Overview
“Providing valuable representation starts with listening to your client and understanding where they want to go.”
Zac is a seasoned business attorney who helps companies, non-profits, and individuals navigate complex commercial transactions and high-stakes intellectual property matters. His practice bridges the gap between proactive protection of intellectual property rights and aggressive dispute resolution.
On the transactional side, Zac serves as a trusted advisor for brand management, domestic and international trademark registration, and complex IP licensing. He routinely structures, drafts, and negotiates vital business agreements—from master service agreements (MSAs) and vendor contracts to entertainment and franchise agreements. He also ensures clients stay ahead of the curve on fast-evolving data privacy, security, and consumer protection laws (including Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, and the Federal Trade Commission’s Telemarketing Sales Rule.)
When disputes arise, Zac has represented his clients in both state and federal courts. He has successfully handled high-profile cases involving Lanham Act claims, trade secret theft, breach of contract, and right-of-publicity claims—frequently drawing coverage from major media outlets like The New York Times, Rolling Stone, and The Washington Post.
Additionally, Zac counsels employers on critical workforce issues, from drafting and enforcing restrictive covenants to ensuring compliance with state and federal labor laws.
Recognition
AV Peer Review Rated “Distinguished” in Martindale-Hubbell
Best Lawyers in America® for Litigation - Labor and Employment, 2026
Virginia Super Lawyers “Rising Star,” Intellectual Property, 2013-2019
Named to "Legal Elite" (Intellectual Property), Virginia Business, 2012 - 2025
"Virginia's Go To Lawyer" for Intellectual Property, Virginia Lawyers Weekly, 2022
Experience
Experience
General Counsel and IP Protection
- Drafts and negotiates a wide range of commercial and technology agreements, including software development, licensing, hosting, reseller, IT consulting, and other technology services agreements.
- Advises clients on trademark protection and brand enforcement strategies in the United States and internationally.
- Negotiated managed IT services agreements on behalf of multi-million-dollar organizations.
- Advises entities on contracting, procurement, employment, and other general business matters.
- Advises Virginia public authority on issues arising under the Virginia Public Procurement Act.
Business Disputes and IP Litigation
- Represents clients in intellectual property disputes, including trademark opposition and cancellation proceedings before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, as well as litigation involving rights of publicity and other IP issues.
- Represented the estate of the lead singer of a nationally recognized shock rock band in a dispute involving rights of publicity claims against former band members.
- Successfully represented the Republic of France before the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in com, Inc. v. French Republic, a case involving the application of the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act to trademark claims.
- Defends businesses in litigation involving trade secret misappropriation, tortious interference with contract, and related business tort claims.
- Defended an employer against claims of trade secret misappropriation and tortious interference with contract brought by a competitor, securing dismissal after responsive pleadings were filed.
Community
Beyond the Law
Beyond the Law
Outside of the office, Zac enjoys spending time outside—whether it be fishing in Mobjack Bay, kayaking on the James River, or hiking trails in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
He enjoys a wide variety of music. On one of his playlists you will find everything from Bill Evans to Robert Earl Keen to Jay-Z. His first concert was Tom Petty on the Wildflowers tour.
He is a lifelong Mets and UVA fan and this has taught him to embrace the thrilling, agonizing, and (sometimes) rewarding rollercoaster of supporting those teams.
Services
Education
University of Maryland School of Law, J.D., cum laude
University of Virginia, B.A. Psychology, 2001
Admissions
- Virginia
- Supreme Court of Virginia
- U.S. Supreme Court
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern and Western District of Virginia