Flaster Greenberg is pleased to announce that Jordan LaVine, co-managing shareholder and intellectual property attorney, was recently recognized by the Philadelphia Business Journal as one of the region’s most impactful lawyers in the Intellectual Property Category for their annual Best of the Bar program. This year's class consisted of 35 honorees across nine categories. View complete list here.
An independent panel of judges took into consideration each lawyer’s demonstrated success over the past 15 months, including the significance of the matters and the size of the results of their legal work.
What Makes Jordan the "Best of the Bar?"
Flaster Greenberg’s Co-Managing Shareholder Jordan A. LaVine, a renowned and successful trademark attorney, is the “best of the bar” in his practice area because he successfully protects and enforces a vast portfolio of trademarks for clients throughout the world. A trademark is a company’s key asset. It is used to build brand loyalty, create a strong customer base, and increase a company’s bottom line. But, more importantly, it provides legal protection for a brand and stops competitors from poaching customers by imitating it.
Trademark protection is essential, especially to Jordan’s clients who include The New York Times Company, Apple & Eve (beverages), Penske Media (publisher of Rolling Stone, Variety, The Robb Report), GrubHub, The Hollywood Reporter, Billboard Magazine, and more. Jordan takes pride in representing both large global trademarks, as well as privately held family businesses and individuals.
Recent examples of Jordan successfully protecting a company’s trademark include GrubHub and Wordle.
Jordan successfully defended GrubHub in a trademark dispute with Kroger’s meal-kit delivery service, Home Chef. The Kroger Co. alleges it ownership of a logo of a house and cutlery and that GrubHub’s new logo infringed upon its trademark. After attempts by GrubHub to resolve this dispute amicably, the filing of a suit, counterclaims, and injunctions, a federal judge in Illinois finally declared that there was not a likelihood of confusion between GrubHub’s and Home Chef’s logos. Home Chef is currently appealing the ruling and the case is pending.
In addition, Jordan has been protecting and enforcing Wordle’s trademark throughout the world since The New York Times bought the viral online game in early 2022. Jordan has been The New York Times’s primary outside trademark counsel since 2004. With respect to the recent Wordle mark, the first step was to protect Wordle was through registering the trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office as well as globally. This ensures the brand could be protected and enforced when copycat games – and they are many -- under similar names or the same name are created. With each copycat game, Jordan steps into action by sending demand letters or taking other action to address the infringement. As a result, the number of copycats flooding app stores and on websites has significantly been reduced in 2023.
Building the Region's Largest IP Practice
Jordan LaVine’s biggest professional accomplishment is successfully building one of the largest intellectual property practices in the region. The firm’s strategy was to grow methodically by selectively attracting strong laterals that complement its existing practice strengths, and thanks to Jordan’s dedication and expertise, the Intellectual Property Department has done exactly that. Hiring talented attorneys fuel creativity, collaboration, momentum, client loyalty, and a dynamic corporate culture. With more than 20 attorneys specializing in trademarks and patents, the strength and growth of this team has accomplished those traits and greatly enhanced the scope and depth of the IP services that Flaster Greenberg provides clients. The deep bench of attorneys gives the mid-sized firm the ability to represent a diverse range of clients from Fortune 500 companies like the New York Times to individuals and small or medium-sized privately held business.
Along with playing a pivotal role in the strategic growth of the IP department, Jordan has been recognized for his work by the gold standards of the trademark and legal industries. He was recently named by the World Trademark Review as one of the top three attorneys in Pennsylvania for trademark prosecution, strategy, and counseling and he was ranked in the World Trademark Review’s highest band (gold) for his work. He has also received the following recognition this year:
- Best Lawyers, 2023, Trademark Law, Copyright Law
- Chambers & Partners, 2023, Leader in the Field, Intellectual Property, Pennsylvania
- Thomson Reuters “Super Lawyer”, 2023, Intellectual Property, Pennsylvania
Connecting with the Community
Jordan and his wife Alexis Arena have sponsored more than a half dozen Ukrainian refugees since April 2022 when the President announced the creation of “United for Ukraine.” This government program provides a streamlined process for Ukrainian citizens and their immediate family members who fled Russia’s war of aggression the opportunity to come to the U.S. with the help of a supporter. Through this humanitarian program, Jordan and his wife, an in-house attorney for Comcast, have helped these refugees find a new life in the U.S by providing them access to housing, offering hands-on move-in help, and assisting them in entering the workforce.
To continue his work as a humanitarian ambassador, Jordan assists his wife with her mission to raise funds to help pay for the rental expenses of refugees. Since its inception last year, Rentals 4 Refugees, a non-profit organization, has helped two families afford housing for one year each.
In addition, Jordan served as an adjunct professor at Villanova University School of Law on “Advanced Trademark Law Issues” for 14 years. He has also been a guest lecturer at the Fordham University School of Law and is a past co-chair of the American Law Institute/American Bar Association’s (ALI-ABA) course on trademarks, copyrights, and unfair competition for general practitioners and in-house counsel, which was held for over 15 years.
In his spare time, Jordan enjoys coaching his children’s basketball, soccer and baseball teams, and has also served as coordinator of the a grade level recreational basketball league.
