Shumaker’s Douglas A. Cherry and Mindi M. Richter Honored as Florida Trend Legal Elite Notable IP Attorneys

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Shumaker partners Douglas A. Cherry and Mindi M. Richter have been selected as Florida Trend Legal Elite Notable Intellectual Property Attorneys, an honor that recognizes their outstanding contributions and leadership in intellectual property law.

Florida Trend’s Legal Elite Notable program identifies exceptional attorneys across various legal disciplines through peer nominations and editorial review. The program spotlights lawyers who demonstrate professional excellence, leadership, and meaningful impact within the legal community.

Patrick Horne, Partner and Intellectual Property National Service Line Leader at Shumaker, praised the honorees, stating, “Doug and Mindi exemplify the depth, sophistication, and client-focused service that define Shumaker’s IP practice. Their selection reflects not only their technical skill but also their dedication to helping clients protect, manage, and enforce their valuable intellectual property assets.”

Douglas A. Cherry serves as Shumaker’s Intellectual Property Service Line Lead and Technology Industry Sector Co-Chair. He brings extensive transactional, litigation, and mediation experience to high-profile IP and technology matters. As a Certified Intellectual Property Law Specialist by The Florida Bar Board of Legal Specialization and Education, Cherry handles a broad range of trademark, copyright, and trade secret issues.

Cherry represents a diverse clientele including corporations, municipalities, nonprofits, startups, and entrepreneurs across industries such as technology, healthcare, law enforcement, and manufacturing. His practice includes advising on e-commerce, software and website agreements, technology performance and domain name disputes, employment and consultant agreements, and technology licensing. He is also a founding member of Shumaker’s Data Breach Team.

Cherry’s professional recognitions include Legal 500 U.S. City Elite for Florida Intellectual Property (2026), Florida Legal Elite by Florida Trend magazine (2015, 2016, 2020, 2021), and WTR 1000: The World’s Leading Trademark Professionals (2024–2026), among others.

Mindi M. Richter, St. Petersburg Managing Partner, is also board certified by The Florida Bar as an Intellectual Property Law Specialist. She litigates IP cases nationwide, covering trademark, patent, and copyright infringement, trade secret misappropriation, unfair competition, and domain name disputes.

Richter frequently handles trademark proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board of the United States Patent and Trademark Office and advises clients on developing patent, copyright, and trademark portfolios.

Her accolades include recognition by WTR 1000: The World’s Leading Trademark Professionals (2024), Best Lawyers as “Tampa Litigation–Intellectual Property Lawyer of the Year” (2026) and “Tampa Copyright Lawyer of the Year” (2025), Florida Trend Legal Elite Notable Managing Partner, and Florida Legal Elite by Florida Trend magazine (2016–2017).

Together, Cherry and Richter bring decades of experience assisting businesses, entrepreneurs, public entities, and nonprofit organizations in navigating complex intellectual property matters.

Shumaker’s Intellectual Property Service Line is dedicated to helping clients protect, defend, and maximize the value of their IP assets in a global marketplace. Their comprehensive services cover patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets, providing robust counsel to maintain competitiveness in today’s innovation-driven economy.

With a team of over 300 attorneys and advisors, Shumaker supports clients in moving their businesses forward with confidence in an evolving legal landscape.