Lisa M. Martens has joined the Del Mar office of Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP as a partner in the firm’s Intellectual Property practice group. Martens joins from Fish & Richardson.

As a leading trademark and copyright specialist, Martens’ practice focuses on the protection and enforcement of brands for clients ranging from start-ups and emerging companies to Fortune 500 corporations. She counsels clients in a wide variety of industries, including the biotechnology, food and beverage, healthcare, e-commerce, semiconductor, and retail clothing industries.

Martens has particular expertise in developing global brand protection and enforcement strategies. She also regularly advises clients on advertising substantiation and rights of publicity. Martens has successfully litigated trademark, copyright, unfair competition, anti-counterfeiting, right of publicity, and false advertising cases in federal district courts. She has substantial experience bringing and defending trademark actions before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB); false advertising actions before the National Advertising Division (NAD) of the Council of Better Business Bureaus; and domain name disputes before both the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the National Arbitration Forum (NAF).

“Lisa is one of the top trademark attorneys in the market. She is a skilled IP litigator and prosecutor and an excellent addition to our formidable IP practice group,” said Guy N. Halgren, chairman of Sheppard Mullin.

“I am excited to join Sheppard Mullin and have been very impressed by the firm’s strategic vision and commitment to the continued growth of its already well-established and reputable IP group. I am especially attracted to the firm’s global presence and the breadth of its diverse practice areas,” Martens commented. “I am looking forward to working with the entire team of highly-regarded professionals at Sheppard Mullin to support my clients’ IP and business needs.”

“Sheppard Mullin is recognized for the strength of its intellectual property practice and the continued growth of that practice is a major priority for the firm. Lisa bolsters our trademark capabilities in San Diego and adds bench strength to our existing full-service trademark practice,” commented Daniel N. Yannuzzi, chair of Sheppard Mullin’s Intellectual Property practice group.

Martens is currently the Chair of the Board of Directors for Athena San Diego, a group that is focused on promoting professional growth for women executives and managers in science and technology.

Martens received a J.D., Order of the Coif, from DePaul University College of Law in 1994 and a B.A., magna cum laude, from Cornell College in 1990.

The arrival of Lisa Martens continues the expansion of the firm’s Chambers-ranked intellectual property practice. In June, IP partners Jim Gatto, Ben Esplin and Brad Blaise joined Sheppard Mullin from Pillsbury. Gatto and Blaise are based in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office and Esplin in Del Mar. Also in June, partner Manish Mehta joined Sheppard Mullin’s IP practice group in the Chicago office from Brinks Gilson & Lione. In May, IP partner Bill Lambert joined the firm’s Palo Alto office from Kilpatrick Townsend.

Sheppard Mullin has 60 attorneys based in its Del Mar office. The firm’s Intellectual Property practice group includes 110 attorneys firm wide.

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