August 28, 2017

Vorys Receives International Innovation Award for Online Seller Enforcement Legal Practice

The College of Law Practice Management, an international organization that recognizes excellence in law practice management, announced today that Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP was a recipient of a 2017 InnovAction Award. Vorys was one of just two recipients of this year’s award.

Since 1994, InnovAction Awards have recognized outstanding innovation in the delivery of legal services, demonstrating to the legal community how passionate professionals, with big ideas and strong convictions, resolve to create effective change.

The 2017 award recognized the Vorys online seller enforcement group for its innovation in providing a comprehensive approach to help brands preserve their online brand value. The team combined novel legal tactics with the abilities of cyber investigators and efficiencies of technology to not only help remove unauthorized online products for sale, but also help stop them from returning by identifying and pursuing the source of the goods. The group provides online seller enforcement services to more than 100 clients across the country, many of which are global brands.

Whitney Gibson, a Vorys partner and leader of the firm’s online seller enforcement group, said his multi-disciplinary team was delighted by the international recognition. “We continually challenge ourselves to find new ways to tackle the problems our clients are facing,” Gibson said. “Our entire team contributed to the online seller enforcement program from which so many of our clients are now benefiting. We are both grateful for the recognition and aware of the need to continue to improve our services in this constantly changing field.”

Patrick Lamb, the founding member of the Valorem Law Group and chair of the InnovAction Program, applauded this year’s recipients. “This year’s entries were particularly strong and showed that innovation is happening in the legal profession. The College of Law Practice Management, through the InnovAction Program, is pleased to honor this year’s winners for their thoughtful and innovative approach to solving significant problems confronted by many clients. They join an elite list of prior winners.”

About The College of Law Practice Management: The College of Law Practice Management is a not-for-profit organization formed in 1994 to honor and recognize distinguished law practice and management professionals, to set standards of achievement for others in the profession, and to fund and assist projects that enhance the highest quality of law practice management. Read more about the InnovAction Awards at http://collegeoflpm.org/innovaction-awards/.

About Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP: Vorys was established in 1909 and has nearly 375 attorneys in seven offices in Columbus, Cincinnati, Cleveland and Akron, Ohio; Washington, D.C.; Houston, Texas; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Vorys currently ranks as one of the 200 largest law firms in the United States according to American Lawyer magazine. Learn more at vorys.com.

About the Vorys Online Seller Enforcement Group: The Vorys online seller enforcement group works with manufacturers and brands across the country to develop and implement innovative, end-to-end services to help stop MAP violators, gray market sellers and other forms of unauthorized online sales. Attorneys in the group develop distribution strategies and policies designed to maximize clients’ ability to control their authorized sellers and to provide the necessary foundation for unauthorized seller enforcement. The team provides insights and recommendations regarding technologies that best suit clients’ unique goals; the investigation team identifies offending online sellers and unravels complicated diversion schemes; and the enforcement team helps stop these individuals from selling our clients’ products in the future. Vorys also advises clients on overall e-commerce strategies—leveraging years of research, analysis and experience representing many nationally recognized brands—to help maximize sales growth.