Kristina Montanaro Schrader Joins Adams and Reese as Anti-Counterfeiting Team Leader

    NASHVILLE, TN, September 27, 2015 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Adams and Reese is pleased to announce that Kristina Montanaro Schrader has joined the Nashville office as Team Leader of the firm's new Anti-Counterfeiting Practice which will serve clients in combating counterfeiting, piracy and other Intellectual Property infringements.

Schrader was most recently an attorney at Venable LLP in Washington, DC, and prior to that was an executive at the International AntiCounterfeiting Coalition, a trade association devoted to promoting intellectual property and combating product counterfeiting and copyright piracy. At the IACC, she executed strategic brand and content protection initiatives on behalf of hundreds of rights-holders from across all product sectors.

"Kristina brings significant experience in executing modern intellectual property enforcement strategies for many of the world's best-known brands, and we are excited to have her on board," said Mitch Boult, a senior IP attorney and partner in the Adams and Reese Nashville office and member of the firm's executive committee, "Kristina has first-hand experience managing IP portfolios and various in-house legal and legislative activities, and her impressive portfolio of clientele has included major brands and start-ups from many industries, as well as recording artists."

Adams and Reese Managing Partner Gif Thornton added: "We are excited about launching our anti-counterfeiting practice and to be able to offer that niche service and expertise to our clients. Kristina is the perfect attorney to lead our new team."

At Adams and Reese, Schrader will continue to offer custom-made brand and content protection strategies for a variety of businesses. Schrader's main focus is in crafting brand and content protection strategies for today's market.

"Many business owners don't realize that counterfeiters do not distinguish between major brands and fledgling start-ups," Schrader said. "If your brand is popular to consumers, the knock-offs are already out there, or they are on their way. In today's economy, businesses must be mindful of protecting their IP from day one."

Schrader added: "I am thrilled to be back in Nashville, and can't imagine a better place to start a new brand protection practice group. As Music City, Nashville has thrived on the success of its rights-holder community. And as a burgeoning start-up community, Nashville's future depends on IP protection now more than ever."

Schrader earned her J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School and her B.A. in Political Science from College of Charleston. Schrader holds an LL.M. in Intellectual Property Law from George Washington University Law School. While in law school, Schrader served as a legal intern with the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, Gucci America, and Dolce & Gabbana USA.

Kristina was licensed in New York in 2011, and is applying for licensure in Tennessee and the District of Columbia. While awaiting Tennessee licensure, she works under the direct supervision of Tennessee licensed-lawyers.

Adams and Reese is a multidisciplinary law firm with attorneys and advisors strategically located in 16 offices in 15 markets throughout the southern United States and Washington, D.C. American Lawyer includes Adams and Reese on its distinguished list of the nation's top law firms - "The Am Law 200". The National Law Journal also includes the firm on the "NLJ 350" list of the nation's largest law firms.

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