On Wednesday, September 15, Moish Peltz, Partner and chair of the Intellectual Property Practice Group at Falcon Rappaport & Berkman PLLC, presented the session, “In High Demand: Crafting effective and creative demand letters.” Moish provided a strategy for crafting demand letters to achieve your client’s goals, including how to select the appropriate contents and tone, how to use a demand letter to resolve claims before litigation, and how to ensure that demand letters contribute to rather than undermine litigation. Presentation materials: Click here. Introduction Moish began his discussi ..read more

On Wednesday, September 15, Tasneem Kkokha, Managing Director at GrowthPlay, and former BigLaw attorney and Director of Marketing at Katten Muchin Rosenman, presented the session, “Put Your Money Where Your Market Is: Where and How to Market Your Firm to Maximize ROI.” Tasneem discussed how to identify and market to your firm’s best target audience while calculating and maximizing your marketing ROI. She provided practical tips for creating a marketing plan, executing marketing efforts, and developing a follow-up protocol. Presentation Materials: Click here. Introduction Tasneem explained that ..read more

On Wednesday, September 15, USPTO Deputy Commissioner for Trademark Examination Policy Amy Cotton and Deputy Commissioner for Trademark Operations Dan Vavonese presented the session, “USPTO Updates: USPTO representatives explain recent and upcoming changes.” The presenters discussed the surge in new trademark applications and how the USPTO is addressing it with technical and operational initiatives. They also provided key legal updates including new rules relating to the Trademark Modernization Act. Presentation Materials: Click here Trademark Application Surge There’s been a steady, grad ..read more

On Tuesday, September 14, Carolyn Elefant, Founder of Law Offices of Carolyn Elefant, PLLC, and creator of the blog MyShingle.com, the longest-running blog on solo and small firm practice, presented the session, “Putting the Buzz Back in Blogging: New Tips for a Mature Medium.” Carolyn discussed why blogging is still a vital part of a lawyer’s reputational presence and marketing strategy. She provided tips for complying with legal ethics rules, ensuring online privacy and consumer protection, and generating buzz for your blog. Presentation Materials: Click here. Introduction Carolyn started he ..read more

On Tuesday, September 14, Erik Pelton, Founder of Erik M. Pelton & Associates, Kelu Sullivan, Partner at Kelly IP, and Ruky Tijani, Founder of Firm for the Culture presented the session, “Spring into (Office) Action: Dealing with and Overcoming OA Refusals.” The presenters discussed some of the most common types of office actions including likelihood of confusion, descriptiveness, and failure to function, and demonstrated how to effectively respond to them while providing specific examples of successful responses. Presentation Materials: Click here Failure to Function Refusals Ruky opened ..read more

On Tuesday, September 14, Christian Williams, Founder of Bevel Law, Tyra Hughley Smith, Founder of Hughley Smith Law, and Kimra Major-Morris, Founder of Major-Morris Law presented the session, “IP Matters: Practical ways that IP lawyers can advance social justice.” The presenters provided a practical perspective on how IP lawyers can contribute to social justice in their everyday lives. Presentation Materials: Click here Introduction Christian began by providing definitions of some important terms that are part of this conversation: Social Justice: The idea that all people should have equal ..read more

On Tuesday, September 14, Jonathan Menkes, Partner, Knobbe Martens presented the session, “Be Fab with TTAB: Tips for Successfully Pursuing, Defending, and Settling TTAB Disputes.” Jonathan discussed when and why to pursue TTAB proceedings versus litigation in district court and how to secure successful settlements. Presentation Materials: Click here Jonathan began his presentation by describing the timeline for a TTAB filing. Note that you can’t extend the discovery conference deadline. Why? The TTAB likes to encourage settlement and wants parties to do this early in the process.  Advant ..read more

On Monday, September 13, Michael McCabe, Managing Partner, McCabe Ali LLP presented the session, “Marketing Sense: Ensuring your marketing is ethics compliant.” Michael, a registered patent attorney with 28 years of professional experience, who has represented hundreds of attorneys in confidential ethics investigations and in claims involving legal malpractice, discussed marketing ethics as outlined in the ABA’s model rules and the USPTO’s Rules of Professional Conduct. He also addressed common marketing pitfalls and what to do if you receive notice that your marketing is not complaint. Presen ..read more

On Monday, September 13, Anne Gilson LaLonde, author, Gilson on Trademarks, Rebeccah Gan, Partner, Wenderoth, Lind & Ponack, LLP, and Irene Lee, Partner, Russ, August & Kabat presented the session, “InRecent Exposure: Current Topics in Trademark Law.” The presenters discussed current trademark law developments including the TMA, new expungement and reexamination proceedings at the USPTO, and the return of the presumption of irreparable harm. They also noted important, timely cases dealing with dog toys and the First Amendment, fair use and the Lil Nas X Satan Shoe, and Redbubble, SHOP ..read more

On Monday, September 13, Chris Fritsch, JD, BD Technology Consultant and Founder of CLIENTSFirst presented the session, “From Handshakes to Elbow Bumps: Tools, tips, and technology for winning new business in the #NewNormal.” Chris explored the key marketing and business development technology that forward-thinking law firms are investing in to enable effective outreach, enhance relationship building and competitively position the firm. Presentation materials: Click here. Chris began her presentation with a motivating statement: no matter the size of your organization, you can use tech to out ..read more