New York City is the commercial powerhouse of the United States. As both a base and a key market for many of the world's leading brands, it is home to a high concentration of top-quality trademark practitioners. Intense competition has seen a number of firms merge, spin off into new outfits or become incorporated into larger concerns. This fluidity has increased during the recent global recession and its aftermath, as lawyers and their clients have become increasingly cost conscious. Reflecting the nature of the New York market, our rankings feature a number of traditional specialist trademark boutiques alongside outfits with a broader IP focus and full-service commercial firms with national and international footprints. Firms with a trial focus also appear in our rankings, as companies often seek specific courtroom expertise for particularly high-stakes disputes.
Co-chair of Katten Muchin Rosenman's national IP practice, Karen Artz Ash is “a brilliant lawyer with an astute business sense and an amazing knowledge of the law”. She focuses on global trademark portfolio strategy, including maintenance, due diligence, licensing and financing agreements. A major client is apparel corporation The Warnaco Group, which she has advised on several large-scale transactional matters. At Carter Ledyard & Milburn, “smart and well-regarded practitioner” Rose Auslander handles a wide range of trademark matters including litigation, prosecution and licensing. She also conducts UDRP proceedings and advises clients on trademark and domain name enforcement strategy. A new arrival at Pryor Cashman, Dyan Finguerra-DuCharme is "really making her mark". She recently obtained a favourable judgment on behalf of Honda in Dalton v Honda, in which the federal court upheld a previous TTAB ruling. In addition to administrative and civil litigation, Finguerra-DuCharme provides trademark prosecution and clearance expertise to her clients and advises on brand protection strategy. Harley I Lewin of McCarter & English is widely renowned for his anti-counterfeiting work; he assists companies from a variety of different backgrounds in developing and implementing effective brand protection strategies around the world. He also handles trademark infringement and anticounterfeiting litigation before the US courts. At Fulbright & Jaworski, Mark Mutterperl wins plaudits for his work on domestic and international trademark enforcement. He handles trademark, trade dress and anticounterfeiting litigation for a range of wellknown companies from the food and beverage, information technology and pharmaceutical fields, among others. Steven Pokotilow of Stroock & Stroock & Lavan is “a deeply experienced lawyer with an excellent practical grasp of trademark matters”. Focusing on trademark litigation as part of a broad IP practice, his work also includes counselling on enforcement and transactions at both national and international levels; he “has an expert appreciation of US trademark law and how it is interrelated with the rest of the world”. Geoffrey Potter chairs Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler's anti-counterfeiting practice team and is “enormously respected for his extensive expertise” in the area. He focuses on cases involving counterfeits that have the potential to cause physical harm, and has handled worldwide anti-counterfeiting work for leading brands from the pharmaceutical, medical devices and consumer electronics fields, among others. At Jones Day, Peter Vogl litigates trademark cases before the civil courts and the TTAB. An “expert trial lawyer”, he possesses vast experience in contentious matters involving trade dress, cybersquatting, unfair competition and false advertising.