Preetha Chakrabarti is a counsel in Crowell & Moring's New York office and is a member of the firm's Intellectual Property and Advertising & Media groups. Preetha's practice consists primarily of litigation, counseling, and prosecution. Her patent and trademark litigation work includes proceedings in front of the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) and involves various industries, from chemicals to pharmaceutical, biotech, software, apparel, fashion, retail, luxury, beauty, and wearable technology. Preetha also performs due diligence relating to intellectual property issues in corporate transactions and assists clients with trademark clearance and the filing of trademark and patent applications with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). In particular, Preetha advises clients in the retail and fashion industries on how best to manage risks when using and developing intellectual property. Preetha also has experience with administrative law, particularly in the environmental context, including analysis of regulatory issues arising under the Administrative Procedure Act, TSCA, FIFRA, CERCLA, the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), and various federal and state environmental laws.
Preetha's pro bono practice includes cases involving immigration, family, and employment law, as well as IP counseling for non-profit entities. Preetha also successfully represented Sandra Avery, a woman sentenced to life in prison for a non-violent, low-level drug crime, who sought commutation of her sentence from President Obama, reducing her life sentence to time served. Sandra was one of the 95 non-violent drug offenders to whom President Obama granted clemency in December 2015. Preetha was featured in the documentary film The Vanishing Trial, by FAMM (Families Against Mandatory Minimums) and NACDL (National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers), released in 2020 in connection with her representation of Sandra. In recognition of her pro bono contributions, Preetha also received the firm’s 2015 George Bailey Award.
From 2019-2020, Preetha served as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable O. Rogeriee Thompson of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.
Preetha received her J.D. from Fordham University School of Law in 2012, where she graduated magna cum laude, was a Stein Scholar for the Public Interest and a notes & articles editor for the Environmental Law Review. While in law school, Preetha worked as an extern for the Legal Aid Society in New York and the U.S. Attorney's Office, Criminal Division, Southern District of New York. During her final semester of law school, Preetha participated in LawWithoutWalls, a part-virtual collaboratory that develops problem-solving and project management business skills necessary to provide effective legal services in today's global, multi-disciplinary, and cross-cultural marketplace. Preetha's group placed first in key presentation categories, and overall, the group was one of three finalists. Prior to joining Crowell & Moring, Preetha worked as a science teacher and administrator at both private and public schools in the New York City metropolitan area. She received her B.A., cum laude, in biology and classics from Brown University and an M.A. from Columbia University, Teachers College, in secondary science education.
Preetha is active in several professional and non-profit organizations and was selected as a 2015 Pathfinder by the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD), a national organization comprised of the legal profession's top general counsels and managing partners.
Education
- Brown University, B.A., biology and classics cum laude
- Columbia University, M.A., secondary science education
- Fordham University School of Law, J.D. (2012) magna cum laude
Affiliations
Admitted to practice: New York, New Jersey, U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, U.S. District Court for New Jersey, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals
Memberships
- National Association of Women Lawyers’ Intellectual Property & Tech Law Affinity Group (Co-Chair, 2021 – Present)
- New York City Bar Association (Member, Fashion Law Committee, 2015-2018 term; Member, Environmental Law Committee, 2017-2020 term)
- New York Intellectual Property Law Association (Member, Legislative Action Committee, Young Lawyers' Committee)
- Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, (Pathfinder Program, 2015; 1L Mentor, 2016)
- American Bar Association, Intellectual Property Law, Environmental, Energy and Resources Law, and Science & Technology Committees (Co-Chair, Cleantech and Climate Change Committee; Vice-Chair, Food, Cosmetics and Nutraceuticals Committee)
- Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO) (Member, Emerging Companies Committee, 2016-2017; 2017-2018 terms)
- Fordham University School of Law, Stein Alumni Advisory Board (Member, 2017-2019)
- New York Foundling (Junior Board Member, 2010-2018)
- Urban Assembly School for Criminal Justice (Member; Advisory Board Chair, 2010-2019)
- LawWithoutWalls (Participant, 2012; Alumni Advisor, 2017)
Awards
- Empire State Counsel for Pro Bono Service, 2013, 2014, 2015, & 2016
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Legal Aid Society’s Pro Bono Publico Award, 2016
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New York State Bar Association's Outstanding Young Lawyer Award, 2019
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South Asian Bar Association Rising Star Award, 2019
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