Sarah Leighton brings a calm, creative, and responsive approach to intellectual property law, combining technical knowledge with a talent for managing complex projects and fostering strong client relationships. As a key member of Saunders & Silverstein’s intellectual property team, Sarah serves as the primary liaison for the firm’s mass clearance program. This unique role sees her interfacing daily with major clients, overseeing administrative management of the clearance team, and guiding the clearance of names, taglines, product designs, and more across global markets. Sarah balances precision and efficiency to conduct thousands of searches annually, ensuring that her clients’ strategies, creative assets, and reputations are protected.
In addition to her clearance work, Sarah is developing a robust practice in trademark enforcement and prosecution, representing clients throughout the trademark prosecution process before the USPTO and in a wide variety of infringement disputes. Sarah is at the forefront of utilizing expungement and reexamination proceedings as strategic solutions for her clients. These innovative tools were introduced in the Trademark Modernization Act of 2020 and allow for cost-effective, ex parte removal of deadwood trademark registrations from the registry.
Sarah is also expanding her practice to include proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) and the management of global intellectual property portfolios. She assists clients with consent agreements, portfolio planning, and intellectual property registrations, domestically and internationally. Her technical skill and strategic insight are assets to clients navigating an increasingly complex intellectual property landscape.
Sarah’s creativity and discipline, honed through years of artistic training as a ballerina and artist, shape her approach to solving complex challenges. This blend of innovation and focus allows her to deliver thoughtful and resourceful solutions to her clients.
PUBLICATIONS
- “The Implementation and Effectiveness of Trademark Expungement and Reexamination Proceedings,” IDEA: The Law Review of the Franklin Pierce Center for Intellectual Property
