Neal Gerber Eisenberg (NGE) is pleased to announce that the firm’s Intellectual Property practice group received gold band status in the 2021 edition of World Trademark Review 1000 – The World’s Leading Trademark Professionals (WTR 1000), making it one of only five IP practices in Illinois to receive that rank. The WTR 1000 is regarded by brand owners as the definitive guide to the top trademark legal practitioners around the globe. NGE has achieved gold status for four straight years and has been ranked consistently in the WTR 1000 every year since 2013.
Partners Lee J. Eulgen, Michael G. Kelber and Antony J. McShane once again have been singled out individually. In the “Individuals: Prosecution and Strategy” category, Kelber earned gold band status, with Eulgen and McShane earning silver band status. In the “Individuals: Enforcement and Litigation” category, Eulgen, Kelber and McShane all earned silver band status.
WTR 1000 remarked that “Gold-rated Neal Gerber & Eisenberg understands how to create distinct and dynamic brands that generate tremendous goodwill for companies in competitive global markets. Talented from top to bottom, partner to paralegal, the group of 46 professionals – backed by a well-functioning docketing department – acquits itself with distinction on wide-ranging assignments, from trademark registration and enforcement to cross-border portfolio management, brand licensing and hardcore competitor litigation.” It describes Michael Kelber as a “strong business and legal partner who does a brilliant job anticipating issues and offering actionable advice.” Lee Eulgen “partners with rights holders for the long term, delivering value-added services based on an intuitive appreciation of their needs; he supervises the enforcement of the famous BLUE CROSS and BLUE SHIELD word and design marks, among others.” Antony McShane “has a full playbook of proven strategies” for contentious matters; in addition, “having handled high-stakes IP disputes in courtrooms around the country, he has a sophisticated skillset that only experience can bring.”
The firm launched its Intellectual Property practice group in 2002 with just three attorneys. Today, the group consists of 35 dedicated IP attorneys, seven paralegals, a patent agent, and a docket team of eight IP professionals. Eleven of the attorneys are members of the patent trial bar. The practice is responsible for managing, prosecuting and enforcing global patent and trademark portfolios for some of the most cutting-edge technology and Fortune 500 companies. Additionally, it has obtained significant litigation victories for its clients in Chicago and beyond. Michael Kelber co-chairs the practice group with Thomas McDonough.
The WTR 1000 qualitative research was conducted over a four-month period by a team of full-time analysts, inclusive of in-person interviews with trademark specialists across the world. This year the 11th edition features more than 80 countries and U.S. state-specific chapters analyzing local trademark legal services and profiling the firms and individuals designated as leaders in their respective fields based on depth of expertise and market presence, alongside positive peer and client feedback.
Click here to view Neal Gerber Eisenberg’s profile in the 2020 edition of WTR 1000.