MINNEAPOLIS – Oct. 26, 2022 – Stephen R. Baird, BSPh, JD, a shareholder in global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP’s Intellectual Property & Technology Practice in Minneapolis, was selected to receive the 2022 Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy. The award is presented annually to individuals who have made distinguished contributions to the theory and practice of pharmacy or who have demonstrated major accomplishments in pharmaceutical research and development. He will accept the award in person at the Senate Chambers of the Old Capitol Museum in Iowa City, Iowa, Oct. 27.
“It is certainly humbling to receive this award given the stature of the awardees who precede me, and at the same time, I’m very grateful for this recognition from the UI College of Pharmacy, especially given the multidisciplinary path I have pursued over the last three decades in serving as trademark and brand protection legal counsel for many pharmaceutical, medical device, dietary supplement, and health care clients, among others,” Baird said. “There is no doubt that the daily rigors and habits I learned in mastering the difficult pharmacy curriculum laid a solid foundation for my non-traditional career path. My study and laboratory experiences at the UI College of Pharmacy truly shaped the way I use critical thinking and evidence-based reasoning in my legal practice today.”
As a shareholder in the Intellectual Property and Technology Practice at Greenberg Traurig, Baird works with clients to address their most challenging trademark issues. He provides strategic guidance on trademark usage and clearance, branding strategies, domestic and worldwide trademark portfolio management, trademark litigation and enforcement strategies, internet domain name and trademark disputes, trademark licensing, and trademark prosecution.
Baird earned his B.S. with distinction from the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy in 1986. Throughout his undergraduate studies there, he first worked in the medicinal chemistry laboratory of the late Dr. Joseph G. Cannon and then in the pharmaceutics laboratory of Dr. Douglas Flanagan. Baird was encouraged by both Dr. Flanagan and the late Dr. Keith Guillory to pursue a PhD in Pharmaceutics at the UI College of Pharmacy, and in doing so, they recommended that Baird receive one of the annual coveted National Pharmaceutical Council internships, sending Baird to Richmond, Virginia to work as an intern during the summer of 1985 at the A.H. Robins Company. It was at A.H. Robins that the idea of pursuing a law degree first occurred to Baird, after meeting some pharmaceutical lawyers who practiced in areas such as intellectual property law and the Food and Drug Administration.
After receiving his UI pharmacy degree, Baird attended the University of Iowa College of Law with the hope of pursuing a career in intellectual property law. During his time in law school, he worked part-time as a community pharmacist and graduated with high distinction in 1990. Baird then obtained a Maryland pharmacy license and worked part-time while he completed a year-long judicial clerkship in Washington, D.C. with Senior Judge Wilson Cowen on the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the court reviewing U.S. Patent and Trademark Office decisions.
Baird has received numerous awards and recognitions throughout his legal career, including the prestigious Brand Names Education Foundation – Ladas Memorial Award in 1992, and his award-winning law review article was published in The Trademark Reporter®, the official journal of the International Trademark Association, in 1993. In addition, he is recognized in World Trademark Review “WTR Global Leaders” (2020-2022) and the WTR 1000 (2013-2022), Chambers USA Guide, Minnesota – Intellectual Property (2019-2022), and Managing IP Magazine’s World IP Handbook and Survey (2013-2022). He is a former member of both the Brief Amicus Committee and the editorial board of The Trademark Reporter®. He is a current member of the American Intellectual Property Law Association and the Minnesota Intellectual Property Law Association. Baird also served a five-year term on the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy Executive Leadership Board (2016-2020) and he continues to serve as an Emeriti Board Member of the UI College of Pharmacy Executive Leadership Board to this day.
About Greenberg Traurig’s Minneapolis Office: Established in 2019, Greenberg Traurig’s Minneapolis office provides clients with an innovative, business-minded perspective along with strong location connections to business, industry, and government. The office’s core capabilities include commodities and structured finance, restructuring and bankruptcy, corporate trust and structured products litigation, finance and financial services litigation, complex commercial litigation, white collar crime and internal investigations, products liability and mass torts, environmental litigation, intellectual property, tax, and agribusiness.
About Greenberg Traurig: Greenberg Traurig, LLP has more than 2500 attorneys in 43 locations in the United States, Europe, Latin America, Asia, and the Middle East. The firm reported gross revenue of over $2 Billion for FY 2021 and is consistently among the top firms on the Am Law 100, Am Law Global 100, and NLJ 250. On the debut 2022 Law360 Pulse Leaderboard, it is a Top 15 firm. Greenberg Traurig is Mansfield Rule 5.0 Certified Plus by The Diversity Lab and the Center for Resource Solutions Green-e® Energy program certifies that the firm’s U.S. offices are 100% powered by renewable energy. The firm is often recognized for its focus on philanthropic giving, innovation, diversity, and pro bono. Web: www.gtlaw.com.