Lewis Roca Lawyers Named in 2022 World Trademark Review (WTR) 1000 Directory

Honors & Recognitions

03/3/2022

PHOENIX (March 3, 2022) – Lewis Roca announced four lawyers Michael McCue, Gary Nelson, Anne Aikman-Scalese and Jennifer Van Kirk have been included in World Trademark Review (WTR) 1000: The World’s Leading Trademark Professionals 2022 guide. WTR 1000 is an exclusive directory that identifies the trademark industry's leading practitioners around the world.

The firm’s Intellectual Property Practice Group is the only law firm in Arizona listed in the WTR 1000 gold tier, exemplifying the firm’s esteemed reputation of “excellence for trademark services.” “For more than half a century, Lewis Roca has been a hub of excellence for trademark services and has built a first-rate team which can effortlessly resolve any challenge sent its way. Its contingent of 40-plus lawyers understands the brand needs of market-leading companies and processes a high volume of instructions with the minimum of fuss. Lewis Roca was also one of only four firms listed in the recommended category in Nevada.

Jennifer Van Kirk, recognized in Arizona by WTR 1000, is a partner in the firm’s Phoenix office. She advises clients on all aspects of ‎trademark and brand protection, including trademark clearance, prosecution, licensing, portfolio ‎management and litigation guidance. Van Kirk has cultivated a network of trusted firms in nearly 200 countries to help clients protect their brands internationally. As stated in the 2022 WTR 1000 guide, “Van Kirk has a truly global outlook and helps clients to make their names worldwide, while finding innovative ways to commercialize their assets.” With over twenty years’ experience, she advises clients on which global registrations to pursue, ‎filing strategies to maximize coverage, and cost-containment options. She has overseen hundreds of cases before U.S. and foreign tribunals to protect her ‎clients' IP interests.

Michael McCue, recognized in Nevada by WTR 1000, is a partner in the firm’s Las Vegas office with additional presence in the firm’s Silicon Valley and Los Angeles offices. Per this year’s recognition by WTR 1000, McCue is “a trademark practitioner of the highest intellectual and ethical standards” and “a pleasure to work with.” He provides trademark services from clearance through registration, enforcement and litigation. As both a litigator and trademark prosecution attorney, he has the perspective and knowledge to ensure that his clients’ trademark portfolios are developed, managed and enforced in a manner that maximizes their value and strength in the United States and around the world. Additionally, he has litigated hundreds of trademark cases in federal courts throughout the United States and before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, including cases involving some of the most famous trademarks in the world.

Gary Nelson was recognized in the bronze tier in California by WTR 1000 in the area of prosecution and strategy. A partner in the firm’s Los Angeles office, Nelson handles the prosecution and maintenance of large international corporate trademark portfolios in the fashion, sports and entertainment, food, computer software and hardware and office supply industries. He is involved in the enforcement and defense of trademark, copyright, and patent rights for his clients and is knowledgeable in trademark, copyright and patent licensing. Nelson has been lead counsel on over 150 trademark opposition/cancellation proceedings before the United States Trademark Trial and Appeal Board; and has filed hundreds of UDRP Complaints with the National Arbitration Forum and the World Intellectual Property Organization (“WIPO”) to force the transfer of ownership of contested domain names. Nelson is also a domain name arbitrator panelist for WIPO.

Anne Aikman-Scalese, recognized in Arizona and nationally in the generic top-level domains category by WTR 1000, is of counsel in the firm’s Tucson office. She assists clients with a wide variety of commercial contracts, worldwide trademark registration strategy and prosecution, copyright protection, IP due diligence and IP licensing transactions. She has experience handling global trademark portfolio management, enforcement and dispute resolution (including TTAB proceedings) for the largest division of a Fortune 500 corporation, a federally-recognized Indian tribe, and a popular resort with casino and entertainment venues. Aikman-Scalese also has in-depth knowledge of new gTLD policy-making processes at ICANN and has served as a trademark expert in federal court proceedings. Per this year’s recognition by WTR 1000, Aikman-Scalese “belongs to a very small group of lawyers who have a deep understanding of online trademark issues and can decipher any situation, no matter how cryptic. Her strategies are based on her clients’ commercial interests and she shows incredible perseverance in the face of adversity.”

Published by Globe Business Media Group in London, WTR researchers conducted interviews and exchanged correspondence over a four-month period with hundreds of lawyers, attorneys, and their clients involved with trademarks to identify the firms and individuals that are deemed outstanding in this critical area of practice. Individuals qualify for inclusion in the WTR 1000 upon receiving sufficient positive feedback from market sources with knowledge of their practice and the market in which they operate.

About Lewis Roca

Lewis Roca is an Am Law 200 law firm serving clients globally in complex litigation, intellectual property, business transactions, gaming, government relations, labor and employment, and regulatory counseling. Its offices are located in Albuquerque, Colorado Springs, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Reno, Silicon Valley, and Tucson. To learn more about the firm, please visit us at our website at www.lewisroca.com.

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