MINNEAPOLIS (February 17, 2020) – Lathrop GPM and its trademark attorneys are recognized as global industry leaders, according to the World Trademark Review® (WTR). The firm and five of its attorneys — Jennifer Debrow, Ashley Bennett Ewald, Dean Eyler, Sheldon Klein, and Lori Wiese-Parks — are included in the 2020 edition of WTR 1000: The World’s Leading Trademark Professionals.
In the annual ranking, Lathrop GPM is one of only 10 firms named to the United States: Minnesota list. Only Lathrop GPM and one other firm had four Minnesota-based lawyers make the list.
WTR reports: “Lathrop GPM is enthusiastically endorsed for its global rights management prowess; the firm protects clients cost effectively and with a focus on the right strategy for a given task. This combination of efficiency and quality underpins the closeness of its relationships with marquee names such as Campbell Soup Company . . . and Radisson Hospitality, to which it provides extensive daily counselling with respect to its hotel brands across 170-plus territories. Linking up to represent both are Jennifer Debrow and Ashley Bennett Ewald.”
Furthermore, according to WTR, “Debrow ‘runs the team so effectively and provides a wonderful service.’ Having represented many of her clients for decades – International Dairy Queen being a good example – she is a trove of knowledge, such that her advice is always invaluable. She understands her clients’ risk tolerance and what positions are reasonable to take, and avoids giving ‘on the one hand, on the other’-type advice.” Debrow is Gold-band ranked in the Prosecution and Strategy category.
Ewald, WTR says, “serves as quasi in-house counsel for Radisson, which provides her with a first-hand understanding of its commercial needs.” Ewald earned Silver-band ranking in both the Enforcement and Litigation and Prosecution and Strategy categories for 2020.
On the transactional side of the practice, WTR says, “Lori Wiese-Parks is another key contact. Like Debrow, she started out as a corporate lawyer and brings a strong business background to trademark practice. She is a sought-after font of trademark expertise in the food industry.” Wiese-Parks also earned a Silver-band designation in the Prosecution and Strategy area.
WTR also says of the Minnesota trademark group: “To meet the full needs of rights holders, Lathrop GPM has enhanced its litigation offering significantly in recent years, with Dean Eyler leading the charge. Eyler has a national reputation as an excellent litigation strategist with great recent results.” Eyler advanced a position over the previous year’s ranking and is in the Gold band for Enforcement and Litigation. He’s one of five in that band in Minnesota.
In the Washington, D.C. Metro Area, Lathrop GPM’s Sheldon Klein is again recognized in both WTR categories. WTR describes Klein as “distinguished by the breadth of his expertise, which encompasses trademark, copyright and unfair competition law, as well as advertising and social media. Moreover, he works dextrously across the contentious/non-contentious divide, meaning that he can handle anything a brand owner needs. His disputes practice has been busy of late; he secured a permanent injunction for Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategic Consulting . . . in an infringement case concerning a federal service mark.” Klein is in the Bronze-band level in the crowded D.C. market.
WTR 1000 is viewed as the definitive resource for legal trademark expertise. The rankings are based on qualitative research to identify the firms and individuals deemed outstanding in this critical area of practice. To identify the leading firms, factors such as depth of expertise, market presence, and the level of work are all taken into account along with peer and client feedback. The 2020 rating directory can be found online at www.worldtrademarkreview.com/directories/wtr1000/rankings.