Sarah Bro 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 healthcare, 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.

Advises alcohol beverage clients on regulatory, commercial, and compliance matters

Counsels on M&A for companies buying, selling, and investing across the beverage industry

Handles audits, investigations, arbitration, and litigation tied to alcohol beverage regulatory issues

Guides legal strategy for delivery services, new beverage collaborations, and e-commerce in the alcohol sector

Ted Becker is co-head of McDermott Will & Schulte’s ERISA Litigation practice and a Fellow of the American College of Employee Benefits Counsel.  He focuses his practice on litigation under ERISA and related federal and state actions, and defense of government investigations and audits relating to employee benefit, health and welfare, and retirement plans brought by the US Department of Labor, the Internal Revenue Service, and the US Department of Justice. He is a leading voice and nationally recognized practitioner in this complex practice area.

He has represented public and private companies that sponsor employee benefit, health and welfare, and retirement plans governed by ERISA, and their directors and officers and plan fiduciaries, as well as service providers to ERISA plans and plan sponsors. He has extensive experience in Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs) and has defended some of the highest profile lawsuits involving ESOPs, helping to define the landscape of the evolving law relating to ESOPs.

Ted has a considerable experience in trial and appeals courts, including arguing before the United States Supreme Court and several United States Circuit Courts of Appeals. He also has represented clients in arbitration proceedings. He has represented clients across the full spectrum of litigation, from avoidance, dispute resolution and pre-litigation planning, through dispositive motions, discovery, trial and appeal.

Ted’s clients include a number of Fortune 500 companies. He represents both public and private organizations, as well as non-profit organizations.

J. Christian (Chris) Nemeth is a Chambers-ranked litigation partner who counsels clients on complex ERISA and commercial litigation matters. He co-heads McDermott Will & Schulte’s nationwide ERISA litigation practice and leads the firm’s Litigation Practice Group in Miami.

Chris works closely with the firm’s employee benefits lawyers on all types of ERISA litigation matters, Department of Labor investigations, and similar issues. He maintains an active commercial practice as well, specializing in financial and banking cases, business torts, and breach of contract actions.

Chris represents clients in courts at the state and federal levels across the country and has successfully tried cases involving a wide range of matters. He also arbitrates cases in domestic and international forums.

Chris has extensive appellate experience including successful appeals before the Seventh, Ninth, and Tenth US Circuit Courts and the Illinois Court of Appeals.