Smith Anderson Deepens IP Bench, Welcoming Seasoned Trademark Attorney Sheldon Pontaoe

Sheldon Pontaoe, who has more than 25 years of experience as a trademark attorney in both corporate and private practice, has joined Smith Anderson’s Intellectual Property team and will counsel clients on a broad range of legal issues, including soft intellectual property (IP) asset management, assertion and defense of IP claims, and licensing and other IP transactions. His leadership experience in the biopharmaceutical industry for both human and animal health applications complements Smith Anderson’s leading industry-directed practice groups such as Life Sciences and AgTech.

"We are thrilled that Sheldon has brought his multifaceted toolbox to Smith Anderson," said Byron Kirkland, managing partner of Smith Anderson. "Not only does Sheldon bring high-level expertise to our IP practice, but he also has years of experience in legal strategy and operations, foreign and domestic policies and legislation, and leading legal management and cross-functional project teams."

Prior to joining Smith Anderson, Sheldon served as in-house counsel for industry-leading life sciences and pharmaceutical companies including Elanco Animal Health, Novartis Pharmaceuticals and GlaxoSmithKline. His private practice experience includes prior work at international and national law firms in New York City and Raleigh.

Smith Anderson’s intellectual property attorneys counsel clients on acquisition strategy and commercialization of IP assets, technology-centric business transactions, and IP disputes involving the whole spectrum of intellectual property rights, as well as in worldwide portfolio management.