Lebed-Rofes Honored For Career Achievements and Service to Community

Merchant & Gould is proud to announce that Ruth Lebed-Rofes, in-house counsel at S.C. Johnson Company, has been named the recipient of the third-annual Paul A. Welter Award for Excellence in Trademark Law sponsored by Merchant & Gould and William Mitchell College of Law. Lebed-Rofes was selected for her outstanding work as in-house trademark counsel at S.C. Johnson, and her long history of service to the community.

"We are honored to present Ruth with our third-annual Paul A. Welter award," said Scott W. Johnston, a partner in Merchant & Gould's trademark group. "Not only does she manage a huge trademark portfolio, but she contributes greatly to the trademark bar, and is a huge supporter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Wisconsin. Her dedication to trademark law, paired with her strong passion for making a difference in the lives of others, certainly upholds the principles for which this award is given."

Lebed-Rofes will be presented with a plaque and a $5,000 honorarium for the charity of her choice. The award will be presented during the 2009 International Trademark Association Leadership Meeting in Miami Beach, Florida on November 11.

Merchant & Gould's trademark practice protects more than 20,000 brands every day and is consistently ranked as one of the top trademark filers in the country by Trademark Insider Magazine.

About Paul A. Welter

A graduate of the William Mitchell College of Law, Paul joined Merchant & Gould in 1965. During his 40-year career with the firm he served as treasurer, administrative vice president, president, a member of the board of directors, and as managing partner. Paul was known by his clients, colleagues and within the legal community as a man of unwavering integrity. Paul was extremely active with civic and industry organizations including the Minneapolis Rotary, the Fund for the Legal Aid Society, the Minnesota Intellectual Property Law Association, the American Intellectual Property Law Association, and most notably, the United Way. Paul passed away on Friday, January 6, 2006.