Joan B. Davis, Of Counsel
| Fashion, Entertainment & Intellectual Property Law
Joan Bellefield Davis is an internationally trained fashion, entertainment, and intellectual property attorney licensed in Virginia and New York. A founding partner of Schroder Davis Law Firm PLC and now Of Counsel, Joan advises fashion brands, designers, models, wellness brands, authors, artists, musicians, fitness professionals, entrepreneurs, and other creative-industry clients on protecting, licensing, and commercializing their work.
Joan was the first American graduate of the LL.M. in Fashion Law program at Luiss Guido Carli University in Rome. Her practice combines sophisticated intellectual property counsel with a practical understanding of the fashion, entertainment, publishing, wellness, and luxury-goods industries. She represents clients in domestic and international trademark matters and advises on brand development, licensing, collaborations, copyright protection, domain disputes, counterfeit products, gray-market goods, and online enforcement.
Her transactional work includes negotiating and reviewing licensing agreements, brand-collaboration agreements, model and mother-agency agreements, publishing and literary-agency agreements, manufacturing and distribution agreements, photography releases, work-for-hire agreements, talent agreements, and other contracts supporting creative businesses. She also assists international clients seeking trademark protection and representation before the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Joan has been recognized by Lawyers Weekly as a “Go To Lawyer” for Fashion Law and as Virginia’s Legal Elite in Entertainment and Media Law.
A frequent speaker and educator, Joan has presented on fashion law and intellectual property throughout the United States and internationally, including engagements in Italy, Africa, China, and India. Her presentations address fashion branding, trademark protection, sustainability claims, artificial intelligence and copyright, model agreements, counterfeiting, and the legal issues confronting designers and creative entrepreneurs. Her speaking engagements include the North American Law Summit in Roatán, where she presented “Hot News in Fashion Law,” and a keynote for Luiss alumni. She also develops continuing education programs for attorneys and creative-industry professionals, including instruction on intellectual property for fitness professionals.
Joan contributed a chapter to Fashion Law and Sustainability: Dealing with the New European Framework, examining United States “green laws” and sustainability advertising in fashion. She is also the co-author of the romantic comedy Feng Shui Love, giving her firsthand insight into publishing, merchandising, brand extensions, and the business concerns faced by authors and creators. Her fashion-modeling experience led to an appearance on the Katie Couric Show discussing child models and the importance of parental involvement.
Before entering private practice, Joan served as a law clerk to Chief Justice Harry L. Carrico of the Supreme Court of Virginia. She holds a master’s degree in criminal justice and is a Virginia-licensed private investigator. That investigative background informs her work involving counterfeit merchandise, online infringement, and brand enforcement. Before law school, she was a certified mediator in Virginia and Florida.
Joan founded Coffee with an Art Lawyer, a pro bono initiative offering artists, musicians, authors, designers, and other creative professionals access to legal guidance. She has also participated in the Fashion Law Institute’s Pop-Up Clinic in New York and Virginia Fashion Week’s legal clinics and has served as an advisor on United States fashion law to the International Centre for Intellectual Property Laws in India.
Check out Joan’s most recent published article in Virginia Lawyer!
Contact:
jdavis@schroderdavis.com
Direct: (804) 510 - 0709
Office: (804) 510 - 0700 ext. 2
Fax: (804) 510-0707
Connect with Joan B Davis on LinkedIn
Bar Admissions
- Virginia
- New York
Court Admissions
- U.S. Supreme Court
- Federal Bar 4th Circuit
Practice Areas
- Fashion Law
- Fashion Models
- Licensing
- Literary Publishing
- Artists
- Trademarks
- Fashion Brand protection across public auction sites, business-to-business websites, business-to-consumer websites, and social media platforms
- Arts
- Brand Licensing, including negotiation, termination, and litigation
- Trademark, trade dress, copyright registration
- Domestic Representation for Foreign Entities with US Patent & Trademark Office
- Review book-agency agreements
- Review books for possible legal issues
- Book Publishing agreements
- Intellectual Property
- Entertainment
- Publishing
- Music
- Luxury Goods
- Mother-agency agreements
- Take-Down Notices
- Child Modelling and Entertainment
- Photography Releases and Work-for-Hire Agreements
- Manufacturer and distribution agreements
- Advice regarding Gray-market, parallel good, and counterfeit, counterfeit investigation
- Domain name issues
- Business entity formation
- Standard releases
- Model-agency agreements
- Brand collaboration agreements
Representative Matters
Joan regularly advises clients with complex intellectual property including fashion designers, authors, musicians, fashion models and agencies, actors, actresses, inventors, photographers, event coordinators, visual artists, jewelry designers, and specialty boutiques.
- Fashion Law
- Joan represents a variety of clients in the fashion arena. She advised a national clothing brand establishment in matters relating to trademarks, copyright infringement and counterfeiting, She represented another client’s brand involving upcycling and sustainable fashion legal issues. Joan frequently lectures internationally on fashion law topics.
- Fashion Models
- Joan regularly holds seminars with emerging designers, fashion models, and parents of burgeoning talent. Having a daughter who has been a model since she was two, Joan understands the concerns and has represented numerous models and their parents reviewing fashion model agent agreements.
- Licensing
- Joan handles licensing matters for a variety of clients. One such client is an international 501C3 organization that certifies vegan products. Joan handles legal matters involving maintaining trademarks, negotiating licensing agreements and standards of certification.
