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eport A Special Section • june 29, 2017
Lifetime Achievement professional excellence
Lifetime Achievement
Virginia Taylor: Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton
brand owners. She has managed multiple confidential worldwide rights clearance and rebranding programs resulting from spinoffs, mergers and acquisitions by major publicly-traded companies. Prior to law school, she was active in civic and environmental causes in Atlanta, including the League of Women Voters and the Board of Directors of the Morningside Lenox Park Civic Association and was a real estate agent specializing in intown neighbor-
V
hoods.
irginia Taylor has represented major
During the intense local highway fights of the
clients in a variety of industries in every aspect
early 1970s, she chaired the Atlanta Coalition on
of trademark law as a practitioner, litigator and coun-
the Transportation Crisis, the umbrella organization
sel. She has worked extensively in Europe and serves
of neighborhood and environmental groups, which
as the sole American law firm representative on the
successfully opposed the construction of multiple
Council of MARQUES, the association of European
freeways through both eastside and westside intown
professional excellence
Lifetime Achievement
neighborhoods of Atlanta. She also
when the National Environmental
what was a key challenge you had
served on the Citizens’ Advisory
Policy Act was quite new. Along
to overcome to achieve it?
Committee of the Atlanta Regional
with other neighborhood activists, I
It has been a great honor to
Commission and on a National Sci-
participated in hiring lawyers, read-
become recognized by other mem-
ence Foundation Advisory Com-
ing cases and gathering facts in sup-
bers of the trademark bar, both in
mittee on urban transportation
port of an injunction that prevented
the USA and internationally, as a
policy during the 1970s.
the construction of I-485. That
respected practitioner in our field.
experience certainly influenced my
One challenge has been to find the
interest in becoming a lawyer.
right balance between devoting the
After graduation from law school, she joined Kilpatrick, Cody, Rogers,
necessary time to actual law prac-
McClatchey & Regenstein and has practiced with the successors of that firm throughout her legal career. She graduated from Emory University School of Law school in
You are particularly active in
tice while also participating actively
international trademark law. What
in major organizations of profes-
drew you to the international aspect
sional colleagues.
of this practice area? Actually, at the beginning, inter-
What’s the one piece of advice
national trademark practice found
you would give someone when
You didn’t go to law school
me, rather than the other way
dealing with a crisis?
straight out of college, but you did
around. When I was about a fourth
Don’t try to solve the problem
spend some of the time between
year associate, I was handling just
alone. Consult with other partners
college and law school advocating
a few foreign registrations for our
whose judgment you trust. No mat-
for your neighborhood (and oth-
U.S. trademark clients. However,
ter how good your instincts may be,
ers) against highway construction
within less than one year’s time, as
the chances of a good outcome will
through them. How did that work
a result of a major foreign expan-
be improved significantly by drawing
influence your decision to become
sion by one client, the downsizing
on the collective wisdom of others.
a lawyer?
of the in-house legal department by
1977.
Prior to deciding to go to law
another and a foreign acquisition by
What part of legal practice should
school, I was living in Morning-
a third, I suddenly inherited three
younger lawyers pay particular
side, where I grew up, and became
large international trademark port-
attention to if they seek to have suc-
involved in the movement to oppose
folios to manage. I soon found that
cess like yours?
construction of I-485 and the Stone
I really enjoyed the challenges of
Mountain Freeway through Morn-
international trademark work.
Don’t be a lone ranger. Find good mentors and help to mentor others. Law practice is always better for the
ingside and other intown neighborhoods. That effort involved both
What is one of your proudest
political and legal strategies at a time
accomplishments as a lawyer, and
clients and more enjoyable for the players as a team sport.
Reprinted with permission from the 6/29/17 edition of the DAILY REPORT © 2017 ALM Media Properties, LLC. All rights reserved. Further duplication without permission is prohibited. Contact: 877-257-3382
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