BCS: Helping business clients with opportunities and through crises since 1995
Biography
Laura is a key member of the Intellectual Property team at Briskin, Cross & Sanford, while also supporting the firm’s corporate transaction and civil litigation practices. Beyond her role in performing trademark clearance searches and managing the federal registration and maintenance for our clients, Laura collaborates with our attorneys on crafting strategy, performing legal analysis, responding to office actions, and drafting appellate and trial briefs. She has been a key contributor in reversing substantive USPTO refusals to register, including refusals based on mere descriptiveness and likelihood of confusion. Her experience in Trademark Trial and Review Board proceedings includes both inter partes actions involving claims of likelihood of confusion, and ex parte appeals regarding the issues of registrability.
Laura studied intellectual property as part of her master’s coursework at The George Washington University, leading to obtaining her master’s degree in Paralegal Studies. Her master’s thesis, Statutory Construction in the Lanham Act: Domestic Scandal and the International Example analyzed questionable federal precedent in the application of Section 2(a) of the Lanham Act. She directly applied her knowledge on this topic in the Firm’s winning appeal on this same issue. The problematic statutory provisions have since been ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in Iancu v. Brunetti, 139 S. Ct. 2294 (2019).
Prior to joining the firm in 2008, Laura taught Freshmen English at the University of Georgia while a master’s student. She graduated from The University of Georgia Honors Program with highest honors and a B.A. in English Literature prior to earning her M.A. in that subject. Professionally, Laura has also applied her writing and analytical skills as an executive resume writer and editor.
Laura is a long-time resident of Roswell, where she lives with her husband and their two young children. On the weekends, Laura enjoys cooking, listening to public radio, and visiting parks and nature trails with her family.
Current Employment Position
- Senior Paralegal