Omar Hashimi had a problem. Boulevard, the California-themed clothing line he launched with friend Alyass Kazimi, ran afoul of a trademark owned by BLVD Supply LLC, a different company that sells hip hop-influenced wear.

Hashimi resisted changing the name but ultimately rebranded the company as In Cali We Trust in late 2014. That decision brought a new set of troubles, and generated plenty of work for his legal team — Ted Nguyen and Ruth Paul, students in the Fashion Law Clinic at Loyola Law School, Los Angeles.

They researched the new brand and discovered that only financial institutions can legally have “trust” in their names. Consequently, they trademarked Hashimi's company as the abbreviated ICWT.