Overview
Sarah Bro is the office managing partner for the Firm’s Orange County office. She focuses her practice on trademark prosecution, enforcement and brand portfolio management, as well as licensing, due diligence, copyright, right of publicity and domain name matters.
Sarah assists clients across an array of industries with all stages of domestic and international trademark prosecution, and provides consultation and strategy with respect to the selection, clearance, enforcement and licensing of trademarks. Sarah’s clients include domestic and international companies in industries such as health care, blockchain and financial technologies, software/mobile applications, agriculture, fashion and apparel, consumer goods, beauty, wellness and lifestyle (including CBD products), arts and entertainment, food and beverage, hospitality, mining and pharmaceuticals. Sarah has extensive experience in the research, drafting and filing of documents with the US Patent and Trademark Office, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board and the US Copyright Office. Sarah has a proven track record in recovering domain names through the Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) and Uniform Rapid Suspension (URS) policies. Sarah is also well versed in the submission of “takedown” and infringement notices across third-party websites, social media platforms, app stores and online marketplaces. She has experience in swiftly addressing instances of fraud, phishing or other online abuse by leveraging intellectual property claims through a multi-pronged enforcement approach. Sarah also regularly provides intellectual property (IP) support and guidance in due diligence matters in connection with corporate transactions such as mergers, acquisitions and corporate reorganizations. Sarah’s experience includes a three-month secondment in Germany in the in-house legal department of a leading generic pharmaceuticals company, where she handled a full array of trademark prosecution matters, global brand portfolio management and strategic clearance for a key worldwide product launch.
Sarah is a member of McDermott’s Pro Bono Committee, the Gender Diversity Committee and the Orange County Recruiting Committee. Sarah is a regular contributor to McDermott’s IP Update blog.
She is also a member of our legal cannabis industry group. Our Cannabis Industry group is a multidisciplinary team of lawyers providing clients with regulatory, litigation, intellectual property, trade and tax services with respect to their investments and participation in the cannabis industry, all subject to the Firm’s obligations under federal and state laws and bar licensure rules.
Results
- Advised on the strategic re-branding of a pioneering medical real estate and physician practice solution company as a key aspect of a private-equity investment
- Negotiated the brand license and coexistence terms of an acquisition by a private equity-backed strategic buyer of an innovative concierge medicine system
- Comprehensive management of global trademark portfolios for Fortune 100 and international clients in a wide array of industries
- Recovered or obtained suspension of domain names in more than 60 UDRP proceedings and URS proceedings
- Experience with the new gTLD system, including recordation of trademarks with the Trademark Clearinghouse
- Management of significant post-closing trademark assignment projects
- Completed the 2014 Fashion Law Summer Intensive Program at Loyola Law School
Recognitions
- World Trademark Review 1000 2020
- Euromoney’s Women in Business Law Expert Guide 2020
- Expert Guides, Women in Business Law, 2020
Community
- Orange County Intellectual Property Law Association, board member
- Whittier Law School Alumni Association, board member and bar prep mentorship coordinator
- International Trademark Association (INTA), Law Firm Committee, subcommittee chair
- INTA Unreal Campaign Student Outreach Program, volunteer instructor
- California Lawyers for the Arts, Human Options, the Public Law Center and others, pro bono volunteer
- LA Works, volunteer
