Laurence P. Colton

Larry Colton is a partner in the Intellectual Property Section of Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP.

Larry’s practice is dedicated to assisting technology and brand owners and developers in protecting their intellectual property, aiding venture capital sources in due diligence matters relating to intellectual property, and acting as the US representative to companies and law firms outside of the US in protecting intellectual property in the US. He received his Doctor of Law degree With Distinction from Emory University, and his Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Tufts University. Prior to entering law school, he attended the College of Chemical and Nuclear Engineering of the University of Maryland taking graduate level chemical engineering course work.

Larry handles patent applications in the chemical, chemical engineering and mechanical arts, and handles trademark and copyright applications in all fields. He also provides due diligence support for companies and venture capital firms to help them determine the strength and value of intellectual property. He also handles most phases of legal work relating to intellectual property licensing, technology transfer and secrecy agreements, and has significant experience in international intellectual property protection.

Larry has been an adjunct professor of Intellectual Property at Mercer University School of Law and an instructor in Intellectual Property at The National Center For Paralegal Training. He served on the Editorial Board of the Trademark Reporter®, a journal published by the International Trademark Association, and is involved in other intellectual property law, bar and trade associations. For many years, Larry has written the annual update on Intellectual Property for the Mercer Law Review. Graduating with distinction and being an Editor of the Emory Law Journal were among his academic honors.

Larry is a Martindale Hubbell AV rated attorney and is or has been a member of the American Intellectual Property Law Association, the International Trademark Association, the State Bar of Georgia, the American Bar Association, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering and the Chemical Institute of Canada.Larry is admitted to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Circuit Courts of Appeal for the Eleventh and Federal Circuits, the United States District Courts for the Northern, Middle and Southern Districts of Georgia and the Georgia State Supreme Court, Court of Appeals and Superior Courts.