Gianna R. Scatchell

Selected as a 40 Under Forty attorney (2018) which recognizes up-and-coming attorneys across Chicago and Illinois. To be considered for this award, I had to be nominated by my peers & chosen by the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin & Chicago Lawyer based on intelligence, passion, success, & work in the community.

Established and grew a boutique law firm strategically positioned at the intersection of the law and technology. Concentrated practice information technology; intellectual property; brand reputation and crisis management; and privacy rights. 

Developed strong case management and litigation skills by evaluating cases, designing litigation and settlement strategies, drafting briefs, preparing discovery, and resolving issues through judicial hearings and pre-trial motions. 

Designed non-litigation and litigation strategy for a broad range of IP cases, with an emphasis on Internet Defamation, Cyberbullying, and Cybersquatting cases.

Pioneered go-to-market social media best practices and website compliance strategies for attorneys, politicians, and financial professionals under various regulatory agencies including Americans with Disability Act website compliance, Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), FINRA, and the Federal Trade Commission. 

Collaborated with high profile clients to set client expectations and execute both non-litigation and litigation strategies for complex cases including online defamation, domain name disputes, anonymous blogger cyber-smear campaigns, online bullying, and copyright and trademark issues. Notably including a petition to determine the identity of 87 John Does involved in over 250 disparaging blog postings. 

Provided legal counsel and representation for start-ups, privately-held businesses, and non-profits on corporate structure and online legal strategy with an emphasis on contract drafting, review and negotiation; policy creation and implementation; copyright and trademark filings and licensing, and ICANN domain name disputes. 

Drafted and reviewed social media policies for a variety of clients including executing and implementing a policy for a municipality with over 25,000 citizens. 

Presented numerous seminars to clients and professional organizations on the legal and ethical issues surrounding social media.