Justin Pierce Named Chair of Venable’s Intellectual Property Division

Justin Pierce

Venable LLP, an American Lawyer Global 100 law firm, announced that Justin E. Pierce has been named chair of the firm’s Intellectual Property Division. He succeeds William D. Coston, who previously held the position.

Mr. Pierce’s practice covers a wide range of intellectual property matters, including patent litigation, trademarks and brand protection, anti-counterfeiting, copyrights, design rights, trade secrets, licensing, rights of publicity, domain name and social media disputes, and international government affairs work relating to intellectual property. He has significant experience advising companies and their executives on how best to acquire, develop, and use intellectual property to maximize revenue and business leverage.

A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Mr. Pierce served as an infantry officer in the U.S. Army, where he rose to the rank of captain. After earning his J.D. from George Washington University Law School, he joined Venable before taking an in-house position with Sony Ericsson as Senior IP Litigation Counsel. He then later became the Global Head of Trademarks and Brand Protection. He rejoined Venable in 2011 as a partner. In addition to his legal practice, Mr. Pierce is also an inventor, with a patent and published applications dealing with mobile applications, augmented and virtual reality, gaming, and anti-counterfeiting technology.

Mr. Pierce will spearhead an industry-leading Intellectual Property Division with a diverse group of attorneys and practices covering every aspect of intellectual property law, including patent, trademark, copyright, design, trade secret, antitrust, and unfair competition. The division includes more than 80 attorneys firmwide, many of whom hold advanced science degrees; more than 30 registered patent attorneys and agents; and five members of the American College of Trial Lawyers. In recent years, the division has seen record growth in revenue and recognition in Chambers USA, World Trademark Review, and U.S. News-Best Lawyers “Best Law Firms,” which recently named Venable as the Technology Law Firm of the Year.

Mr. Coston will resume his full-time practice, focusing on litigation and counseling in antitrust and intellectual property matters.