The Brand Protector: Meet Laura Franco

Laura Franco is in the business of protecting brands. As a Member in Mintz’s Trademark & Copyright team, her practice encompasses trademark prosecution, brand enforcement and protection, and IP licensing. Her clients span the business spectrum from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies across a number of industries, including financial services, technology, food and beverage, entertainment, and consumer products.

But the San Francisco-based attorney says that her practice is much broader than that. “Having a broad practice keeps me really excited,” Laura says. “One moment, I am getting into the nitty-gritty details of a licensing agreement, and the next, I could be in court. There is such a wide variety of ways that I can help my clients with the issues they face.”

Laura joined Mintz in April 2024, and since then, she has worked across several practices on a number of matters, including IP portfolio management for some of today’s most prominent professional athletes, providing intellectual property support to M&A deals, and high-stakes litigation, to name a few. She says she was drawn to Mintz because of the firm’s “vibrant IP platform,” which has helped serve as a foundation for her to grow her own practice. She joins Members Andrew Skale, Karen Won, and Susan Neuberger Weller to form the Trademark & Copyright team, which won plaudits from World Trademark Review in its 2025 WTR 1000 report. This guide identifies the top trademark professionals and firms in over 80 jurisdictions worldwide.

Looking forward, Laura is motivated to expand her practice.

For now, she is enjoying her first year at Mintz and helping keep her clients’ brands strong.