Kathryn E. Smith - Cincinnati, OH
Attorney at Wood Herron & Evans LLP
Trademarks/Unfair Competition Lawyers in Cincinnati, OH
600 Vine Street Suite 2800 Cincinnati, OH 45202
- 1 Super Lawyers®
-
30
Years
Experience
Cincinnati Trademarks/Unfair Competition Lawyer
Updated: 04/21/2026
Areas of Practice
- Trademarks/Unfair Competition
- Copyrights
- Advertising/Brand Enforcement Issues
- Internet/E-Commerce Issues
- Domain Name Disputes
Attorney Information
Overview
“Client relationships are a central part of my practice. Getting to know my clients, fully understanding what they want and need, determining how (and if) a particular outcome can be achieved, is vital – and is key to my ability to achieve the best result for my clients.”
Kathryn E. Smith (Kate) is a Partner with Wood Herron & Evans in the firm’s Branding & Content Practice Group. Kate joined Wood Herron & Evans in 1996, and recently celebrated her twenty-fifth (25th) anniversary with the firm. Kate handles all areas of trademark prosecution and litigation, copyright registration and enforcement, and unfair competition matters. She is admitted to the Ohio bar and the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio.
Kate manages a docket of approximately 2000 U.S. trademark applications and registrations and 1500 foreign trademark applications and registrations throughout the world. Kate assists clients with selecting and clearing trademarks, obtaining trademark protection through federal and foreign registration procedures, and enforcing or defending clients’ trademark rights, including managing adversarial disputes before the United States Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB). Kate routinely negotiates settlements and works with clients to achieve alternative, practical outcomes to avoid disputes, where possible.
Kate is a member of the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA), where she serves on the Trademark Law Committee, Copyright Law Committee, and the Trademark Relations with the USPTO Committee, for which she previously served as Committee Chair. She is also active in the International Trademark Association (INTA), the Cincinnati Bar Association, and the Northern Kentucky Bar Association. In 2017, 2021, and again in 2023 Kate was named the Trademark Lawyer of the Year in the Cincinnati, OH market by Best Lawyers®.
Kate resides in Northern Kentucky where she is an avid tennis player and gardener.
Awards and Honors
Honors
- The Best Lawyers in America®, Trademark Law, 2012 - 2026
- Ohio Super Lawyers®, 2024 - 2025
- Best Lawyers® Trademark Law "Lawyer of the Year" in Cincinnati, 2023
- Best Lawyers® Trademark Law "Lawyer of the Year" in Cincinnati, 2021
- Best Lawyers® Trademark Law "Lawyer of the Year" in Cincinnati, 2017
- Best Attorneys in Ohio by Best Lawyers®, Trademark Law, 2014
- Chambers USA, “Notable Practitioner”, 2014
- Chambers USA, “Key Individual” Intellectual Property Law, 2010 - 2013
- Ohio Super Lawyers®, Ohio Rising Stars, Law and Politics Media, 2007 - 2008
- Cincinnati Academy of Leadership for Lawyers (CALL), Class IX, 2005
Other Sources of Feedback About Kathryn E. Smith
Included on the 2026 Ohio Super Lawyers list
Past Lists
- 2025 Ohio Super Lawyers list
- 2024 Ohio Super Lawyers list
- 2007 Ohio Super Lawyers list
Education
-
Legal Education
-
University of Toledo College of Law,
Toledo,
Ohio, 1996
J.D.
-
University of Toledo College of Law,
Toledo,
Ohio, 1996
-
Non Legal Education
-
Kenyon College, 1992
B.A., Bachelor of Arts
Honors: magna cum laude
Honors: Elected to Phi Beta Kappa
Major: History
-
Kenyon College, 1992
Current Employment Position(s)
-
Partner
-
Co-Partner in Charge of Associates
Classes and Seminars
-
Coordinator, Panel Discussion on Injunctions and Other Non-Monetary Relief for Trademark Infringement, AIPLA Spring Meeting, May 2017
-
Presenter, Business and Legal Strategies, Cincinnati Business Courier and Salmon P. Chase College of Law, Northern Kentucky University, August 2014
-
Contributor and Committee Vice Chair, Legal Standards and Quarterly Case Summaries Projects, AIPLA Trademark Litigation Committee, 2011
- Speaker, “The Landscape is Changing – Advising Clients Regarding Domain Names and Dispute Resolution”, Cincinnati Bar Association, June 2010
Pro Bono Activities
- Children, Inc., Vice President, Board of Directors, 2015 - 2017
Bar Admissions
- Ohio
- U.S. District Court Southern District of Ohio, 1996
Other Affiliations
- International Trademark Association
- American Bar Association
- Ohio Bar Association
- Cincinnati Bar Association
- AIPLA Trademark Litigation Committee, 2015 - 2016 (Vice-Chair)
- AIPLA Committee Chair, Trademark Relations with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Committee (“TRUC”), 2017 - 2018
- Cincy IP
Contact
600 Vine Street
Suite 2800
Cincinnati, OH 45202
Phone: 513-707-0279
Fax: 513-241-6234
Email: Send a message
Website: https://www.whe-law.com
Hours: Monday - Friday: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
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