- Literary Publishing
- Joan is a founding member of the James River Writers Association and frequently participates on the legal panel at their annual conference. She regularly reviews book publishing agreements, agent agreements, manuscripts and standard releases. Joan represented an award winning author, set up her film production company, drafted production and talent agreements and filed trademark registrations. Joan’s experience as a published author adds a unique perspective to the advice she gives her literary clients.
- Artists
- Joan founded the Coffee With An Art Lawyer program that allows artists a free consultation over coffee. Through this program, she has assisted many budding artists who have become lifelong clients. Joan frequently presents to artist’s association on topics to assist artists in protecting and licensing their works. Joan has represented tattoo artists, tarot card artists, jewelry artisans and pottery creators. Joan settled a copyright infringement action involving a renowned visual artist.
- Trademarks
- Joan has successfully prosecuted applications with the United States Patent and Trademark Office in a wide range of industries. She has overcome numerous Office Action refusals for issues such as likelihood of confusion and failure to function as a trademark. Joan negotiated removal of client’s trademark from infringer’s website.
Curious Things About Joan
- Joan began her experience in the fashion industry during college when randomly chosen to appear in a Perry Ellis print ad featuring college students on spring break.
- Joan appeared on the Katie Couric Show.
- Joan created the first fashion law CLE in Virginia and has taught fashion law continuing education programs to attorney’s, models and designers in the U.S. and around the globe, most recently in Vienna, Austria and Florence, Italy.
- Joan believes the best fitness medium is the water and started teaching water fitness classes during college. She is a certified aqua fitness instructor currently teaching courses in aqua circuit, aqua barre, aqua boxing, aqua pole and aqua cycling. Joan created a certified continuing education program for fitness professionals addressing the importance of protecting intellectual property in the industry.
- Joan is the co-author of the romantic comedy, Feng Shui Love (fengshuilove.com) and designed a complementary jewelry line. She is a consultant on the principles embodied in the novel on methods of clearing your love space and inviting love into your life.
US Fashion Blawg
Joan’s Fashion Law Checklist
More About Joan
Education
- LLM Fashion & Luxury Goods Law, Luiss Guido Carli, School of Law, Rome, Italy
- Fashion Law Institute, Fordham School of Law, Certificate
- Barry University Dwayne Andreas School of Law, J.D.
- Stetson College of Law, International Business Law Course Concentration
- Virginia Commonwealth University, M.S.
- Virginia Commonwealth University, B.A.
Judicial Clerkship
- Harry L. Carrico, Chief Justice, Virginia Supreme Court
Personal Affiliations
- Federal Bar Association Intellectual Property Section
- American Bar Association Forum on Entertainment & Sports Industries
- The Model Alliance
- Virginia State Bar Intellectual Property Law Section
- International Association of Entertainment Lawyers
- Greater Richmond Intellectual Property Association
- Fredericksburg Bar Association
- James River Writers
- New York Lawyers for the Arts
- Washington Area Lawyers for the Arts Fashion Group International
Professional Accomplishments
Law and Faculty Teaching Experience
- Instructor and Professional Development Consultant, Barbizon School of Modeling
- South University, Richmond, Virginia
- Webster College, Palm Harbor, Florida
- Bryant & Stratton College, Richmond, Virginia
- J. Sargeant Reynolds College, Richmond, Virginia
Public & Community Service
- Committee member, Virginia State Bar Lawyers Malpractice Insurance
- Fashion Law Institute Pop Up Pro bono Clinic, New York
- Advisor, International Centre for Intellectual Property Laws, India
- Richmond Metropolitan Women’s Bar CLE Committee
- Committee member, Virginia State Bar Lawyer Referral Committee
- Coffee with an Art Lawyer pro-bono program
- Virginia Fashion Week Pop Up Law Clinics
- Washington Area Lawyers for the Arts pro bono program
- Chair, St. Catherine’s Daisy Days Corporate Sponsor Committee
- Virginia Bar Association Lawyers for the Arts Committee
Presentations
- Law Practice Continuing Legal Education "Advising Your Client Entering the Fashion Arena"
- North American Law Summit Entertainment, IP and Sports Law "Your Brand Where Do You Draw The Line"
- Pro Law Continuing Legal Education "Representing Clients in the Fashion Arena"
- Law Essentials, India "An Overview of U.S. Fashion Law"
- “Fashion Law is Always In Style” American Bar Association Entertainment and Sports Law Forum
- “Take it To The Runway” Alt Legal
- “Artificial Intelligence and Copyright Protection” Know It Intellectual Property In A Digital World”
- “Fashion Law-A Comparison of IP in the E.U. and U.S.” Vienna, Austria
- “A Comparison of U.S. and Italian Fashion IP Protection ” Santa Reparata International School of Arts, Florence Italy
- “Intellectual Property Protection in the Fitness Industry”
- “Trademarks in The Entertainment Industry” American Bar Association Entertainment and Sports Law Forum
- “Shop Talk Legal Issues for Authors” James River Writers Annual Conference
- “Protecting your Designs and Fashion Model Contracts”, Virginia Fashion Week
- “Designers, Branding and Logos” RVA Model Boot Camp
- “How to register a copyright” Virginia Equine Artists
- Bon Air Artists Association “Preventing copyright infringement”
- Tennessee Bar Entertainment and Sports Forum “Fashion Law Couture”
- Virginia Bar CLE “A Primer on Fashion Law”
- The Northern Virginia Film Festival “Fashion in the Film Industry”
