The Legal 500 United States 2025 edition once again ranked Cowan, Liebowitz & Latman (CLL) nationally among the top law firms in the U.S. for Copyright and Trademark litigation, prosecution, portfolio management, and licensing. Many CLL lawyers are mentioned by name for their standout contribution to their respective practices and recognized as leading partners, next generation partners, and leading associates.
The Legal 500 published the following two testimonials, among many others, from CLL's clients, which capture the firm's virtues:
- 'They work seamlessly as a team, manage projects with efficiency, and cultivate enduring relationships with their clients, who recognize and value their responsiveness, commitment, expertise, and professionalism.'
- 'Together, they embody the highest standards of professionalism, responsiveness, and collaboration, consistently exceeding expectations and strengthening client relationships.'
Specific practice area commentary and the names of the recognized attorneys are set forth below.
Copyright
Practice area commentary:
With an expert practice in domestic and international copyright litigation, Cowan, Liebowitz & Latman, PC leverages the team's bench strength to advise its impressive multinational client base on copyright counseling, clearance, prosecution, enforcement and litigation. The firm's high-profile client roster is far-reaching and includes clients from music, sports, publishing, video games and retail industries, such as Universal Music Group, Barclays, and Capitol Records. Jonathan King oversees the department in New York, drawing on deep experience handling copyright and infringement cases in the federal courts nationwide. Seasoned litigator, Richard Mandel, is lauded for serving as first chair in a variety of complex and protracted US IP cases. Thomas Kjellberg, specialist in copyright licensing and enforcement, handles cases involving photographers, artists and composers. Joelle Milov is lauded for securing and defending IP rights, particularly for clients in the music, food, financial, and sports industries. Joel Karni Schmidt boasts expertise in copyright clearance, prosecution and enforcement for clients cross media, entertainment, video game and retail sectors. All named lawyers are based in New York.
Recognized attorneys include:
- Jonathan King (Practice Head and Leading Partner)
- Thomas Kjellberg
- Richard Mandel
- Joelle Milov
- Joel Karni Schmidt
Trademarks: Litigation
Practice area commentary:
A team of contentious experts, Cowan, Liebowitz & Latman, PC acts for myriad significant clients, ranging from Morgan Stanley and Barclays to Sony Pictures and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, who remain active across a diverse host of industries. Seasoned practitioner Richard Mandel leads the department, providing his significant strengths in right of publicity, domain name and licensing issues to his varied client roster. Jonathan King's dynamic practice covers the sectors of music, fashion, sports and software, while Eric Shimanoff excels in relation to Internet and domain name enforcement matters. Kieran Doyle frequently handles matters pertaining to footwear, haircare and sports marketing trademark issues, among others. Mary Kevlin is highly active in the sports area, with Maryann Licciardi contributing her domestic and international scale skillset to the group. All named attorneys are based in New York. Dasha Chestukhin is also recommended.
Recognized attorneys include:
- Richard Mandel (Practice Head and Leading Partner)
- Kieran Doyle
- Mary Kevlin
- Jonathan King
- Maryann Licciardi (Next Generation Partner)
- Eric Shimanoff
- Dasha Chestukhin (Leading Associate)
Trademarks: Non-Contentious (Including Prosecution,
Portfolio Management and Licensing)
Practice area commentary:
Providing its clients with a comprehensive non-contentious offering that spans clearance portfolio management and domain name issues, to name a few, New York boutique Cowan, Liebowitz & Latman, PC continues to impress on a domestic and international scale across sectors such as tech, fashion, sports and beverage industries. Deborah Squiers heads up the group with her substantial expertise in international portfolio mandates and enforcement work for household name brands. Joel Karni Schmidt is well-versed across a plethora of trademark clearance, filing strategies and brand acquisitions, while Kieran Doyle is a strong choice for a host of skincare companies, publishers and sports marketing corporations. Meichelle MacGregor handles a myriad trademark, licensing, domain names and e-commerce, with Robert English being frequently relied upon by clients operating in the sectors of advertising, beauty and apparel. Mary Kevlin possesses a wealth of experience in international filing programs, and Reema Pangarkar has a strong grounding in trademark clearance and maintenance. Jeffrey Chery is also recommended.
Recognized attorneys include:
- Deborah Squiers (Practice Head)
- Jeffrey Chery (Next Generation Partner)
- Kieran Doyle
- Robert English
- Mary Kevlin
- Meichelle MacGregor
- Joel Karni Schmidt (Leading Partner)
- Reema Pangarkar (Leading Associate)
The Legal 500 United States is published by Legalese Ltd. Their team of experienced researchers – which includes both qualified journalists and lawyers – spend several months each year conducting in-depth research into the market. The primary source of their information is the law firms themselves, and the information they provide is often not for public consumption. This allows the publication to properly assess the firms against one another, practice area by practice area. They also gather feedback from peers and clients to assess overall visibility and reputation. The process culminates in detailed rankings and editorial, providing buyers of legal services with an objective analysis of the US market that is updated annually. They organize each practice area into a single national ranking, eschewing a state-by-state approach. They do not rank individual lawyers, but they do highlight certain key individuals within the editorial paragraphs. Their principal aim is to provide a snapshot of the market based on their assessment of the overall strength and depth of a practice group. More information about their methodology is available here.
See more Honors & Rankings.