Leanne Stendell
Biography
Leanne Stendell focuses her practice in the area of intellectual property law. She concentrates on procuring, prosecuting, and enforcing trademarks and copyrights for clients with domestic and international portfolios.
Her intellectual property experience includes:
- U.S. and international trademark clearance, protection, and enforcement strategy.
- Social media counseling and enforcement.
- Copyright, trade dress, non-traditional trademark, and Customs counseling and enforcement.
- Evaluating product and packaging designs for trade dress and other intellectual property issues.
- Maintaining and enforcing clients' trademark rights through U.S. Trademark Office and court proceedings.
- Enforcing clients' intellectual property rights through online and domain name disputes.
- Various trademark and copyright infringement suits.
Leanne began her career at Haynes Boone. She most recently served as the Chief Trademark Counsel and Associate General Counsel at TGI Friday’s Inc., managing intellectual property, licensing, marketing, digital, information technology, data security and privacy, and other matters. She was TGI Friday’s first dedicated intellectual property attorney. She also developed the company's intellectual property procedures and processes.
Prior to joining TGI Friday’s, Leanne was the Global Managing Director, Trademarks and IP, for Yum! Brands, Inc. and its restaurant brands KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell.
Leanne is an active member of the International Trademark Association. She served on the Board of Directors during the 2019-2022 term and as Chair of the In-House Practitioners Committee during the 2018-19 term. She has previously held roles on the Internet Committee, Online Reference Committee, and Young Practitioners Committee.
Leanne received the State Bar of Texas IP Section’s 2019 Annual Trademark Award for her accomplishments in the trademark community. She was named to the World Trademark Review’s WTR 300: The World’s Leading Corporate Trademark Professionals list each year from 2019-2024 and to the World Trademark Review’s Global Leaders 2024 list.
Leanne is a summa cum laude graduate of the Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law.
Leanne Stendell focuses her practice in the area of intellectual property law. She concentrates on procuring, prosecuting, and enforcing trademarks and copyrights for clients with domestic and international portfolios.
Her intellectual property experience includes:
- U.S. and international trademark clearance, protection, and enforcement strategy.
- Social media counseling and enforcement.
- Copyright, trade dress, non-traditional trademark, and Customs counseling and enforcement.
- Evaluating product and packaging designs for trade dress and other intellectual property issues.
- Maintaining and enforcing clients' trademark rights through U.S. Trademark Office and court proceedings.
- Enforcing clients' intellectual property rights through online and domain name disputes.
- Various trademark and copyright infringement suits.
Leanne began her career at Haynes Boone. She most recently served as the Chief Trademark Counsel and Associate General Counsel at TGI Friday’s Inc., managing intellectual property, licensing, marketing, digital, information technology, data security and privacy, and other matters. She was TGI Friday’s first dedicated intellectual property attorney. She also developed the company's intellectual property procedures and processes.
Prior to joining TGI Friday’s, Leanne was the Global Managing Director, Trademarks and IP, for Yum! Brands, Inc. and its restaurant brands KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell.
Leanne is an active member of the International Trademark Association. She served on the Board of Directors during the 2019-2022 term and as Chair of the In-House Practitioners Committee during the 2018-19 term. She has previously held roles on the Internet Committee, Online Reference Committee, and Young Practitioners Committee.
Leanne received the State Bar of Texas IP Section’s 2019 Annual Trademark Award for her accomplishments in the trademark community. She was named to the World Trademark Review’s WTR 300: The World’s Leading Corporate Trademark Professionals list each year from 2019-2024 and to the World Trademark Review’s Global Leaders 2024 list.
Leanne is a summa cum laude graduate of the Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law.
- Dallas Women in IP
- The Honorable Barbara M. G. Lynn American Inn of Court, 2011-2013
- Business Council for the Arts, Leadership Arts Institute, Class of 2010
- Received the State Bar of Texas Annual Trademark Award, 2019
- Named to World Trademark Review’s WTR 300: The World’s Leading Corporate Trademark Professionals, 2019-2024
- Named a World Trademark Review WTR Global Leader, 2024
- "Online Infringement: Best Practices for Combatting Counterfeits and Impostors," presenter, Intellectual Property Law Section, Dallas Bar, Dallas, TX, June 2019.
- "Brand Enforcement," presenter, State Bar of Texas Intellectual Property Law Workshop, Dallas, TX, February 2019.
- "Will You Still #Like Me Tomorrow: Moving with the Tempo of Trending Social Media Issues," speaker, INTA Trademark Administrators and Practitioners Meeting, New Orleans, LA, September 2017.
- "Intellectual Property Update," Texas Bar Minority Counsel Program, Dallas, TX, November 2016.
- "Beyond Native Advertising: The Line Between Social Media Posts and Advertising," panelist, INTA Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL, May 2016.
- "Bloggers Beware: FTC Issues New Guidelines for Social Media Advertising Disclosures," author, The Haynes and Boone IP Beacon (2013).
- "Policing Trademarks on the Internet and Web 2.0," participant, INTA U.S. Roundtable, January 2010.
- "Fanfic and Fan Fact: How Current Copyright Law Ignores the Reality of Copyright Owner and Consumer Interests in Fan Fiction," author, 58 SMU L. Rev. 1551 (Fall 2005).
Education
J.D., Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law, summa cum laude, valedictorian, Order of the Coif, SMU Law Review, Sumners Foundation Scholar
M.B.A., University of Texas at Dallas, Dean’s Honor List, Dean’s Excellence Scholarship
B.S., Business Administration, University of Texas at Dallas, summa cum laude, Dean’s Honor List, Academic Excellence with Honors Scholarship
Admissions
Texas