Snell & Wilmer Partners and Practices Recognized in WTR 1000 Rankings

PHOENIX - Snell & Wilmer is pleased to announce that seven partners have been selected for inclusion in the World Trademark Review (WTR) 1000 list of the World’s Leading Trademark Professionals for 2024. Additionally, the firm was ranked in the DC Metro Area for Enforcement and Litigation (Silver band) and Prosecution and Strategy (Bronze band). In Arizona, the firm was ranked in the Silver band. The WTR 1000 identifies the top trademark professionals in key jurisdictions around the world. The guide, focused exclusively on trademark practices and practitioners, describes itself as a firmly established resource for those seeking world-class legal trademark capabilities.

Firms and individual practitioners qualify for inclusion based on depth of expertise, market presence, the level of work, and peer and client feedback.

Below are the Snell & Wilmer attorneys who have been named to the 2024 WTR 1000 list:

Dax Alvarez – Recognized in Nevada. Alvarez is a partner based in the Los Angeles and Reno offices. He has over 25 years of experience in trademark law and concentrates his practice on trademark counseling, prosecution, licensing, litigation, rights of publicity, and internet domain name matters. He assists clients with all stages of securing U.S. trademark protection and coordinates the filing and prosecution of foreign trademark applications. Alvarez has extensive experience in managing U.S. and international trademark portfolios in the technology, apparel, consumer products, entertainment, and food and beverage fields, and works with clients in formulating U.S. and international filing, protection, and enforcement strategies.

J. Damon Ashcraft – Recognized in Arizona and nationally for ICANN and Domain Names. Ashcraft is a partner based in the Phoenix office. His trademark practice focuses on trademark protection online and internet governance issues. Ashcraft manages numerous trademark enforcement programs on an international scale. Further, he enforces and defends clients’ trademark rights before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board and in various federal and state courts. He is also an active leader within the International Trademark Association (INTA) and the Intellectual Property Constituency (IPC) of Internet Corporation of Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) which has a significant role in Internet governance.

John J. Dabney – Recognized for Enforcement and Litigation in the DC Metro Area (Gold band) and nationally (Silver band). Dabney is a partner in the Washington, D.C. office. For 25 years, he has devoted his practice almost exclusively to the representation of companies in trademark, trade dress, false advertising, and unfair competition litigation under the federal Lanham Act. Dabney has litigated Lanham Act cases in the federal courts in more than 25 different jurisdictions, and he has served as lead counsel in more than 100 federal court actions and in many cases before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. His clients include brand owners in a variety of industries, including food and beverage, medical devices, healthcare, sporting goods and resorts, household goods, financial services, and more.

R. Lee Fraley – Recognized in Arizona. Fraley is a partner in the firm’s Phoenix office. He advises clients during all stages of securing U.S. and foreign trademark protection, and he coordinates the filing and prosecution of U.S. and international trademark applications. Fraley is actively involved in opposition and cancellation proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, and he manages other contentious trademark proceedings in the United States and around the world. He handles trademark, trade dress, false advertising, and unfair competition disputes under the federal Lanham Act, as well as globally working with foreign counsel in enforcing and defending his client’s rights. A substantial portion of Fraley’s practice involves negotiating on behalf of his clients and counseling them on acquisitions and licensing.

Deborah A. Gubernick – Recognized for Prosecution and Strategy in California (Bronze band). Gubernick is a partner in the firm’s Orange County office. She helps small and large clients protect and defend their brands and business in the U.S. and abroad. She has litigated cases in state and federal courts and has handled over 100 matters before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. She routinely litigates trademark, copyright, and trade secret cases, as well as cases involving false advertising, breach of contract, unfair competition, and more. Gubernick has negotiated assignments, settlements, trademark co-existence agreements and licenses involving household brand names, high-end retailers, famous clothing brands, national sports leagues, and more.

Mary D. Hallerman – Recognized for Enforcement and Litigation in the DC Metro Area (Silver band). Hallerman is a partner in the Washington, D.C. office. She focuses her practice on trademark, trade dress, unfair competition, false advertising, and copyright litigation, enforcement, and counseling. She regularly represents clients in federal trial and appellate courts throughout the United States and the Trademark Trial Appeal Board (TTAB), as well as in domain name disputes before the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and similar fora. Hallerman also has significant appellate experience, having represented clients in trademark, trade dress, false advertising, and copyright appeals across four different circuits.

Richard Y. Kim – Recognized for Prosecution and Strategy in the DC Metro Area (Silver band). Kim is a partner in the Washington, D.C. office. He represents companies on trademark prosecution, counseling, licensing, and litigation matters. Kim assists clients with all stages of securing U.S. trademark protection and coordinates the filing and prosecution of U.S. and international trademark applications. He has extensive experience in managing large global trademark portfolios in the consumer products, pharmaceutical, technology, food and beverage, medical devices, health, and entertainment fields. Kim also has multinational transactional experience including negotiating and preparing coexistence and settlement agreements.

About Snell & Wilmer
 Founded in 1938, Snell & Wilmer is a full-service business law firm with more than 500 attorneys practicing in 16 locations throughout the United States and in Mexico, including Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona; Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego, California; Denver, Colorado; Washington, D.C.; Boise, Idaho; Las Vegas and Reno, Nevada; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Portland, Oregon; Dallas, Texas; Salt Lake City, Utah; Seattle, Washington; and Los Cabos, Mexico. The firm represents clients ranging from large, publicly traded corporations to small businesses, individuals, and entrepreneurs. For more information, visit swlaw.com.