Former Under Armour in-house counsel joins Womble Bond Dickinson

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Nicholas Hawkins, former in-house counsel at Under Armour, is joining Womble Bond Dickinson’s Baltimore office, the firm told The Daily Record Wednesday.

Hawkins handled trademark matters for athletes and celebrities at Under Armour and will now provide transactional, IP and branding guidance to clients across numerous industries, the firm said, adding that Hawkins is joining as a senior associate.

“My goal is to add value to clients through a range of services, not just in one area of the law,” Hawkins said in a news release. “Many emerging growth companies are under-resourced, and they can really benefit from an outside counsel who can solve multiple problems.”

Hawkins will help rapidly growing companies with branding and trademark issues. He also will advise companies on advertising and social media law, as well as on FTC compliance involving influencer and endorsement agreements. Hawkins also has experience handling data privacy concerns.

Hawkins’ decision to join Womble Bond Dickinson was largely influenced by the opportunity to work with Baltimore managing partner Barry Herman, whom Hawkins has known since he was in law school, the release said.

“There’s a level of trust between us. I know he is going to do a great job for our clients,” Herman said.

Hawkins said that moving to Womble Bond Dickinson also gives him the opportunity to work with both large and small clients in tech, apparel and sports.

“We are excited to add a lawyer with Nick’s skillsets to our already deep IP bench. His in-house company perspective, and his experience in the apparel sector and in combating counterfeiting problems worldwide, will be immediately put to use here at Womble Bond Dickinson. We, and our clients, expect him to hit the ground running,” Sarah Keefe, co-leader of Womble Bond Dickinson’s Trademarks and Brand Management Service Team, said in a news release.

Hawkins is a graduate of Loyola College Maryland (now Loyola University Maryland), the University of Baltimore School of Law and the University of Baltimore Merrick School of Business.