Mary Beth Walker
Mary Beth Walker is a seasoned intellectual property attorney with more than 20 years of experience spanning government service and private practice. She brings a deep understanding of trademark and copyright law, with a particular focus on litigation, enforcement, and USPTO strategy.
Mary Beth Walker is a seasoned intellectual property attorney with more than 20 years of experience spanning government service and private practice. She brings a deep understanding of trademark and copyright law, with a particular focus on litigation, enforcement, and USPTO strategy.
Before joining Pirkey Barber, Mary Beth spent more than a decade at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, where she most recently served as Senior Trademark Legal Counsel in the Office of the Solicitor. In that role, she handled complex trademark and copyright matters on behalf of the agency, and advised on a wide range of legal and policy issues. Mary Beth represented the agency at all levels of federal court, including in some of the highest profile trademark cases. Her USPTO tenure also included roles as an Associate Solicitor and as an Attorney Advisor in the Register Protection Office, giving her a comprehensive perspective on USPTO operations and decision-making.
Mary Beth’s government experience also includes service with the U.S. House of Representatives, where she worked as both as a professional staff member with the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet, and in the Office of General Counsel. In her role with the House Judiciary Committee, Mary Beth was instrumental in the development and passage of the Trademark Modernization Act. She also advised generally on intellectual property legislation and policy issues.
Earlier in her career, Mary Beth practiced at leading law firms, representing clients in trademark and copyright matters, including enforcement, litigation, and portfolio strategy. She began her legal career by clerking for The Honorable Theresa Carroll Buchanan, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Mary Beth earned her J.D. from Duke University School of Law, and her undergraduate degree in History from the University of Virginia.
In her free time, Mary Beth enjoys gardening, baking, and spending time with her family.
- U.S. Department of Commerce Gold Award
- USPTO Director’s Award
- D.C. Bar
- Maryland Bar
- Supreme Court of the United States
- Fourth Circuit
- Fifth Circuit
- District Court for the District of Columbia
- Panelist, The Trademark Modernization Act After Three Years: Where We Are, Federal Circuit Bar Association, November 2024
- Presenter, Famous and Well-Known Marks Committee, INTA Leadership Meeting, November 2023.
- Presenter, Programs for Foreign Judiciary and U.S. Government Officials on Trademark Law and Policy, while with the USPTO
- Duke University School of Law, J.D., cum laude, 2005
- University of Virginia, B.A., with distinction, 2001
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