Complex commercial litigation
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Intellectual property litigation, particularly patent and trademark
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infringement litigation and unfair competition
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Franchise litigation (on behalf of franchisors only)
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Appellate law
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International arbitration
Alan’s practice is international in scope and he represents clients in a wide variety of industries. He has tried jury cases to verdict in state and federal courts literally from Los Angeles to New York City. In his intellectual property practice, Alan has litigated actions involving a variety of diverse technologies, including medical devices, shape memory alloys, software, electronics and electrical systems, chemical compositions, agricultural equipment, snowmobile equipment, commercial refrigeration systems, and a variety of other mechanical and electrical devices.
Alan has experience in all aspects of complex commercial litigation. His arbitration experience includes large commercial disputes and international arbitration proceedings conducted under the auspices of the London Court of International Arbitration and the ICC. He has represented foreign orporations in court in the U.S. and in international arbitrations.
Alan has been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America. He is a fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America. He has been recognized repeatedly in Minnesota Super Lawyers in the area of intellectual property litigation. Twice he was recognized as one of the top 100 franchise lawyers in America. Since 1999, Alan has been recognized as a Leading American Lawyer in the areas of commercial litigation and intellectual property law. Alan has acted as a preliminary and elimination round judge for the Willem C. Vis International Arbitration Moot in Vienna, Austria, in which over 200 law schools from around the world compete. Alan is admitted to practice in Minnesota, and the U.S. District Courts for the District of Minnesota, District of Arizona, District of Nebraska, District of North Dakota, District of Colorado, and the Eastern District of Wisconsin. He is admitted to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 10th and Federal Circuits; and to the Supreme Court of the United States. He also is admitted pro hac vice in various U. S. district courts.
Alan is a member of the American Bar Association and its Sections on Litigation, Dispute Resolution, and Intellectual Property Law, as well as the Forum on Franchising. He is also a member of the American Intellectual Property Law Association, the Federal Bar Association, the Federal Circuit Bar Association and the Minnesota State Bar Association. He has given presentations and speeches at international, national, and local conferences and seminars. A frequent writer, Alan has published articles in such publications as Managing Intellectual Property, Franchise Law Journal, Intellectual Property Litigation, Minnesota Lawyer and Bench & Bar of Minnesota.
Alan served as a law clerk to the Honorable John D. Butzner, Jr. of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. He received his J.D., magna cum laude, from the Cornell Law School, where he was symposium editor of the Cornell Law Review and elected to Order of the Coif. He also received an M.B.A., with distinction, from Cornell University Graduate School of Business and Public Administration, and a B.A., magna cum laude, from Coe College, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi. Alan received a post-graduate Certificate in International Business and Commercial Law in 1988 from the McGeorge School of Law, University of the Pacific. In 2009, he received an M.A., cum laude, in military history, from Norwich University. He is a qualified neutral (ADR) under Rule 114 of the Minnesota General Rules of Practice for the District Courts.