ATLANTA (September 23, 2015) – Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP (SGR) announced today that Bruce A. McDonald has joined its Washington, D.C. office as a partner. “Bruce has an outstanding reputation in federal trademark and copyright infringement matters,” said Stephen Forte, SGR’s managing partner. “He has achieved many successes in notable cases in the trademark arena. This can only add more substance to the brand of SGR’s global trademark litigation practice.” McDonald’s practice involves all aspects of trademark and intellectual property law, including federal court litigation, opposition and cancellation proceedings at the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, trademark portfolio administration,… Read more

ATLANTA (September 16, 2015) – Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP (SGR) announced today that nine of the firm’s attorneys have been chosen for the 2015 Super Lawyers and Rising Stars lists for New York. The 2015 Super Lawyers in SGR’s New York office and their specified areas of practice are: Neal T. Dorman – Estate and Probate Marc D. Latman – Aviation and Aerospace Dana L. Mark – Estate and Probate Stephen W. O’Connell – Real Estate Eliot H. Zuckerman – Real Estate The 2015 Rising Stars and their specified areas of practice are: Jeanne Forsyth – Aviation and Aerospace Benjamin Gorelick – Real Estate Dexterrie C. Ramirez – Real Estate Svetlana Zagorina – Estate… Read more

ATLANTA (September 14, 2015) – Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP (SGR) is pleased to announce its partnership with Cristo Rey Atlanta Jesuit High School’s Corporate Work Study Program (CWSP) for the 2015-2016 school year. The objective of the CWSP is to help students envision a future that includes a college degree and a successful professional career and to equip them with the knowledge and skills needed to realize that vision. “SGR is proud to be a job partner with Cristo Rey,” said Steve Forte, SGR’s managing partner. “This program follows a nationally proven model that helps young people in our… Read more

SGR is pleased to announce five members of the intellectual property practice have been chosen to serve on committees for the International Trademark Association (INTA). These appointments are for the 2016-2017 term. Elizabeth Borland has been appointed to the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Committee.  The ADR Committee is responsible for promoting and raising awareness of the benefits of ADR including overseeing a panel of trademark mediators located across the globe who understand trademark law. The committee also works closely with INTA’s In-House Practitioners Committee to offer programs suited to in-house needs. Jim Bikoff has been appointed to the Internet Committee. As part… Read more

{photo1-left}SGR is pleased to announce that David K. Heasley has been appointed administrative trademark judge for the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The TTAB is an administrative board responsible for hearing and deciding adversarial proceedings involving oppositions to the registration of trademarks, petitions to cancel trademark registrations and proceedings involving applications for concurrent use registrations of trademarks. The TTAB also decides appeals taken from the trademark examining attorneys’ refusals to allow registration of trademarks. Heasley has over 30 years of experience as a litigator. For the last 15 years he has focused his… Read more

ATLANTA (August 17, 2015) – Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP (SGR) is pleased to announce that J. Rodgers Lunsford III has been named Atlanta’s Trademark Law “Lawyer of the Year” for 2016 by The Best Lawyers in America, the leading peer-review-based directory of legal practitioners. Only a single lawyer in each specialty in each community is recognized as the “Lawyer of the Year.” Attorneys who are honored as “Lawyer of the Year” have received particularly high ratings by earning a high level of respect among their peers for their abilities, professionalism, and integrity. Previously, Lunsford was named one of the… Read more

ATLANTA (August 17, 2015) – Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP (SGR) is pleased to announce that Kathryn M. Zickert has been named Georgia’s Land Use and Zoning “Lawyer of the Year” for 2016 by The Best Lawyers in America, the leading peer-review-based directory of legal practitioners. Only a single lawyer in each specialty in each community is recognized as the “Lawyer of the Year.” Attorneys who are honored as “Lawyer of the Year” have received particularly high ratings by earning a high level of respect among their peers for their abilities, professionalism, and integrity. This is the second year in… Read more

ATLANTA (August 17, 2015) – Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP (SGR) is pleased to announce that 21 of its attorneys were selected for inclusion in the 2016 edition of Best Lawyers, the leading peer-review-based directory of legal practitioners. In addition to the 21 attorneys included in this year’s edition, J. Rodgers Lunsford III and Kathryn M. Zickert received the Lawyer of the Year designation. The following SGR attorneys were selected in their respective practice areas for 2016: Atlanta Thomas H. Asselin (Construction Law) Stephen M. Forte (Commercial Litigation; Litigation – Banking and Finance) J.D. Humphries III (Commercial Litigation; Construction Law; Employment Law – Management; Labor… Read more

SGR is pleased to announce Jim Bikoff has been appointed chair of the Trademark Litigation Committee for the American Bar Association Section of Intellectual Property Law (ABA-IPL). His one-year term begins Sept. 1. The ABA-IPL is the largest organization of intellectual property attorneys in the world. Since 1894, the ABA-IPL has advanced the development of intellectual property laws and their fair and just administration. As the forum for perspectives and insight on the full spectrum of intellectual property law, the section’s leaders provide thoughtful consideration of emerging issues that shape and influence policies and serves as the ABA’s voice within the… Read more

{photo1-left} {photo2-left}Smith, Gambrell & Russell (SGR) recently represented the seller in a $134 million transaction in New York City.  The 14-story property, located in the Kew Gardens Hills section of Queens, was originally purchased from Touro College and was developed by the seller into an approximately 542,000-square-foot residential property that opened in 2004. SGR partners Stephen W. O’Connell and Benjamin A. Gorelick represented the seller in the transaction.