Mintz announces that Laura M. Franco has joined as a Member of the Intellectual Property practice group in the firm’s San Francisco office. Laura is an internationally recognized trademark practitioner specializing in trademark prosecution, brand enforcement and protection, and IP licensing. Prior to joining Mintz, Laura was a partner at Winston & Stawn LLP, where she managed the Trademark Prosecution & Brand Protection group and co-chaired the firm’s Latino lawyers affinity group.
“Over the past twenty years, leading brands have relied on Laura time and again for guidance on some of the most pressing legal matters in trademark, from litigating high-stakes cases to negotiating successful settlements,” said Bob Bodian, Managing Member. “Her in-depth understanding of trademark law and deep ties to the Bay Area will be an immediate asset as we continue to grow our nationally recognized IP practice.”
Clients across industries seek Laura’s counsel on intellectual property matters related to financing, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and other strategic transactions. As a result of her success, Laura has been named one of the World’s Leading Trademark Professionals by World Trademark Review for the past eight years.
An accomplished litigator, Laura regularly leads trademark litigation before state and federal courts and the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. She has also worked on copyright, patent, unfair competition, false advertising, and domain name cases.
“Laura is an expert in all manner of trademark, branding, and business issues. She consistently achieves favorable outcomes for her clients whether in licensing, litigation or at the trademark office,” said Michael T. Renaud, chair of the Intellectual Property Division at Mintz. “Her broad knowledge of global brand protection, combined with her in-house experience, is ideally suited to meet our increasing volume of trademark portfolio development and management work.”
Earlier, as a senior corporate counsel at a global video game company, she provided strategic guidance on a broad range of IP protection and enforcement issues. Laura also previously served as a partner at a national law firm.
