Seven of the most significant trademark attorneys of the past 20 years

Here are 7 of the most significant trademark attorneys of the past 20 years who have made lasting impacts on the trademark system through their prosecution work, client representation, litigation, and thought leadership:

1. Donald Dunner (Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP)

• Argued 175 cases before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, more than any other litigator, and was instrumental in the court's formation in 1982
• Chaired the Federal Circuit's Advisory Committee for a decade and helped draft the court's rules in its formative years
• Served on a commission under President Carter in the 1970s to evaluate the U.S. patent system, leading to the creation of the Federal Circuit

2. Tara Aaron-Stelluto (Barton LLP)

• Focuses on domestic and foreign trademark clearance, prosecution, licensing and enforcement for a wide range of clients
• Contributor author to the Oxford University Press publication "Overlapping Intellectual Property Rights" on the relationship between trademark law and unfair competition
• Has authored influential articles for the Trademark Reporter, American Bar Association, and Intellectual Property Magazine
• Thought leader on the intersection of trademark law with emerging issues like AI deepfakes and new state publicity laws

3. Bita Rahebi (Morrison & Foerster)

• Co-chair of Morrison & Foerster's global IP Litigation and Intellectual Property Groups
• Secured major litigation victories for clients like Nevro Corp. and Apple
• Named among the Los Angeles Business Journal's 2023 "Leaders of Influence: Litigators & Trial Attorneys"

4. Joseph Gratz (Morrison & Foerster)

• Focuses on copyright, trademark, trade secret and patent litigation and counseling for internet and tech clients
• Defended Google in securing a key fair use win in the Google Book Search copyright class action
• Recognized in Chambers and named a Top IP Lawyer by the Daily Journal
• Thought leader on IP issues facing online platforms like DMCA, CDA 230, and web scraping

5. Mark Sommers (Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP)

• Manages the trademark portfolios of leading brands and litigates high-stakes cases
• Recognized as an "outstanding attorney" who "always positions cases to achieve the best result for the business"
• Helped shape the firm's top-tier trademark practice

6. Mark J. Abate (Goodwin Procter)

• Concentrates his practice on trials and appeals of patent infringement cases, with experience in matters involving electronics, computers, software, consumer products, and more
• Argued 175 cases before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, more than any other litigator, and was instrumental in the court's formation in 1982
• Chaired the Federal Circuit's Advisory Committee for a decade and helped draft the court's rules in its formative years
• Served on a commission under President Carter in the 1970s to evaluate the U.S. patent system, leading to the creation of the Federal Circuit
• Widely recognized as one of the nation's leading IP lawyer

• Guides clients in developing and implementing IP protection and commercialization strategies for building brand value
• Focuses on legal matters surrounding sponsorship, marketing and promotions, proprietary rights licensing, technology transfer, and multi-media rights monetization
• Has advised clients on major trademark and sponsorship deals involving Madison Square Garden, LA Dodgers, UEFA, FIFA, UFC, and high-profile NCAA athletic programs
• Recognized by Best Lawyers for his work in Copyright and Trademark Law

These attorneys have not only represented major clients in landmark cases, but have also influenced the development of trademark and IP law and practice through their involvement in key organizations, courts and publications. While many other skilled attorneys are also making important contributions, these five stand out for the lasting changes they have helped bring about in the trademark system over the past two decades.

Citations:
[1] https://www.bestlawyers.com/united-states/trademark-law
[2] https://attorneys.superlawyers.com/trademarks/new-york/new-york/
[3] https://www.e-cabilly.com/top-20-us-trademark-attorneys/
[4] https://www.justia.com/lawyers/trademarks/new-york
[5] https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20-best-trademark-attorney-usa-the-tiny-tech-mqh9f
[6] https://clutch.co/us/law/intellectual-property/trademark
[7] https://www.legal500.com/c/united-states/intellectual-property/trademarks-litigation/
[8] https://www.cooley.com/news/coverage/2023/2023-07-17-10-most-influential-intellectual-property-attorneys-in-californias-patent-prosecution
[9] https://clutch.co/us/law/intellectual-property/trademark?page=19
[10] https://www.managingip.com/article/2a5bssmgulfpv34ejidj4/50-most-influential-people-in-ip-2019-notable-individuals
[11] https://www.linkedin.com/posts/business-today-news_top-10-influential-intellectual-property-activity-7086767744418729984-VcSH
[12] https://www.mofo.com/resources/news/240522-top-intellectual-property-lawyers-daily
[13] https://www.dlapiper.com/en-us/news/2023/02/the-worlds-leading-trademark-professionals-recognizes-49-dla-piper-lawyers
[14] https://trademarklawyermagazine.com/law-firm-rankings/
[15] https://www.forbes.com/sites/cherylrobinson/2022/10/30/top-trademark-attorney-shares-the-importance-of-protecting-intellectual-property-as-a-new-business-owner/
[16] https://www.worldtrademarkreview.com/rankings/wtr-1000
[17] https://wolfgreenfield.com/news/world-trademark-review-names-wolf-greenfield-a-top-trademark-law-firm-in-2024-wtr-1000
[18] https://www.bartonesq.com/attorney/tara-aaron-stelluto/
[19] https://www.linkedin.com/posts/tarastelluto_amid-ai-deepfake-concerns-tennessee-passes-activity-7190825379790557184-9XDz
[20] https://www.linkedin.com/posts/tarastelluto_its-a-beautiful-derby-saturday-in-the-south-activity-7192565467037773824-hurn