Steptoe Adds Top Trademark Lateral

Lawyer William Finkelstein Joins Firm’s Century City IP Practice

Steptoe & Johnson LLP, a leading international law firm, today announced the addition of William A. “Bill” Finkelstein to its Intellectual Property Practice. Mr. Finkelstein will be a Senior Counsel in the firm’s Century City office, effective immediately.

“Bill is a superb addition to our West Coast IP Team,” said Roger Warin, Chairman of Steptoe & Johnson LLP.  “He has an exceptional ability to blend strategic business counseling with transactional and litigation skills, and he will be a valuable asset to the firm’s IP practice and the Century City office.”

Mr. Finkelstein joins Steptoe from the Santa Monica office of Dreier Stein Kahan Browne Woods George LLP, which he joined in January 2007.  Prior to joining Dreier, Mr. Finkelstein was a partner in the Santa Monica office of Alschuler Grossman Stein & Kahan LLP for six years. There he worked with Mark Neubauer, Mike Heimbold, Bec Edelson, Katessa Davis and Meredith Moss, all currently partners in Steptoe’s Century City office.  Mr. Finkelstein also served as Intellectual Property Counsel, Vice President and Assistant Secretary at PepsiCo, Inc., from 1973 to 2000.

In 2008, Mr. Finkelstein was named one of the Top Ten Entertainment Intellectual Property attorneys in California by the Los Angeles Daily Journal.  He has served as President of the International Trademark Association (INTA), the preeminent global organization representing the rights of brand owners. In 2007 INTA awarded Mr. Finkelstein the prestigious President’s Award in recognition of his extensive contributions to the trademark profession.  He brings to Steptoe extensive experience in all aspects of US and international trademark, unfair competition, and licensing law. He also advises clients on copyright, franchising, marketing, branding, and related electronic commerce issues.  He is an experienced mediator as well.

“Steptoe offers an unusually strong national and international platform for  my trademark practice,” said Mr. Finkelstein. “I am particularly excited about working with this firm’s outstanding team of lawyers, including Michelle Cooke and my former colleague Michael Heimbold in Century City, as well Will Pecau and Brian Winterfeldt in our Washington, D.C. office. In addition to an exceptional group of IP attorneys firmwide, Steptoe has everything I was looking for at this stage of my career.”

In addition to serving as a Past President of INTA, Mr. Finkelstein has held numerous other leadership positions in the organization, including serving on its Board of Directors and chairing various committees.  A founding member of the Trademark Review Commission, he served as coordinator of and spokesperson for the historic Trademark Law Revision Act.

His other professional activities include service as a Governing Committee Member of the American Bar Association Forum on Franchising and Chair of the ABA Franchising Committee. Bill is also an active member of the International Franchise Association and The Copyright Society.  He is also a member of the INTA and CPR Trademark and Franchise Panels of Neutrals, the LA County Bar Association and the ABA, and a former member of the Department of Commerce’s Public Advisory Committee for Public Affairs.

Mr. Finkelstein serves the community as a member of the Board of Directors of the 69^th DRS Flying Tigers; a volunteer reader in Los Angeles Unified School District; and a legal advisor to the Reds, Whites & Greens Breast Cancer charity.

He earned an LLM in trade regulation in 1978 from New York University School of Law, a JD in 1970 from Boston University School of Law, and a BA in 1967 from the University of Virginia.   

Mr. Finkelstein is the eighth attorney to join Steptoe’s firmwide Intellectual Practice in 2009.  A seven-attorney trademark portfolio management and enforcement group led by Brian Winterfeldt was added to the firm’s Washington, D.C. office January 27.