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John M. Genga
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John M. Genga
Genga & Associates
15260 Ventura Blvd.
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
Phone: (818) 444-4581 | Fax: (818) 444-4585
http://www.gengalaw.com/
Big firm quality and experience at lower rates.
Legal Topic
Intellectual Property
Preferred New Clients
All types of intellectual property, entertainment and business disputes, such as for internet, technology, software and gaming companies; motion picture and television companies, agents, managers, performers and personalities; music publishers, record labels and individual artists; and other intellectual property owners and business interests.
Sub-Categories
Intellectual Property
- Copyrights
- International Intellectual Property
- Trade Dress
- Trademarks
- Trade Secrets
- Film
- Television
- Internet
Bar Admissions
CA, Dec 1986
Bar Number: 125522
Other Court Admissions
California, all U.S. District Courts in California, the 9th and 10th Circuits and the U.S. Supreme Court
Association Memberships
American Bar Association, State Bar of California, Los Angeles County Bar Association
Continuing Education
Consistently in excess of CA continuing legal education requirements, largely due to added credits received for speaking and teaching at continuing education events and seminars.
Papers and Publications
Approximately three dozen articles, book chapters and internet presentations on a variety of intellectual property and entertainment topics, all available upon request.
Example Cases
Represented Vanna White in landmark case regarding exploitation of name, likeness and image for commercial purposes: White v. Samsung Electronics America, Inc., 971 F.2d 1395 (9th Cir. 1992). Handled hundreds of copyright, trademark, idea submission and trade secrets cases. Managed and recovered thousands of internet domain names.
Education
Degree:
A.B., English Literature
School:
Stanford University
City:
Stanford
State:
CA
Year:
1983
Honors:
Phi Beta Kappa
Degree:
J.D.
School:
University of Michigan Law School
City:
Ann Arbor
State:
MI
Year:
1986
Number of Attorneys
3
State Licensed In
California
Firm Focus and History
Founded firm in May 2004, after eighteen years at large regional and international law firms, to deliver more efficient, results-oriented legal services at lower cost to institutional and individual IP, entertainment and business clients.
Previous Employment Summary
2000-2004: Partner of Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP in Los Angeles. Firmwide chair of entertainment practice; member of the litigation department and intellectual property practice group; and member of LA office recruiting committee.
1988-2000: Troop Steuber Pasich Reddick & Tobey, LLP (originally Hill Wynne Troop & Meisinger), Los Angeles. Partner, 1994-2000; hiring partner, 1998-2000; associate, 1988-1993.
1986-1988: Associate, Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue, Los Angeles.
Activities and Awards
Who has time with a 6 year-old and a 4 year-old?
What is your opinion regarding clients educating themselves on legal issues?
OK with me. We deal with lots of in-house counsel anyway.
Are you willing to review documents prepared by clients?
Unless prepared by in-house counsel, I typically do not do that. I do not think it is appropriate for a layperson to prepare legal documents. I might review letters for clients to make sure they are not shooting themselves in the foot.
Are you willing to coach clients who want to represent themselves?
No.
Why did you decide to be a lawyer?
Because I perceived that it would always be challenging and new, so that I wouldn't be asking myself after ten years, "Why am I doing this?"
What work experience and education helps you be a better lawyer?
Receiving a top-quality education as both an undergrad and a law student, and figuring out how to pay for it later. Working through school also helps not only to afford the education, but also to get used to working hard. As far as career experience goes, three things come to mind as particularly important: (a) getting as much hands-on experience as possible; (b) maintaining continuity on cases, rather than jumping from one project to another, so as to understand why each step is important and how it fits into the big picture; and (c) having a mentor.
Why did you decide on your primary area of practice?
I decided on my primary specialty because the firm I was with at the time happened to get cases in the copyright area. I was in the right place at the right time and ended up taking on many more such cases and becoming an expert in the field. However, I view myself first and foremost as a litigator -- one who happens to know a good deal about copyright, trademark and trade secrets, but who also enjoys handling a wide variety of business disputes.
What do you like best about your career?
The fact that it is always changing and challenging, and that it helps pay my mortgage and provide for my kids' education.
Tell us about your law firm:
Associates:
Don Moody, UCLA Law School 2003; also getting a Masters in Information Technology from Boston University, and will take the patent bar. Don worked in the "dot-com" world before going to law school, knows a great deal about the Internet and specializes in Internet intellectual property enforcement, alternative dispute resolution and litigation.
Khurram Nizami, Loyola (Los Angeles) Law School 2006. Khurram worked as a technical writer before attending law school, and supports both our Internet enforcement practice and our litigation practice.
Jerl Leutz, Loyola (Los Angeles) Law School 2006, undergrad chemistry major, also working toward taking the patent bar. Like Khurram, also supports our Internet enforcement and litigation practices.
Fall 2007:
Fei Pang, University of Iowa School of Law, J.D. May 2007. Fei is a licensed attorney in his native China, speaks fluent Mandarin and Cantonese, worked as a summer associate in 2006 and also has worked part-time from school both before and since. In addition to the type of work performed by other junior associates, Fei is helping grow our Internet enforcement and ADR practices in Asia as well as with Asian clients in the U.S.
Contract counsel:
Nicole Krasny Asch, UC Hastings College of Law 1999. Nicole worked from then until 2006 as a litigation associate at the Los Angeles office of the large international law firm Fulbright & Jaworsky, where she gained first-chair trial experience and handled all aspects of discovery and motion practice in numerous complex business and intellectual property cases. Nicole takes day-to-day responsibility for many of the firm's litigation matters, and helps train our more junior lawyers and paralegals.
What are your strengths and style?
Our strengths lie in our experience, expertise and persistence. We work very hard for our clients and often simply "out-litigate" the other side. Our style, though, is to get to know the client's business and its objectives, so as to achieve the best result for the client's business in the most efficient manner possible. Thus, when settlement appears to us to be the right thing, we recommend it, and we position the case to obtain optimum settlement value. We also tell it like it is, not just what the client may want to hear. It is important for clients to understand the risks and potential benefits of their cases as they relate to their business, and to spend as little time and money as is reasonably possible in litigation so as to achieve the desired result and get on with their everyday work.
Personal Interests:
Playing with, teaching and raising my kids; sports, music and theatre.
Fax
(818) 444-4585
Office Hours
Monday through Friday
9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Emergency After Hours
Yes
Foreign Languages
None
Fixed-Price Services and Fees
$1,000 to $2,500 for domain name proceedings. We also will work on a monthly retainer for clients for whom we do a sufficient amount of work to justify such an arrangement.
Hourly Rates
$385 for me, up to $300 for contract lawyers and $125-240 for associates.
Free Initial Consultation?
Initial consultation is free.
Typical Retainer
Depends on the case; can range from $2,000 to over $20,000 (the latter if there is a great deal of work to do in a short period of time, such as in connection with a TRO/preliminary injunction).
Nolo's Licensing Check
Attorneys have passed a licensing check. Nolo has confirmed that every member attorney has a valid license and is in good standing with the applicable bar associations upon joining the directory.
Directory lawyers are required to notify Nolo immediately if they become the subject of any disciplinary action by any bar association.
