Holley C. M. Horrell
Attorney
Overview
Holley represents clients in complex business disputes and intellectual property disputes, including trademark and copyright infringement matters. She approaches each case with a clear focus on the client’s goals—learning their business, understanding what's at stake, and advocating strategically at every phase.
Holley has broad and deep litigation experience, ranging from breach of contract disputes, to complex coordinated antitrust litigation, to intellectual property cases, to trust instruction proceedings. Whether she’s negotiating the scope of discovery, arguing a dispositive motion, or first-chairing a trial, Holley brings careful preparation and a thorough command of the facts. And while she has litigated in state and federal courts around the country, Holley draws particularly on her two judicial clerkships with district judges in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota to advise clients on litigating in federal court in Minnesota.
In the intellectual property space, Holley regularly represents clients in copyright and trademark infringement lawsuits in federal court and has appeared before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. In one representative matter, she won a preliminary injunction under the Lanham Act against a company for distributing counterfeit goods—work recognized with an “Attorney of the Year” distinction.
Holley also regularly counsels clients outside the courtroom on intellectual property rights, contract analysis, risk assessment, and pre-litigation strategy and negotiations. She also speaks on copyright and trademark developments and has taught a law school course on depositions.
Holley maintains an active pro bono practice, primarily representing children in foster-care-related legal proceedings. She served as Board Chair for the Children’s Law Center of Minnesota and serves as Secretary for the State Board of Civil Legal Aid.
EDUCATION
- J.D., Stanford Law School; Hilmer Oehlmann, Jr. Award for Outstanding Performance in Federal Litigation; Co-Editor-in-Chief, Stanford Technology Law Review
- B.A., Duke University, summa cum laude, English, with minors in Art History and Mandarin Chinese, Phi Beta Kappa
EXPERIENCE
- United States District Court for the District of Minnesota, Judge Jeffrey M. Bryan, Law Clerk
- United States District Court for the District of Minnesota, Judge Joan N. Ericksen, Law Clerk
- Irell & Manella PLLP, Associate
ADMISSIONS
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U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
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U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District Court of California
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
- U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota
- State Bar of California
- State Bar of Minnesota
AFFILIATIONS
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
- American Intellectual Property Law Association
- AIPLA Quarterly Journal Editorial Board Member (2021-2024)
- Federal Bar Association, Minnesota Chapter
- Vice-President, Special Events (2026-present)
- Practice Group Co-Chair (2024-2026)
- Community Outreach Committee Member (2020-2022)
- The Honorable Jimmie V. Reyna Intellectual Property American Inn of Court
- University of Minnesota Law School
- Adjunct Professor on Depositions (Spring 2026)
- Adjunct Professor on Judicial Writing (Spring 2021)
- Minnesota Women Lawyers
LANGUAGES
- French (fluent)
- Mandarin (familiar)
Holley's Practice Areas
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Trademark Litigation
Explore Practice AreaFrom premier brand-owners to niche device manufacturers, clients seek Greene Espel’s counsel in complex disputes involving trademarks.
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Copyright Litigation
Explore Practice AreaGreene Espel is frequently called upon to protect copyright interests as well as defend against claims of copyright infringement.
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Commercial Litigation
Explore Practice AreaOur business litigation practice embraces the wide variety of commercial disputes facing private and public companies today. Areas of particular expertise include intellectual property, antitrust, securities, employment, professional liability, and construction disputes.
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Mediation
Explore Practice AreaThe Greene Espel mediation team leverages decades of high-stakes litigation experience to deliver efficient, practical dispute resolution—understanding what drives successful outcomes because we've fought these battles in court. As Minnesota Rule 114 Qualified Neutrals, we also meet the state's certification requirements for alternative dispute resolution.
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Antitrust and Competition
Explore Practice AreaGreene Espel can help you navigate antitrust and competition investigations, government enforcement actions, white collar criminal investigations and litigation, trial and appellate litigation, and compliance counseling.
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Appellate
Explore Practice Area“What’s next?” Greene Espel can guide you through the appellate process, providing an objective assessment of the pivotal issues, developing a strategy based on how appellate judges are likely to view a case in light of legal, institutional, and policy considerations, and advocating effectively.
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Class Actions
Explore Practice AreaClients regularly turn to Greene Espel when faced with high-stakes, class-action litigation. Greene Espel attorneys have defended dozens of putative class actions in federal and state courts all across the country.
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Employment Litigation
Explore Practice AreaBusinesses, public institutions, and individuals seek out Greene Espel for representation in a wide range of employment-litigation matters.
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Local Government Defense
Explore Practice AreaLocal government defense is a cornerstone of Greene Espel’s practice.
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Securities Litigation
Explore Practice AreaInstitutional investors and public companies alike have turned to Greene Espel in high-stakes securities litigation: fraud cases, multi-million-dollar battles over the terms of securities, class actions, shareholder disputes, RMBS, and more.
Holley's Recognition & Awards
- 2023 Attorney of the Year, Minnesota Lawyer
- 2021 Attorney of the Year, Minnesota Lawyer
- Selected to Super Lawyers list, Minnesota Super Lawyers (2025)
- Listed in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch (2021-2025)
- Rising Star, Minnesota Super Lawyers (2020-2024)
- Recognized as Up and Coming Attorney, Minnesota Lawyer (2019)
- Recognized as Minnesota State Bar Association North Star Lawyer for pro bono service (2018-2019, 2024)
- Appointed to U.S. Magistrate Judge Merit Selection Panel by Chief Judge Patrick J. Schiltz (2024)
- Appointed to a Merit Selection Panel by Chief Judge John R. Tunheim to advise the U.S. District Court of the District of Minnesota on the reappointment of U.S. Magistrate Judge Tony N. Leung (July 2018)
- Featured in a “Pro Bono Spotlight” by the Inner City Law Center of Los Angeles, CA, for her pro bono representation of veterans (Sept. 2015)
- Hilmer Oehlmann, Jr. Award for Outstanding Performance in Federal Litigation (Spring 2010)
Holley's Community Involvement
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
- Children's Law Center of Minnesota
- Board Member (2020-2025)
- Board Chair (2024-2025)
- Co-Chair, Development Committee (2023-2024)
- State Board of Civil Legal Aid
- Board Member (2025-present)
- Board Secretary (2026-present)
- Girls on the Run Twin Cities
- Board Member (2019-2023)
- Co-Chair of Associate Board (2019-2020)
- Special Events Committee Member (2016-2019)
- Fourth Generation (a program of the Minneapolis Foundation), Volunteer Grantmaker (2017-2018)
- Los Angeles Intellectual Property Law Association, Chair of Copyright and Trademark committee (2014-2015); Co-Chair of Washington in the West committee (2013-2014)