News
Womble Bond Dickinson attorneys Evan Fultz, Sarah Keefe, Laura Kees, John Morrow, Randy Springer and Jacob Wharton have been ranked in the 2022 edition of the World Trademark Review 1000 – The World’s Leading Trademark Professionals.
The WTR 1000 research directory focuses on “identifying the trademark industry’s leading lights in 72 jurisdictions around the world.” Candidates are ranked according to market research, and are included independently of any commercial considerations.
The WTR 1000 report provides the following independent commentary about Womble Bond Dickinson and its ranked attorneys: “Tending to some 10,000 marks globally, Womble Bond Dickinson’s core trademark team comprises 16 lawyers and paralegals dedicated to portfolio management and strategic counselling; and with 31 IP litigators on deck, the firm has formidable firepower in major disputes.”
Evan Fultz advises businesses on their trademark and other proprietary rights in connection with the launch and protection of new brands, as well as in connection with acquisitions, divestitures, and expansions. He also manages worldwide monitoring and enforcement programs for his clients’ most valuable brands. In addition, Fultz frequently handles IP disputes and has extensive experience litigating trademark opposition and cancellation proceedings before the USPTO.
Sarah Keefe, leader of Womble Bond Dickinson’s Trademarks, Copyrights and Transactions Practice Group, develops complex trademark clearance and registration strategies across industry sector lines and around the world, with a particular area of experience in regulated industries. Keefe has considerable experience in pharmaceutical trademarks, including regulatory and safety analysis branding considerations. She also helps clients resolve IP disputes, including trademark infringement, unfair competition and false advertising litigation as well as trademark opposition proceedings before the USPTO. She is a North Carolina Bar Board Certified Trademark Specialist.
Laura Kees concentrates her practice on managing trademark and copyright portfolios; counseling clients on risks associated with proposed names and marks; evaluating when applications for domestic and/or international registration should be filed and advising how and when to maintain those registrations.
John Morrow chaired Womble Bond Dickinson’s Intellectual Property Litigation practice group from 2012 – 2021. For more than two decades, his practice has focused on complex disputes involving patent infringement, trademark and trade dress infringement, unfair competition, copyright infringement, trade secret misappropriation, false advertising, antitrust, and cybersecurity (data breaches).
Randy Springer has guided clients in selecting, clearing, registering, maintaining and defending trademarks for more than 25 years. Springer acts as a trusted IP advisor to clients at all stages of the trademark life cycle, and is a North Carolina Bar Board Certified Trademark Specialist. He leads Womble Bond Dickinson’s Trademark Team.
Jacob Wharton – Jake defends clients in IP disputes in federal courts, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, and in private arbitrations. His experience includes trademark, copyright, and trade secret litigation matters. Jake represents a variety of industries that span diverse technologies, especially the snack food, apparel, home furnishings/furniture, software, pharmaceutical manufacturing, and related industries.
