Dana N. Justus

Dana N. Justus is counsel in Sterne Kessler’s Trademark & Brand Protection Practice, where she advises on U.S. and international trademark clearance, prosecution, enforcement, and portfolio management strategies. With experience stemming from over 20 years in the trademark field, Dana is a trusted counselor to clients ranging from startups to multinational corporations in a wide variety of industries, including pharmaceuticals, communications, software, apparel, medical devices, financial services, food and beverage, hospitality, electronics, non-profits, chemicals, manufacturing, and entertainment.

Dana has significant experience in enforcement and civil litigation matters in federal district court and administrative proceedings at the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) and International Trade Commission (ITC). Dana also conducts due diligence analysis of intellectual property assets, provides counseling on a variety of transactional/licensing matters, and works with clients on domain name, social media, and anti-counterfeiting enforcement.

In the 2026 edition of World Trademark Review 1000, Dana was recognized as “extremely competent, responsive and a delight to work with” and “her trademark prowess has earned the trust of clients ranging from innovative startups to multinational corporations across a wide range of industries.” Dana was also selected to the Washington, D.C. “Rising Stars” list in Intellectual Property by Super Lawyers for 2019 – 2022. She has also been named a “Rising Star” by Managing IP since 2019. JD Supra recognized her with a “Reader’s Choice Award” for excellence in writing and thought leadership in 2019.

Prior to joining Sterne Kessler, Dana was a Trademark and Copyright associate at the Washington, D.C. office of an international general practice law firm, where she focused on trademark portfolio management, transactions, and litigation. During law school, Dana was a Trademark and Copyright law clerk, student associate, and litigation paralegal at the Washington, D.C. office of an international intellectual property law firm. Also while in law school, Dana interned for the Honorable J. Michael Ryan of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and served as a founding member and Editor-in-Chief of the American University Intellectual Property Brief.

Dana stays up-to-date on developments and trends in trademark law as an active member of the International Trademark Association (INTA), where she is a member of the Professional Development Committee. She was previously on INTA’s Leadership Development Committee, Law Firm Committee, and Academic Committee, and has served on Project Teams for various INTA Presidential Reports and the 2022 Annual Meeting. She previously served on the Young Practitioners Committee and as a project team leader for the Academic Committee and, while in law school, was selected for the inaugural class of INTA Student Ambassadors. Dana is also a member of the Intellectual Property Section of the D.C. Bar and the American Intellectual Property Law Association.

Dana earned her J.D. from the American University Washington College of Law and her B.A. in political science and criminology, cum laude, from the University of Florida.  When she is not practicing law, Dana enjoys yoga, literary thrillers, and chasing around her two young children.