Ron Coleman

Roseland-based Mandelbaum Salsburg has brought on two new practice leaders, expanding its intellectual property offerings and launching a new securities law practice group.

Ronald Coleman, an IP specialist whose trademark work for rock band The Slants took him all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, joins the firm from Archer & Greiner. He will chair Mandelbaum Salsburg's IP and brand management group, the firm announced Jan. 2. His colleague, Joel MacMull, is also joining as a partner.

Meanwhile, partner Vincent McGill and counsel Mark Orenstein have joined from Eaton & VanWinkle, allowing Mandelbaum Salsburg to start a securities practice, the firm announced Monday. McGill will chair the practice group.

McGill was the managing partner at Eaton & VanWinkle. Maura Murphy, one of the firm's executive partners, said Eaton & VanWinkle's executive partners will now manage the firm as a team. As to McGill's departure, she said “it's all in good order,” and declined to comment further.

Mandelbaum Salsburg banking and financial services co-chair Richard Simon said his firm has worked with McGill and Orenstein previously on multiple complex matters.

“They add a great deal to our service offerings to our clients,” Simon said.

Coleman joined Archer & Greiner in 2015. By that point, he had already gotten involved in a high-profile trademark case on behalf of Asian-American rock band The Slants that eventually made its way to the Supreme Court. He and colleagues at Archer & Greiner represented The Slants after Coleman got their attention with his own blog post about the trademark application. John Connell of Archer & Greiner argued the case and won.

His time at Archer & Greiner was “almost perfect,” Coleman said. But he eventually decided it wasn't the best fit, and that he needed to be at a firm where he could work in the main office. He had previously worked in New York, he noted, and working in northern New Jersey felt remote when that location was not Archer & Greiner's base.

Mandelbaum Salsburg, a 70-lawyer firm, is smaller than Archer & Greiner. But being in the main office in Roseland, Coleman said, is better for business development. And being able to bring MacMull with him was a benefit, he said.

Regarding his leadership of the IP practice, Coleman said Mandelbaum Salsburg asked him to create more of a presence for the practice, seek ways to grow the firm, and bring in complementary practices.

“Ron and Joel's skills and experience coupled with Mandelbaum's platform will be a very powerful combination for our clients,” said CEO William Barrett.

Now that he has Supreme Court experience, Coleman said he had “more credibility” and a lot of opportunities at law firms once he started looking.

“A lot of people thought after I mentioned I would be making a move that I would be moving to some incredibly prestigious national firm,” Coleman said. “The point is to find a place that makes sense to you as a professional and as a person.”

James Carll, chairman of Archer & Greiner's board of directors, said in an email that he wishes Coleman and MacMull well.