Laura Zell
Laura is an Associate in the Complex Litigation and Government Enforcement and White Collar groups.
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Laura specializes in intellectual property litigation, with a focus on trademark, trade dress, and copyright infringement, and complex litigation, as well as white collar defense and internal and government investigations. Laura has served as the lead associate at trademark and white collar trials in federal court, providing her with significant experience in all phases of litigation, ranging from discovery, motions practice, and witness preparation to direct and cross-examinations and post-trial motions.
Intellectual Property Litigation
Laura regularly represents clients in intellectual property disputes in federal court and in inter partes proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, and has experience with domain dispute proceedings arising under ICANN’s Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy. Laura has experience litigating trademark, trade dress, and copyright infringement cases and claims related to advertising and unfair competition.
White Collar, Investigations, and the False Claims Act
Laura counsels and represents companies and individuals through investigations, criminal prosecutions, and enforcement actions by the US Department of Justice (DOJ), US Attorney’s Offices throughout the country, and the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Laura has experience advising clients on matters involving the False Claims Act, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, federal securities laws, government contracting and procurement fraud, theft of trade secrets, economic espionage, health care, mail, and wire fraud, and export violations. Laura also has experience assisting clients in responding to state and federal government subpoenas and civil investigative demands (CIDs).
Professional Activities
Laura organizes and oversees an annual Halloween fundraiser in ArentFox Schiff’s DC office, which has raised money for DC Legal Aid, CAIR Coalition, and N Street Village.
Laura’s past pro bono work includes spending a week in Karnes City, Texas, at the Karnes Family Detention Center to provide legal services to detained asylum-seekers, including many recently reunited fathers and sons. Laura also represented a Maryland state inmate in a Section 1983 civil rights case involving allegations of excessive use of force, denial of medical care, and inadequate conditions of confinement. She has also provided legal services to a lifelong veteran in connection with a military case before the US Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, and has volunteered at the Landlord Tenant Resource Center, DC Legal Aid, and LearningPlunge, an educational nonprofit.
Previous Work
Prior to joining ArentFox Schiff, Laura served as a law clerk for the US Attorney’s Office in Pennsylvania. Laura also worked as a legal intern at the Office of General Counsel for the University of Notre Dame.
Publications, Presentations, & Recognitions
- Laura received JD Supra’s 2022 Readers’ Choice Award for White Collar Defense.
- Laura was recognized in the 2021, 2o22, 2023, and 2024 Editions of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch.
- Laura was selected to the 2023 Washington, DC Rising Stars List.
- Laura received the Albert E. Arent Pro Bono Award for her pro bono work in 2017 and 2018.
Laura’s publications include:
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Ross Q. Panko and Laura E. Zell, Half-Baked: D.C. Circuit Rejects Attempt to Extend Territorial Reach of Copyright Act and Lanham Act to U.K., 32 Intell. Prop. & Tech. Law Journal 19 (2020).
- “Don’t Wait! Federal Court Sends Case Back to TTAB,” Lexology, co-authored with Randy Brater and Ross Panko, May 11, 2018
- “Licensee cannot rely on its licensor’s trademark use to establish priority,” World Trademark Review, October 10, 2017
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Industries
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Education
University of Notre Dame, JD, Dean’s Award, Highest Grade in Deposition Skills; cum laude, 2015University of Maryland, BA, 2012
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