LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Key takeaways
- Susan Natland, Jessica Sganga and Katherine McMorrow join BakerHostetler as partners in the Intellectual Property Practice Group and as members of the Global Trademark and Brand Protection team. Natland, who has been recognized as one of the 80 most Influential Women in IP by World Intellectual Property Review, will join BakerHostetler as co-leader of the Global Trademark and Brand Protection team and is based in the firm’s Orange County office. Sganga and McMorrow, who work closely with Natland, are located in BakerHostetler’s Los Angeles office.
- The hirings are in line with the firm’s strategic plan to achieve a full-service platform on the West Coast. Eric Sagerman was hired away from an Am Law 30 firm in 2019 to serve as Los Angeles managing partner and spearhead the effort. Since that time, the firm opened a San Francisco office that is led by Robb Adkins, former chief of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Orange County, California.
- The new group builds on the earlier addition of a team of 15 high-tech attorneys led by Mark Itri, the former global IP chair of an Am Law 50 firm, who manages the firm’s Orange County office.
- This is the latest string in a number of high-profile additions, with the firm hiring nearly 30 lateral partners so far this year, including, last month, a four-member team on the Mergers and Acquisitions, Private Equity, and Debt Finance teams in New York and a partner from the Illinois Attorney General’s Office who joined the firm’s Digital Assets and Data Management Practice Group.
Why this matters
Natland, Sganga and McMorrow expand the firm’s offerings on the West Coast. The West Coast now mirrors the firm’s strength in complex mega litigation, IP, digital assets and data management, mergers and acquisitions, securities, and labor and employment. To achieve this, the firm has added more than 120 attorneys on the West Coast since Sagerman joined.
Key quotes
“The addition of this terrific trio is part of our overall West Coast strategy to recruit top talent and deepen our existing client relationships,” said Paul Schmidt, chairman of BakerHostetler. “This dynamic team enhances an important national service offering for our firm in a high-priority market. We are thrilled to welcome Susan, Jessica and Kate to BakerHostetler.”
“This is a very impactful move, as these energetic and focused IP lawyers are remarkably both at the top of the industry and capable of even more growth,” said Mark Tidman, firmwide chair of the Intellectual Property Practice Group. “Susan, Jessica and Kate add trademark capabilities that few firms are able to match.”
“This is a unique opportunity to strengthen our Orange County office. We will continue our trajectory by adding accomplished attorneys to our office,” said Itri, partner-in-charge of the firm’s Orange County office and a partner in the firm’s Intellectual Property Practice Group.
“We are thrilled to join the extremely talented team at BakerHostetler,” said Natland. “The firm’s sophisticated IP offering, together with its remarkably diverse practice, innovative and business-focused legal tools, and visionary leadership, provides the perfect platform to fully and holistically service all of our clients’ needs. We look forward to joining our new colleagues in such a collaborative and entrepreneurial culture.”
About Natland’s practice
Natland is sought out for counsel on domestic and international trademark and brand protection, advertising law, unfair competition, copyright and Internet law. She focuses her practice on trademark selection, searches, procurement, prosecution, diligence, audits, enforcement, Trademark Trial and Appeal Board proceedings, and litigation, as well as domain disputes, copyrights, rights of publicity and artificial intelligence-related issues.
Natland, who formerly seconded as in-house trademark counsel for a major Internet retailer, is the past chair of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Trademark Public Advisory Committee. She is heavily involved with the International Trademark Association, having served as chair of its Enforcement Committee and on several INTA presidential task forces.
Ranked as a top-tier attorney for Intellectual Property: Trademark, Copyright & Trade Secrets by Chambers & Partners, Natland received her J.D. from UCLA School of Law and her B.A. from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
About Sganga’s practice
Sganga provides comprehensive legal advice in trademark and copyright, unfair competition, advertising, and Internet law matters both domestically and internationally. She is well versed in trademark selection, prosecution, enforcement and litigation in addition to licensing, domain disputes, counterfeit goods, IP due diligence, rights of publicity and e-commerce issues. Her clients include prominent companies in the food and beverage, beauty, fashion, e-commerce, medical, and entertainment industries.
A four-time World IP Review leader, Sganga is a member of INTA and was the chair of the Orange County Bar Association’s Entertainment, Sports and Marketing Section.
Sganga received her J.D. from Pepperdine University School of Law and her B.A. from Colgate University.
About McMorrow’s practice
McMorrow represents a diverse range of clients across all areas of IP and advertising law, including clients in the medical, entertainment, tech, financial, fashion, beauty and wellness, and food and beverage spaces. Her practice includes both domestic and international brand protection and enforcement, as well as providing strategic guidance on IP agreements, branding, social media marketing and advertising matters. McMorrow also has extensive experience litigating trademark, trade dress, domain name, false advertising, trade secret, patent, copyright, unfair competition and contract disputes in federal and state courts, as well as before the TTAB, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board and domain name dispute forums. She has also been involved with high-stakes litigation and helped obtain favorable rulings for clients at both the U.S. Supreme Court and the Supreme People’s Court in China.
Named “One to Watch” in California IP law by The Best Lawyers in America 2026 guide, a “Rising Star” by California Super Lawyers for the past five years and a “Beauty and Fashion Visionary” by the Los Angeles Times, McMorrow is involved with INTA and served on its Internet Committee for the past two years.
McMorrow received her J.D. from Boston University School of Law and B.A. and B.S. degrees from Truman State University.
BakerHostetler’s Intellectual Property Practice Group boasts more than 100 attorneys to help clients around the globe safeguard their most valuable IP assets. The group’s roster provides sophisticated counsel to businesses and individuals who are global, national, regional and local leaders in their market segments; many are Fortune 500 companies. Often commended by Chambers USA, Legal 500, IAMS, World Trademark Review and others, BakerHostetler’s Intellectual Property Practice Group is leading the way in helping clients protect their competitive advantage provided by their valuable IP and monetize and enforce those assets. Connect with us on LinkedIn at @BakerHostetler, @PaulSchmidt, @MarkTidman, @MarkItri, @EricSagerman, @SusanNatland, @JessicaSganga or @KateMcMorrow or on the social platform X at @BakerHostetler.
About BakerHostetler
BakerHostetler helps clients around the world address their most complex and critical business and regulatory issues. Our highly ranked attorneys deliver sophisticated counsel and outstanding client service. We have six core practice groups – Business, Digital Assets and Data Management, Intellectual Property, Labor and Employment, Litigation, and Tax – and more than 1,000 lawyers coast to coast. For more information, visit bakerlaw.com.
Contacts
Jocelyn De Carvalho
212-220-9192
[email protected]
