The principal of WILLARD ALONZO STANBACK P.C. (Willard Stanback) has been engaged in the practice of law for over 30 years.
Willard began his legal career with Morgan and Finnegan, a New York City based law firm specializing in intellectual property. As a summer associate at Morgan & Finnegan and later as an associate, Willard learned the day-to-day basics of intellectual property – its protection through registration and, as necessary, through litigation. Working primarily in patent law, Willard was also involved with trademark, copyright and other matters. He conducted research and prepared legal memoranda on litigation, patent and trademark issues, while also drafting and prosecuting patent and trademark applications.
In early 1991, Willard was hired by the general practice law firm Reed Smith. There, he continued his work handling clients’ intellectual property rights and began to develop an expertise in business transactions, especially in connection with the licensing of intellectual property.
In 1994, having acquired a strong foundation in the protection and licensing of intellectual property, Willard joined Sega Channel. His new employer, jointly owned by Sega of America, Time Warner and TCI (now part of Comcast), had recently launched its operations. Sega Channel distributed Sega Genesis-formatted videogames to subscribers through cable systems and a patented system, including a specially made adapter with an input from the in-home subscribers’ cable jack and an output readable by the Genesis console.
He also provided legal and business counseling, drafted and negotiated various contracts (including agreements with video game publishers, service providers, cable distributors, consultants and technology-based contractors), managed intellectual property rights, and provided other legal services for all departments of Sega Channel. In 1997, Willard launched Willard Alonzo Stanback P.C. and then, over the next few months, transitioned from his role as in-house counsel at Sega Channel to its primary outside counsel (by the end of April 1997 there were no in-house counsel in the company). Willard later advised Sega Channel through a possible acquisition and oversaw the legal and contractual aspects of the company’s six-month wind-down after the owners decided to cease operations of the business.
Willard Alonzo Stanback P.C. was launched in early 1997 and grew through mid-1998.
In June 1998, Willard suspended the law firm when he accepted full-time employment with one of his clients, in the Legal Affairs department of the cable programming division of The E.W. Scripps Company. During the next 12 ½ years, this division became part of the spinoff known as Scripps Networks Interactive, Inc. and expanded from two programming services (HGTV and Food Network) to six networks falling within three genres (Home: HGTV and DIY Network; Food: Food Network and Cooking Channel; and Travel/Entertainment: Travel Channel and Great American Country).
Willard Alonzo Stanback, P.C. relaunched in 2011, building on his strong foundation in intellectual property, licensing and technology law, along with his extensive experience in entertainment and media.
Willard is a 1985 graduate of Massachusetts Institute of Technology. At MIT, he received a Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering, with concentrations in both Economics and Political Science. Prior to his MIT graduation, Willard was admitted to both the graduate school of engineering and the law school at the University of Virginia. He elected to defer law school for one year, graduating from UVA’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences in 1986 with a Masters of Engineering in Systems Engineering. Willard then enrolled in UVA’s School of Law and graduated in 1989 with his Juris Doctorate.
Willard A. Stanback currently sits on the board of the Capital City Redevelopment Corporation (CCRC) and the Thomas Edison State University (TESU) Foundation Board. He is also the immediate former chair of the Board of Director of the Trenton Downtown Association (TDA). Prior, he served three one-year terms as the TDA Board Chair, having joined the Board in January of 2015. Mr. Stanback’s past work in support of not-for-profit organizations has included membership on the boards of Isles, Inc. (for 4 years) and of the Trenton Community Music School (now Trenton Music Makers – for 6 years). He has also been a three-time grant application reviewer for The I Am Trenton Community Foundation.
