Practice:
Bar Admissions:
Massachusetts
U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts
U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
Experience:
In the employment law area, Ms. Inomata’s practice focuses on counseling clients on workplace solutions, including developing and applying employment policies, including anti-harassment and anti-discrimination policies; negotiating and drafting employment, noncompetition and nondisclosure agreements; advising on electronic communications and privacy in the workplace; investigating discrimination and harassment claims; and training employers on hiring, disciplining and terminating employees. She has also litigated employment disputes involving claims for discrimination and harassment, failure to grant leaves of absence, wrongful termination, failure to pay wages, breach of noncompetition and nondisclosure agreements, theft of trade secrets, and breach of contract.
In her intellectual property practice, Ms. Inomata handles all aspects of securing, obtaining, enforcing and maintaining trademark, service mark, trade dress and trade secret rights and copyrights, including registration, licensing and enforcement at the state, federal and international levels and proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. Her intellectual property experience also includes various e-commerce and Internet matters related to website development, trademarks, service marks and copyrights and patent infringement litigation.
Ms. Inomata has written on various legal issues, including electronic communications in the workplace, enforcement of noncompetition agreements, independent contractor classifications, employee training and securing foreclosure surpluses. She has also developed and conducted educational workshops and training for harassment and discrimination awareness for managers and non-managers and has spoken on a broad array employment issues.
Ms. Inomata is co-publisher of The In-House Advisor blog, which is designed to provide practical commentary on a variety of legal issues that many in-house decision-makers face, regardless of the business in which their companies engage. To visit the blog, click here.
Memberships:
- American Bar Association
- Asian Women's Connection, Inc., Board member
- Boston Bar Association, Council Member
- Boston Center for Community & Justice, Board of Directors
- Brown University Club of Boston, Board member
- Central Square Theater, Steering Committee
- Governor Deval L. Patrick's Asian American Commission, Chair
- Harvard Square Business Association, Inc., Board of Directors
- International Trademark Association
- Massachusetts Bar Association
- Women's Bar Association
- Boston Bar Journal, Board of Editors (2001 - 2007)
- Northeast Human Resources Association, former member
Additional Information:
- Ms. Inomata has been listed #3 in the Top 50 Trademark Attorneys (Quarter 3) and #33 in the 2009 Year End Top 50 Trademark Attorneys by Trademark Insider.
- LeadBoston program of the Boston Center for Community & Justice, 2008 graduate
- Ms. Inomata speaks limited Japanese and German
Education:
- J.D., Boston University School of Law, 1993
- B.S., Neural Science, Brown University, 1987
Awards:
- Ms. Inomata was selected for inclusion in Massachusetts Super Lawyers® (2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, and 2004). Super Lawyers and Rising Stars employ an annual jurisdictional selection process. Only five percent of lawyers in the state were selected to the Super Lawyers list and 2.5 percent to the Rising Stars list. The listing appears annually in the November issue of Boston magazine and in New England Super Lawyers.
Quotes:
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3/16/2012, Boston Business Journal - Advancing Women: Women in business creating their own paths to leaership roles
Renee Inomata was quoted in this article by Keith Regan.
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5/2/2008, Boston Business Journal - "Downturn has laid-off workers calling lawyers"
Renee Inomata was quoted in this article.
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5/31/2006, Boston Globe - 'Hotel Rwanda' humanitarian finds Boston a second home
The firm was mentioned in this article by Bella English. The article featured Paul Rusesabagina who is a client of the firm.
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11/17/2003, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly - "Taking the Plunge Into a Records Management Plan"
Victoria (Schmidt) Walton and Renee Inomata were quoted in this article.
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11/3/2003, Massachusetts Lawyer's Weekly - "Member on the Move"
Renee Inomata was quoted in this article.
Recent Articles and Publications:
Introduction to Trademark Law
Intellectual Property Practice, MCLE, October 2011
Editor: Jerry Cohen. Burns & Levinson contributing authors: Sara Beccia, Renee Inomata, Deborah Peckham and Mark Schonfeld.
.XXX Is Here. Have You Prepared Yourself?
