Legal Elite – Intellectual Property 2015

I have always loved words and images. My mom says that when I was young, she could take me anywhere just as long as I had a pencil and some paper. In college, I worked with words and images as an editor for the sports, editorial and entertainment sections of the student paper. I was fortunate to get a job with an intellectual-property firm out of law school and to have the opportunity to do some trademark work and enjoyed it. While I don’t use a pencil and paper as much as a keyboard and monitor, I still get to work and play with words and images.

Vita: 40; born in Portland, Ore.; bachelor’s from Stanford University and law degree from UNC Chapel Hill; one daughter.

Memorable case: Protecting a well-known video-game brand.

Passions: I was a nutritionist and exercise consultant before going to law school. I love to exercise, and I’m one of those who likes to push my limits. Until
I drop, that is.

Where she’d live if she had to practice somewhere else: I grew up in Seattle, and much of my family is still there, so I feel a pull to be closer to them. But, then I visit in fall … or winter … or spring and am reminded of the stark difference in the amount of sunlight.

What she’d be if not a lawyer: I’d go back into the wellness field. I enjoyed working with people one-on-one, helping them lose weight.

Recent reading: Transitions: Making Sense of Life’s Changes by William Bridges. I find transitions tough, whether they are small or major. I would love to learn how to move through them with a bit more grace.

Don’t ask her to: Skip stopping at Starbucks. Even though my mochas are always decaf, I consistently look forward to having something warm and chocolaty to sip in the mornings.

WINNER: Sarah E. Nagae, The Nagae Law Firm PLLC dba Triangle Trademarks, Raleigh; Michael J. Allen, Carruthers & Roth PA, Greensboro; Stephen S. Ashley Jr., Ashley Law Firm PC, Charlotte; Jeffrey W. Childers, Ward and Smith PA, Raleigh; Richard A. Coughlin, Smith Moore Leatherwood LLP, Greensboro; Arthur J. DeBaugh, Bell, Davis & Pitt PA, Winston Salem; Angela P. Doughty, Ward and Smith PA, New Bern; R. Brian Drozd, Oliff PLLC, Charlotte; Edward R. Ergenzinger, Ward and Smith PA, Raleigh; John M. Fuscoe, Wyrick Robbins Yates & Ponton LLP, Raleigh; Steven Gardner, Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP, Winston-Salem; Kimberly Bullock Gatling, Smith Moore Leatherwood LLP, Greensboro; Arlene D. Hanks, Moore & Van Allen PLLC, Research Triangle Park; David A. Harlow, Manning Fulton & Skinner PA, Raleigh; Jack Hicks, Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice LLP, Greensboro; John P. Higgins, Additon, Higgins & Pendleton PA, Charlotte; Benjamin R. Huber, Moore & Van Allen PLLC, Charlotte; Gregory A. Hunt, Jenkins, Wilson, Taylor & Hunt PA, Durham; Kathy Keller, Compass Group USA Inc., Charlotte; Matthew J. Ladenheim, Trego, Hines & Ladenheim PLLC, Charlotte; James L. Lester, MacCord Mason PLLC, Greensboro; Dickson M. Lupo, Moore & Van Allen PLLC, Charlotte; Art MacCord, MacCord Mason PLLC, Greensboro; Richard T. Matthews, Williams Mullen, Research Triangle Park; Robert Joseph Morris, Smith, Anderson, Blount, Dorsett, Mitchell & Jernigan LLP, Raleigh; Justin R. Nifong, Nifong, Kiefer & Klinck PLLC, Raleigh; John C. Nipp, Additon, Higgins & Pendleton PA, Charlotte; Edward P. O’Keefe, Bank of America Corp., Charlotte; Bentley J. Olive, Olive Law Group PLLC, Durham; John Owen, Coats & Bennett PLLC, Cary; Julie H. Richardson, Myers Bigel Sibley & Sajovec PA, Raleigh; David Sar, Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard LLP, Greensboro; Trevor P. Schmidt, Hutchison PLLC, Raleigh; Benjamin F. Sidbury, Bryan Cave LLP, Charlotte; Jason M. Sneed, Sneed PLLC, Davidson; Michael A. Springs, Bank of America Corp., Charlotte; Maury M. Tepper III, Tepper & Eyster PLLC, Raleigh; Steven N. Terranova, Withrow & Terranova PLLC, Cary; Michael A. Tobin, Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP, Charlotte; Robert C. Van Arnam, Williams Mullen, Raleigh; Thomas G. Varnum, Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard LLP, Wilmington; Randy Whitmeyer, Morningstar Law Group, Morrisville; J. Mark Wilson, Moore & Van Allen PLLC, Charlotte; W. Swain Wood, Wood Jackson PLLC, Raleigh.