Chief Judge Gerard F. Rogers has announced the appointment of three Administrative Trademark Judges to the TTAB (see below). By my count, this brings the number of ATJs at the Board to twenty-eight.
Robert Lavache has had a lengthy and successful career at the USPTO. In his former Senior Level (SL) position as the Trademark Legal and Examination Policy Specialist, he supervised the Legal Policy attorneys in Trademarks and provided legal policy advice to USPTO senior executives, the TMEP Editor, the Solicitor’s Office, the Office of Enrollment and Discipline and the Office of Policy and International Affairs. He has advised Trademarks leadership on developments in TTAB and Federal Circuit case law, and served as lead Legal Policy attorney and subject matter expert for the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Final Rule that implemented the Trademark Modernization Act; and he has served as supervisor of the Trademarks Special Task Force on Improper Activities, combatting fraudulent and improper trademark filings. Judge Lavache is a graduate of the University of Miami and Cornell Law School.
Mary Beth Myles joined the TTAB as an Interlocutory Attorney in July 2016. Judge Myles has been a frequent participant in TTAB outreach efforts and thereby has educated practitioners about the nuances of TTAB practice and procedure. Most recently, she has served as one of two attorneys on the TTAB’s six-member team overseeing the Final Pretrial Conference Pilot program that involves hands-on case management of more complex TTAB proceedings. She also has worked on the annual update of the TTAB Tips paper used as written material for CLE programs featuring TTAB speakers. Before joining the TTAB, Judge Myles spent eight years in IP and commercial litigation practices. She is a summa cum laude graduate of Bethany College and earned her law degree from Columbia University School of Law.
Lawrence Stanley has excelled during a more than 20-year career practicing IP law, which has included 15 years in an active law practice, teaching law, as well as public speaking and writing, followed by five years as an Interlocutory Attorney at the TTAB. A member of the USPTO Patent Bar, Judge Stanley is well-versed in all types of IP and in all aspects of IP litigation. As an attorney for the TTAB, he has been an active trainer and mentor of newer attorneys, thereby continuing to use skills he demonstrated when mentoring law firm associates and teaching law students. Judge Stanley is a graduate of Indiana University and a summa cum laude graduate of New England School of Law.
Introductory text Copyright John L. Welch 2024.