Intellectual Property Update, October 2011
Ring In The New, But Don’t Forget To Comply With What Was New In 2010
Focus [Page 2], Winter 2011
The Value of Pursuing a TM Portfolio
Burns & Levinson Brand Bulletin, August 2010
COBRA Subsidy Eligibility and Duration under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Extended
Employment Update, December 2009
Practical Steps for Personal Information Security: What to do now to comply with the new regulations
Focus [Page 2], Spring 2009
Caution! Employees Not at Work
Focus [page 1], Fall 2008
Mandatory Treble Damages for Failure to Pay Wages
Employment Update, April 2008
The ROI from Employee Training
Focus, Spring 2004
Nondisclosure Agreements, Whistleblowers and Sarbanes-Oxley
www.workindex.com, April 21, 2003
Fair Use or Not Fair Use? The Size of the Image Makes all the Difference
Internet & Technology Update, Spring 2002
Registering Your Company's Marks
Internet & Technology Update, Winter 2002
Minimizing Risks of Monitoring E-Use in the Workplace
Internet & Technology Update, Fall 2001
Protecting Your Trade Secrets: The Basics
Focus, Winter 2001
Speaking Engagements:
Boston Bar Association IP Section Lunch Program, 4.21.2011
Location: Boston Bar Association
Role: Speaker
Topic: Employee risk to trademark value: Being a better gatekeeper.
Boston Tooling & Machining Association's Annual Meeting, 4.13.2010
Location: Woburn, MA
Role: Speaker
Topic: Employment Law Updates
Practical Steps for Personal Information Security: What to do now to comply with the new regulation, 1.28.2010
Location: BankGloucester
Role: Presenter
Massachusetts General Law: Are You In Compliance?, 2.24.2009
Location: Hosted by NSK Inc. - Boston, MA
Role: Presenter
Leading the Way to Your Career: Running Out of Law School, 1.15.2009
Location: Boston, MA
Role: Speaker
Socially Responsible Business in Times of Economic Change, 10.31.2008
Location: Boston Center for Community & Justice (BCCJ) Business Network Fall Breakfast
Role: Panelist
Handling Challenging Workplace Situatuions, 4.28.2008
Location: MCLE
Role: Chair
Renee Inomata participated as the Chair at this Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) event on April 28, 2008.
Employment and Immigration Law Issues: Employer's Perspective, 10.17.2007
Location: Boston Neighborhood Network, Asian American Lawyers of Massachusetts Legal Line Show
Role: Speaker
Renee Inomata discussed tips and pointers for employers to address and protect themselves regarding employment and immigration law issues, including commentary on recent developments and trends. (Boston Neighborhood Network, Asian American Lawyers of Massachusetts Legal Line Show)
High Tech Monitoring and Privacy in the Workplace: Spotlight on Labor & Employment Law, 6.27.2007
Location: Boston Bar Association CLE Seminar
Role: Panelist
For the Boston Bar Association CLE Seminar, Renee Inomata spoke on how to advise corporate clients on drafting effective policies.
AAWIL Conference, 4.29.2006
Renee Inomata was a panelist at the Asian American Women in Leadership Conference put on by ASPIRE (Asian Sisters Participating in Reaching Excellence) on April 29, 2006. Renee spoke on the topic "Evolving as a Leader" to an audience of working professionals.
Women in the Law: Options and Opportunities, 4.19.2006
Renee Inomata was a panelist on the Women's Bar Association annual panel, Women in the Law: Options and Opportunities, on April 19, 2006.
Employment Solutions Seminar: Protecting Your IP, 1.26.2006
Location: Burns & Levinson LLP
125 Summer Street
Boston, MA 02110
Renee Inomata spoke at the Employment Solutions Seminar: Protecting Your IP on January 26, 2006. The workshop was held at Burns & Levinson LLP.
Chair/Panelist:The Seventh Annual Intellectual Property Law Conference, 6.11.2004
Renee Inomata was the Chair/Panelist at the Seventh Annual Intellectual Property Law Conference on June 11, 2004.
Workshop: "Hiring: Getting it Right from the Start", 6.9.2004
Renee Inomata and Nancy Newark conducted a workshop on "Hiring: Getting it Right from the Start" on June 9, 2004 at Keystone Associates.
Speaker: "From Piracy to Privacy: Key Legal Concerns for Workplace Technology", 5.22.2004
Renee Inomata spoke at the New England Chinese Information & Networking Association (NECINA) Information Security Conference regarding "From Piracy to Privacy: Key Legal Concerns for Workplace Technology" on May 22, 2004.
Speaker: "Non-Competes", 5.14.2004
Renee Inomata was a speaker on "Non-Competes" at PESI: 2004 Employment Update on May 14, 2004.
Speaker: "Top 10 Legal Pitfalls: From Piracy to Privacy", 3.18.2004
Renee Inomata was a speaker on "Top 10 Legal Pitfalls: From Piracy to Privacy" at the New England Information Security Group on March 18, 2004.