Deborah Hampton's first and only job interview out of Adelphi University's Lawyer Assistant program in 1982 was with a small boutique intellectual property firm. She knew nothing about intellectual property and trademarks at the time. Now few paralegals know more. An active member of the International Trademark Association, Ms. Hampton is responsible for managing and maintaining Limited Brand Inc.'s Victoria's Secret trademarks. Limited Brands' other trademarks include EXPRESS, Bath & Body Works, The Limited, The White Barn Candle Co., and Henri Bendel. Ms. Hampton's job is to conduct global searches and clearances for new trademarks and to make sure companies are not infringing on any of Limited Brands' trademarks or that Limited is not infringing on some other company's rights. She's been with Limited Brands for just six months, a job she coincidentally got through the LawCrossing job search engine. Ms. Hampton was recently named one of the Top 15 Paralegals by paralegal author Carole Bruno, who will feature the paralegals and their secrets to success in her upcoming book. Ms. Hampton said a "trademark is a company's greatest asset" and she likes the idea that some of the trademarks she helps create and protect will be around for 100 years of more. With Limited Brands, her shopping takes on new meaning "Shopping is definitely one of my passions, and this is one of the times I actually get to incorporate it into what I'm doing for work," she said. "You have to be aware of who your competitors are and reviewing the trendy magazines, the InStyles, the Vogues, etc., to get a sense of what's hot, what's not." Although her job is relatively new, Ms. Hampton has worked in retail before. Early in her career she worked for Jordache in 1984 and 1985. One of the first trademark's she worked on at Jordache was Diesel. "It's a very strong trademark," said Ms. Hampton. "I remember getting a rejection from the trademark office saying that at the time it was conflicting with another mark and I remember drafting a response to the trademark office arguing why it should be registered and why it shouldn't be confused with another mark. And like I said, 20 years later it's still going strong. That's incredibly satisfying." Ms. Hampton said one of her greatest profession accomplishments was being the only non-lawyer on a three-person team responsible for naming her most recent employer, Agere Systems Inc. She worked non-stop for almost five months clearing the name around the globe. She likens the experience to having a child. "It's a rush," she said. "It's almost like having a baby. You carry a baby for nine months and then it's out there, it's on its own and it grows up. You've got to let it go. It will succeed or fail, and I think one of the milestones of my career is always going to be Agere. Because it's a company name. If the company lasts for 100, 200 years. I had a hand in that." Ms. Hampton said to clear a trademark, she works with trademark experts and attorneys around the world. The more common the name, the more difficult it will be to get it out there as a business or product. "The stronger the mark, the more unique, the more different, the easier that process is," she said. "The more suggestive, the more descriptive or common the mark is the more difficult it's going to be. And because Agere didn't mean anything and was very unique, it was a very, very good name to name a company." Ms. Hampton said she also gets a rush when she sees a product in Victoria's Secret or a Limited store, where she gets ample discounts and uses them. Ms. Hampton, who has also worked in the telecommunications sector for much of her career including a stint at AT&T, said she believes she has more responsibility in the corporate world than she might have in a law firm. "In a corporation, the key is you get to know your business, the product line and the industry that you're in and so you get very up close and personal with it. You get to know the business," she said. "You have much more client contact I think. Or you can have more client contact than in a firm situation. You're working with the business people, you work with the marketing people and you work with public relations." But you can never avoid your clients in a corporation, because they work right down the hall. The most important aspect of corporate trademark work is "getting to know your product inside and out." And Ms. Hampton prides herself on studying all the trends in retail and about what products Limited Brand is selling. For paralegals interested in trademark work, Ms. Hampton said it's most important to get involved, find a mentor or two and get as much education as you can. Start by joining the International Trademark Association, she said, and checking out for seminars on the organization's website. If your company or firm won't send you to the seminar, pay for it yourself and go on vacation time, she said. In 2004, she served as co-chair of the International Trademark Association's Trademark Administrators conference. Ms. Hampton said she was honored by the opportunity, especially since she had been attending the conferences since 1986 and was always awed by the panelists and speakers. "You have to be pro-active," she said. "I think there's a tremendous amount that we can do as non attorneys. I think we have to always remember we're not attorneys but I think we've got a tremendous amount of things that we can contribute. And we can have exciting—financially personally and professionally-rewarding careers."

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Article ID: 924     Article Title: Profile: Deborah Hampton, paralegal, Limited Brands, Inc. New York City Comments: I really enjoyed reading the article regarding Ms. Hampton. I entered the Patent Sector of Intellectual Property about 4 years ago and I am currently getting my feet wet with the Trademark side of it. It is not really easy finding your niche as to who you are in Intellectual Property and sometimes I feel like I am just another person working as an intellectual property paralegal. Ms. Hampton's story is encouraging and I cannot wait to meet her at an INTA conference. Thank you for the encouragement. Posted by: LaDonna Hopson   |   Date: 03-13-2008 Comment

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