Potomac Law is pleased to announce that the firm has, for the first time, been recognized as a leading trademark firm in WTR 1000 2021 – The World’s Leading Trademark Professionals, the industry’s definitive publication. The WTR conducts extensive research over many months to determine the leading national and international trademark practitioners from around the globe.
“Modern, dynamic, lean, agile, cost-effective – and different,” WTR notes, “innovative” Potomac Law has an “all-star line-up” of “trademark superheroes” who guide a stable of high-profile brands as well as startups. In its WTR 1000 debut, the firm ranks silver for prosecution and strategy and bronze for litigation, holding its own alongside the high powered (and high-cost) D.C. BigLaw firms who fill out these categories.
All four partners in the group have also been recognized in the individual ranking as leaders in their field, a rare achievement of 100% inclusion.
Julia Anne Matheson, a “superstar” “trademark-law doyenne” and “fabulous international prosecution and strategy expert” is once again ranked Gold in DC Metro as well as Gold nationally for Prosecution and Strategy. This ranks her as one of the top thirteen in the whole United States and one of the top six women out of many thousands of practitioners. WTR adds that Ms. Matheson is “as experienced and brand savvy as any lawyer in the world” with “boundless” capabilities.
Janet Satterthwaite, Chair of the Trademark practice group, “provides superb leadership to a cast of trademark superheroes at PLG. She’s a Swiss Army knife of a brands lawyer who garners outstanding successes.” Recognized for the tenth consecutive year, she ranks in the Gold band for Prosecution and Strategy, and Silver band for Enforcement & Litigation. An “honorable trademark lawyer who advocates well” and a “smooth operator in every facet of the practice,” Ms. Satterthwaite is one of only six lawyers, and only two women, in the competitive Washington D.C. Metro Area, to be ranked this highly in both prosecution and litigation, a testament to her versatility as a one-stop resource for all global branding needs.
“Names to keep on the radar” are two partners making their “deserved” WTR 1000 debut:
Bonny Plosker, the longest-serving member of the team, ranks Silver for drawing on her “superb” in-house experience nurturing famous global brands at Time Warner and MTV to guide her clients, which “makes her a highly efficient and commercial trademark counsel skilled at keeping costs low without compromising on quality.”
Todd Bontemps, a Silicon Valley IP veteran and “perfect in the trusted advisor role” with “penetrating insight not just into trademark law but numerous other areas of interest to brands” such as domain names and advertising, is praised for his “refined understanding of trademark protection, licensing, infringement and counterfeiting issues.” His advice is “informed by excellent strategic and business instincts.”
"The prestigious WTR 1000's high ranking of our firm alongside BigLaw powerhouses, and the effusive recognition of all of our partners, with Julia once again at the highest national level, just confirms that Potomac Law rivals any trademark team in the US in quality and skill, at a fraction of the cost of BigLaw," said managing partner Ben Lieber.
As well as illustrating the depth of expertise available to brand owners as they seek to protect their brands, the WTR 1000 guide serves as the definitive tool to locating the best trademark lawyers worldwide.
Nicholas Richardson, research editor for the WTR 1000, explains: “A strong brand is vital to success in today’s intensely competitive and increasingly globalized market. Trademarks are key tools through which businesses can protect the goodwill and reputation inherent in their brands and build and maintain demand for their products and services. As a result, external advisers play a crucial role in developing and implementing brand strategies for both local and international markets and in protecting these vital assets in the face of infringement. It is thus imperative to choose the best legal counsel and the WTR 1000 serves as an essential guide in today’s brand-focused economy – as well as highlighting the health of the trademark marketplace.”
