Firm Continues to Build Out Roster of First-Chair Trial Lawyers
Drayton’s Arrival Marks Third Litigator to Join in as Many Weeks
NEW YORK, November 1, 2023 – Leading international law firm Proskauer is pleased to welcome Joseph (Joe) Drayton as a partner in its Intellectual Property (IP) Group. A first-chair trial lawyer, Joe has represented some of the nation’s most prominent companies on all facets of IP litigation before both state and federal courts, as well as the International Trade Commission.
Joe has more than two decades of experience specializing in IP and complex commercial matters, including patent litigation, copyright, trademark and trade dress and false advertising across diverse industries. He also counsels clients in all aspects of IP acquisition, transfer, protection and enforcement.
Joe will be based in the Firm’s New York office, which in October also welcomed Commercial Litigation partners and first-chair trial lawyers Grant Esposito and David Fioccola.
“Joe’s expertise in patent litigation will strengthen our standing as a key player in the intellectual property arena – a growing area of importance for many of our clients,” said Steven M. Ellis, Chairman of Proskauer. “As clients’ needs evolve and the issues become more complex, our Firm will continue to invest and grow to support those needs on a global scale.”
“As we continue to deepen our bench of first-chair trial lawyers, I am thrilled to welcome Joe to Proskauer. His successful track record and well-earned reputation in complex IP and patent litigation matters will undoubtedly be a benefit to clients,” said Bart Williams, Chair of the Firm’s Litigation Department. “I look forward to working closely with Joe as we help companies across different industries solve for their most sophisticated IP issues.”
Joe is a trusted advisor for several corporate executives and a national leader in the legal community. He is regularly recognized as one of the top lawyers in the U.S., having consistently been named to the IAM Patent 1000 list. Most recently, Joe received the C. Francis Stadford Award by the National Bar Association, the highest award bestowed by the association that is given to a member whose leadership, integrity, legal skills and devotion have inspired colleagues and contributed greatly to the legal profession. A longtime bar leader, Joe served as the 76th president of the National Bar Association and is also a former vice president and Board chair of the New York Bar Association.
“I am delighted to join Proskauer. They have a forward-thinking mindset and as IP and tech issues continue to increase in scope and complexity, this trait can make the difference in the success of a matter. I am eager to start working with this highly regarded team of litigators to counsel clients and develop outcome-aligned resolution strategies on their behalf,” said Joe.
The Firm has announced 17 partners this year, six of which have been in the Litigation Department. In addition to Joe, Grant and David, Proskauer welcomed partners Robert Pommer (Securities Litigation, Washington, D.C.), Stephen Hibbard (Securities Litigation, Los Angeles) and Erik Milch (Patent Litigation, Washington, D.C.).
Joe received his B.S. from University of Maryland and J.D. from University of Pennsylvania Carey School of Law. He joins from Cooley LLP.
About Proskauer
We are 800+ lawyers serving clients from 12 offices located in the leading financial and business centers in the Americas, Europe and Asia. We work with asset managers, private equity and venture capital firms, Fortune 500 and FTSE companies, major sports leagues, entertainment industry legends and industry-redefining companies.
Since 1875, Proskauer has been devoted to our clients’ successes. Our lawyers are known for their unusually high accessibility, responsiveness and attentiveness. We go the extra mile to understand a client’s business — and think like savvy businesspeople in the process.
Proskauer has a full-service litigation practice with extensive trial experience in virtually every major forum across the globe. We take a collaborative approach to representing defendants and plaintiffs, multinationals, middle-market and small-cap businesses, financial institutions, partnerships and individuals, with one thing in mind – driving successful outcomes for our clients.
Recent successful representations include a landmark victory for Sanderson Farms in a $7 billion broiler chicken antitrust conspiracy case; a decisive victory for Gilead Sciences, Inc. in a $3.6 billion antitrust case; a victory for Shamrock Capital Advisors in a high-profile $1 billion lawsuit brought by the founders and other minority shareholders of FanDuel; representing Monsanto in a case brought by multiple plaintiffs who claimed Roundup caused their non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma; and serving as lead counsel to Miramax in a lawsuit filed against Pulp Fiction director Quentin Tarantino.