Lynn Sullivan: Speedy Solutions Are Her Trademark

November 2010

Leading Lawyers Magazine � Women's Edition

Visiting Lynn Sullivan's office, a guest may hear a variety of distinct tones coming from her desk. One might be from a phone, another from her calendar program, a third from a cell phone. By the time the fourth unique tone is heard, it's quite clear that she has put sound to work for her in her penchant for organization.

Sullivan, a partner at Leydig, Voit & Mayer who practices in trademark law, is dedicated to being responsive to client needs, and the various electronic sounds one hears in her office are audible reminders of clients and friends from around the country—and world. They might be e-mailing regarding the intricacies of international trademark filings, or they might be calling to run an idea past her as a trusted sounding board. Either way, she prides herself on her quick response.

"Sometimes, clients get so used to me responding to an e-mail within a half an hour that some of them call up after two hours and say, 'Did you get my e-mail?'" Sullivan says with a smile.

Clients of other attorneys might consider a same-day response time to be lightning-fast. Not hers.

"She is there for us immediately," says Mike Forzano, an attorney with New York-based filter manufacturer Pall Corporation. "No matter when I call—and it may be infrequent—if she didn’t pick up the phone, I'll hear back from her that day, oftentimes within minutes. And she’ll turn around work product immediately, as if we are the only client she has. She's phenomenal."

That "work product" consists mainly of trademark application and prosecution. In other words, Sullivan shepherds the process by which companies obtain trademarks for their goods and services, both in the United States and internationally. But Sullivan took a long road to her current position.

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