As part of the Intellectual Property Team at the Firm, attorney Paul Lesko, attorney Jo Anna Pollock and IP paralegal Julie Bond all contribute to better their community by helping creative people protect their work. This Simmons Hanly Conroy “We Give” spotlight will highlight their efforts.
Paul Lesko, an attorney at the Firm, has given multiple pro bono presentations on copyrights throughout the past year during chapter meetings of the Missouri Writers’ Guild. He talks about copyright issues including fair use, online infringement and provides guidance on ways writers and authors can protect their work.
In addition, Paul writes a weekly column for the online magazine Cardboard Connection called “Law of Cards” where he reports on litigation pertaining to the sports memorabilia industry.
“As a writer myself, I enjoy interacting with members of the local St. Louis writing community and helping them understand the copyright landscape,” Paul said.
Attorney Jo Anna Pollock volunteers for the St. Louis Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts. Earlier this year, she gave a day-long workshop on copyrights and patents to help writers, artists and musicians. She also to works on pro bono cases for the non-profit.
“I think it’s important to represent creative people like artists and writers because they make a valuable contribution to our communities,” Jo Anna said. “When their work is infringed, they might not know the best way to go about protecting themselves. That’s what I love to do, help them stand up to larger companies who take advantage of their rights.”
Finally, Julie Bond is an intellectual property legal assistant at the firm. She volunteers for multiple art organizations in the St. Louis metro east region. She also serves as President of the SIUE Friends of Art and serves as a board member for the Edwardsville Arts Center.
“[The creative spirit] defines our past, present and future because it’s a part of our culture, and more importantly a part of who we were, are and hope to be,” Julie said in an Edwardsville Arts Center article. “By supporting creativity you support everyone, and you may not even realize it because it has no boundaries. That’s the beauty of it.”
Learn more about the dedication of the Firm to the community through charitable causes now.
