Ladas & Parry’s commitment to providing world-class services to its clients extends to serving the greater community. We contribute our skills to artists, inventors, students, businesses, educational institutions, nonprofit organizations and legal and industry-specific associations, and provide pro-bono and low-cost legal services to qualified individuals and entities.

Central to our firm’s foundation and identity is building a culture of creativity and innovation, and learning and connectivity. We believe that being a great law firm not only requires delivering excellence to clients, but also to the local and global communities of which our firm is a part.

Ladas & Parry’s community involvement includes the following:

PRO BONO, REDUCED-FEE LEGAL SERVICES & LEGAL VOLUNTEERING

Ladas & Parry is dedicated to supporting important legal causes and to providing pro-bono or reduced-fee services to those in need. Our attorneys assist intellectual property owners of limited means with their most pressing business needs related to intellectual property. For example, we counseled a local choreographer on drafting a Services and Licensing Agreement, and provided free legal consultation to young inventors seeking to patent novel garments for people with disabilities. In addition, our attorneys partner with legal volunteer organizations and provide pro bono consultation at law clinics. We also serve and participate on committees in local, national, and international associations, in which we address legal issues, organize educational and social events, and contribute to commentaries on law and policy.

CHARITY & NON-LEGAL VOLUNTEERING

Ladas & Parry supports charitable causes and volunteering, and we encourage members of our community to give back in various ways. These have included fundraising to fight lymphoma through sailing competitions, volunteering at food banks, and encouraging office-wide participation in campaigns such as Lee National Denim Day for breast cancer awareness and Operation Backpack to provide school supplies to homeless children in New York.

MENTORSHIP, EDUCATION & SCHOLARSHIP

Ladas & Parry has a longstanding tradition of providing mentorship to students through our Legal Internship/Externship programs, as well as Optional Practical Training (OPT) for foreign trained attorneys through our Visiting Lawyer Program. These programs partner students and practitioners from around the world with our attorneys and give them “hands-on” experience. In addition, we support recent graduates and newly licensed attorneys through our in-house training program, which gives them the foundation they need to make a lasting impact as IP practitioners at our firm. Some of our senior attorneys, and even our most junior associates, participate in groups focused on education, outreach, and nurturing client relationships. Several of our attorneys serve or have served as adjunct professors at top-tier institutions including Columbia University, Fordham University, Hofstra University Maurice A. Deane School of Law, The Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, and the John Marshall Law School, and many serve as guest lecturers and speakers in educational conferences and programs for educational institutions, incubators, and legal and industry associations throughout the world.

ACADEMIC RESEARCH & FUNDRAISING FOR HIGHER LEARNING AND THE ARTS

Ladas & Parry is proudly committed to supporting higher education and promoting the liberal arts. In addition to the close relationships we have fostered with various universities and law schools throughout the country, we have established the annual Ladas Memorial Award Competition in partnership with the International Trademark Association (INTA), which is an annual writing competition for students and professionals. The competition is funded by our firm in memory of the many outstanding contributions to international intellectual property law made by the distinguished practitioner, inductee of the IP Hall of Fame, and author, Dr. Stephen P. Ladas.

SUPPORT FOR START-UPS, INCUBATORS & SMALL BUSINESS

Ladas & Parry recognizes the importance of small businesses to the global economy and the vision of entrepreneurs and start-ups whose dreams and hard work oftentimes change the world. Our attorneys have supported the small business community by speaking before international trading agencies and by providing free counseling to women entrepreneurs as part of the Neighborhood Entrepreneur Law Project’s legal clinic of the New York City Bar Justice Center. We provide low-cost or pro bono legal services to select qualifying entrepreneurs and small businesses whose net income falls below the New York City Bar Association’s threshold. If you are a legal clinic organizer or manager of a business incubator we can prepare customized presentations and sessions, either in-person or by webinar. If you believe that you qualify for low-cost or pro bono legal services, please contact us and we will determine our ability to assist you.