Pirkey Barber is pleased to announce that it has promoted Alexandra Bistline, Megan Bradshaw, and S. Erik Combs, IV to the membership, effective January 1, 2022.
“We are thrilled to welcome Alex, Megan, and Erik into the membership of Pirkey Barber,” saidChris Kindel, a member of the firm who serves on its Management Committee. “In their time here as associates, they have proven that they possess the legal acumen, critical expertise, and commitment to excellence that our clients demand. They represent the best of our profession and will be exceptional additions to our membership.”
Alex Bistline practices trademark, copyright, and unfair competition law, with a primary focus on litigation and policing. Alex has represented clients in all phases of litigation, including pre-trial, trial, post-trial, and appeal. She practices in numerous federal district courts throughout the country, as well as before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. She also advises clients on developing enforcement strategies, policing of infringements, and trademark-related contracts and negotiations.
Alex is also heavily involved in the national and local IP communities, as a committee leader, organization member, writer, and speaker. She has served in several leadership roles at the national and local level, including serving as the Vice-Chair of the Anti-Counterfeiting Committee for IPO and as a board member of the Austin Intellectual Property Law Association. Bistline also routinely speaks at national and local conferences regarding important trademark issues.
Alex earned her J.D. with Highest Honors from The University of Texas School of Law. Prior to law school, Alex graduated with Highest Honors from The University of Texas at Austin, receiving a Bachelor of Science in Communication Studies and a Bachelor of Arts in Plan II. She was also a member of Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society
Megan Bradshaw focuses her practice on global trademark prosecution and enforcement. Her practice includes advising clients on the selection and clearance of marks, assisting with registration of marks both in the United States and in a range of foreign countries, and enforcing clients’ trademark rights through international and domestic oppositions and negotiations. She has assisted clients across a wide range of industries, including food and beverages, restaurants, personal care products, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, video games, publishing, cybersecurity, insurance, human resources, educational institutions, and retail services.
Megan is currently a member of the International Trademark Association (INTA) where she serves on the Public Information Committee. Megan has been a writer and speaker on trademark topics for The Texas Bar Journal and INTA.
Megan earned her J.D. with honors from The University of Texas School of Law. Prior to law school, Megan received a degree in International Relations summa cum laude from St. Mary’s University, where she was a member of the Honors Program.
Erik Combs focuses his practice on trademark, copyright, and unfair competition law. He has experience representing clients in contested proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, assisting clients in the management of domestic and international trademark portfolios, and protecting clients’ intellectual property rights with respect to issues particular to the internet, including through UDRP proceedings. Erik also has expertise assisting clients with trademark licensing and transactional matters, as well as software license agreements.
Erik is involved in the national and local IP communities, as a committee leader, organization member, and speaker. This past year, Erik joined the Leadership Counsel on Legal Diversity’s, Pathfinder program. Additionally, Erik serves as the Vice-Chair of the Trademark Internet Committee for the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA), and previously served as a member of the Technology Committee for the Austin Intellectual Property Law Association. Combs routinely speaks at national and local conferences regarding trademark issues and has been involved in a variety of pro bono efforts, for which he was honored with the Covington Pro Bono Service Award in 2019. Over the past six years he has also been a consistent guest lecturer on intellectual property at the University of Texas School of Law.
Erik earned his J.D. from The University of Texas School of Law Prior to law school, Erik graduated from Washington University in St. Louis earning a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering.