Best Lawyers in New York, United States for Intellectual Property Law
Brian G. Murphy counsels advertising agencies, advertisers, and entertainment companies as they develop and produce advertising and entertainment properties across all media. Mr. Murphy has been named the 2018 and 2025 "Lawyer of the Year" for Advertising Law by Best Lawyers in America. His practice focuses on copyright, trademark , right of publicity/right of privacy, false advertising, unfair competition, and defamation. Mr. Murphy negotiates and structures celebrity talent agreements, agen...
Elizabeth A. McNamara is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Copyright Law, Entertainment Law - Motion Pictures and Television, First Amendment Law, Litigation - Intellectual Property and Media Law. Elizabeth A., who practices law in New York, New York, has been recognized since 2007. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Elizabeth A. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal prac...
Edward H. Rosenthal is Chair of the firm’s Intellectual Property Group. He focuses on intellectual property litigation, emphasizing trademark, copyright, right of publicity, entertainment, advertising, and commercial disputes. Mr. Rosenthal counsels clients on the thorny issues concerning termination of grants of copyrights, and conducts prepublication review of books, articles, television programs, motion pictures, and other materials. His clients include businesses and individuals in ...
James Weinberger is an accomplished litigator who excels at developing strategies to help clients protect, enforce, and manage their brands and copyrightable content. For clients including global and national brands, James advises on copyright, trademark, and trade dress infringement, as well as unfair competition, false advertising, trademark dilution, right of publicity, First Amendment, and internet-related matters. James seeks remedies for clients through federal and state court litigatio...
Mark J. Abate is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Litigation - Intellectual Property, Litigation - Patent and Patent Law. Mark J., who practices law in New York, New York, has been recognized since 2008. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Mark J. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Sara Edelman helps content creators, advertising agencies and fashion companies navigate copyright, right-of-publicity and talent issues to produce compelling and creative content for their brands. She negotiates talent, sponsorship, artwork, music and production agreements; performs apparel clearances; and resolves copyright and intellectual property disputes. In the fast-paced worlds of advertising, content creation and fashion, Sara is a savvy and responsive partner ready to address her cl...
Craig Mende’s unique, broad practice spans trial and appellate litigation, complex transactional work, and client counseling – all relating to different aspects of intellectual property, including copyrights, trademarks, right of publicity, and diverse new media issues. Perhaps most importantly, Craig provides sought-after counsel to clients seeking answers to new kinds of questions, frequently involving rebranding and innovative uses of social media, including issues with celebri...
Greg Arovas has established a reputation as one of the top intellectual property litigation lawyers in New York. Greg has represented both plaintiffs and defendants in numerous high-profile patent and trade secret litigations, including cases for high-technology clients such as Intel, IBM, Samsung, Sony, Xerox, Lucent, Agere, Oracle, Siemens, Infineon, Xilinx, and KCI. Greg has tried numerous District Court and ITC cases to verdict involving a wide range of computer, software, communications ...
Charles Weigell III is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Trademark Law. Charles, who practices law in New York, New York, has been recognized since 2027. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Charles is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
From Paris runways to retail outlets across the US, Karen Artz Ash protects the intellectual property of major names in fashion. She provides comprehensive IP counsel to designers and clothing manufacturers as well as clients in other industries in which IP assets figure prominently. The institutional memory that she and her team have established with long-time clients and within the fashion industry as a whole allow her to provide practical and deeply informed advice across a wide range of i...
An experienced litigator, Laura tries cases in federal and state trial and appellate courts across the country in matters relating to copyright, trademark, unfair competition, right of publicity, and represents clients in inter partes proceedings before the USPTO’s Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. She also provides strategic advice to clients on diverse intellectual property issues and negotiates and drafts IP agreements, including license and coexistence agreements. Laura represents c...
Mary A. Donovan is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Copyright Law and Trademark Law. Mary A., who practices law in New York, New York, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Mary A. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Linda Steinman is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Copyright Law and Media Law. Linda, who practices law in New York, New York, has been recognized since 2017. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Linda is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Richard Dannay is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Copyright Law and Litigation - Intellectual Property. Richard, who practices law in New York, New York, has been recognized since 1991. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Richard is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Lawrence Waks is a corporate partner who represents high profile individuals, celebrities, brands and their businesses in M&A, joint ventures, and strategic transactions in the entertainment, media, and food & beverage industries. Lawrence has represented some of the biggest A-list celebrities in the industry. Most notable deals include: the $1b sale of Casamigos Tequila (owned by George Clooney, Rande Gerber and Mike Meldman); the $600m sale of Aviation Gin (part owned by Ryan Reynol...
Our Methodology
Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. Our methodology is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.
The Process
Best Lawyers employs a sophisticated, conscientious, rational, and transparent survey process designed to elicit meaningful and substantive evaluations of the quality of legal services. Our belief has always been that the quality of a peer review survey is directly related to the quality of the voters.