OCTOBER 20, 2025 – Davis Wright Tremaine LLP is pleased to announce that Glenn Gundersen and Gayle Denman have joined the firm as partners in its New York office. Their arrival marks the latest expansion of the firm's intellectual property and branding group, which has now added seven lateral partners in the past 18 months. Gundersen and Denman join from Dechert LLP. Also arriving at DWT is their longtime Dechert colleague Hal Borden, who joins the firm as Of Counsel.
"Glenn, Gayle, and Hal represent the caliber of lawyers we are attracting as we continue our strategic expansion of DWT's intellectual property capabilities," said Alexandra Nicholson, national chair of DWT's media, entertainment, patent, trademark, and advertising group. "Together, they bring a proven track record of success and the kind of high-touch client service that is a hallmark of DWT. Their impressive international client base spans technology, consumer goods, entertainment, financial services, and food and beverage—key sectors for our firm—in addition to leading companies across a broad range of industries."
Widely recognized as one of the nation's leading authorities on trademark law, Gundersen advises the owners of some of the world's most famous marks on global brand clearance, fair use, licensing, IP acquisitions, infringement disputes, and advertising and right of publicity law. He is the author of Trademark Searching, a leading legal treatise. He has attained top-tier rankings in all of the leading peer lawyer rating surveys, including Chambers Band 1 and The Legal 500 Hall of Fame, and was named "Trademark Prosecutor of the Year" by Managing Intellectual Property.
Denman counsels clients on all aspects of building, licensing, and protecting brands, with a focus on trademark clearance, prosecution, counseling, and enforcement. As co-chair of the International Trademark Association's Global Bad Faith Registration Working Group, she has particular expertise in guiding clients seeking to protect and expand their brands internationally, including in the strategic development and execution of international clearance projects and global filing programs. She has been recognized by The Legal 500, Managing Intellectual Property, and Best Lawyers.
Borden brings to the firm more than 25 years of experience handling U.S. and international trademark matters for clients across multiple industries.
"The arrival of Glenn, Gayle, and Hal strengthens our presence in New York and enhances our national reputation in intellectual property," said Sharon Schneier, DWT's New York partner-in-charge. "Their addition furthers the strategic growth of our New York office, which has more than a hundred attorneys and is home to some of our marquee practice areas."
"We were attracted by DWT's collegial culture and its renown in the related areas of advertising, media, and entertainment law, all of which will enhance our ability to serve our clients," said Gundersen.
"DWT's highly regarded IP and trademark litigation practice will complement our trademark counseling practice and will allow us to continue to offer a full spectrum of services to our clients seeking to protect and defend their brands," said Denman.
Gundersen received his B.A. in economics from The College of William and Mary and his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law. Denman received her B.S. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and her J.D. from Stanford Law School. Borden received his B.A. and J.D. at Yale University and has a Master's degree in Theater, Film, & Television from UCLA.
Gundersen and Borden are members of the Pennsylvania bar and are awaiting action on their respective applications to join the New York bar. Denman is admitted to practice in New York.
The addition of this group follows DWT's recent hiring of Maria Anderson, Mauricio Uribe, Batur Oktay, Alexander Hadjis, and Kristi Wolff, reflecting the firm's sustained bi-coastal expansion of its nationally recognized IP and branding practices.
About Davis Wright Tremaine
Davis Wright Tremaine LLP is an AmLaw 100 law firm with more than 600 lawyers representing clients based throughout the United States and around the world. Learn more at www.dwt.com.