Snell & Wilmer Welcomes New Partner Thomas Speiss in the Los Angeles Office

LOS ANGELES – Snell & Wilmer is pleased to announce the addition of Partner Thomas Speiss in the Los Angeles office. Speiss joins as a part of the Intellectual Property group and a member of the firm’s Hospitality, and Sports and Entertainment practice groups.

Speiss began his legal career as a trademark litigator. Over the past 25 years, he has broadened his practice to include the development of comprehensive global intellectual property strategies and the management of IP portfolios, which cover trademarks, copyrights, patents, and URL-related matters linked to trademarks. He is proficient in trademark branding and advertising, licensing, and executing counterfeiting investigations in collaboration with federal and state law enforcement agencies to address these unlawful practices. Speiss also spearheads IP due diligence efforts for clients on the sell-side as well as for institutional investors on the buy-side.

Speiss earned his J.D. from Villanova University School of Law, his bachelor’s degree in communications from James Madison University, and his MBA from the University of Southern California (USC). During his time in the USC MBA program, Speiss concentrated on entrepreneurship in both domestic and international contexts. By the time he enrolled, he had already accumulated several years of legal experience, which allowed him to seamlessly apply his studies—covering topics like international business, global strategies, management, marketing, and entrepreneurship—into his everyday interactions with start-up clients. In the early stages of his career, Speiss worked as a reporter for the Los Angeles Times, which allowed him to cultivate essential skills for a successful legal career, such as factual analysis and problem-solving. Now, with an MBA from USC and a background in journalism, Speiss leverages these skills to guide his clients in strategically shaping and executing their domestic and international goals.