Courtney Lytle Sarnow

Courtney Sarnow is a partner in the Atlanta office of CM Law with over twenty-five years of experience in a broad-based transactional practice with a specific focus on intellectual property and technology. She has developed a distinctly creative and problem-solving approach to address client plans and issues.  As a young attorney, Ms. Sarnow learned that focusing on what a client can’t do and shouldn’t do is unnecessarily limiting and seldom helps the client maximize corporate opportunities.  Her approach of looking for ways to accomplish corporate goals within an informed legal framework is more valuable for growth focused, technology forward companies than a stereotypical corporate counsel who instinctively thwarts innovation.

Early in her career with Dow, Lohnes & Albertson in Atlanta, she worked in the Mergers & Acquisitions Group and in IP Licensing with traditional clients, as well as some unusual NASCAR and Professional Bull Rider representation thrown in from time to time. This gave her an appreciation for creative clients.  After a sojourn in Philadelphia at Temple University as a Teaching Fellow earning an LLM in Law Teaching and studying developing issues in computer law and software licensing, she returned to Atlanta to teach as an Adjunct at Emory Law and develop a practice focused on intellectual property protection and general corporate strategies for artists, inventors and innovative entrepreneurial ventures.

Selected Presentations & Publications
Publications

• Negotiate Like a Ninja. (Forthcoming, Vanderplas Publishing).  Law School textbook for Negotiations.
• Skills and Values: Intellectual Property. (2011, Lexis Publishing).  Law School Textbook combining doctrinal material and skills instruction and exercises.
• My Kingdom for a Horse: Reining in Technology and Sales Legislation from Software to Spam.   11 Texas Wesleyan Law Review 523 (Spring, 2005).  Presented at the Conference on the 150th Anniversary of Hadley v. Baxendale, June 2004.  Hadley’s Mill, Gloucester, England.
• A Hegemonic Interpretation of Extraterritorial Jurisdiction in Antitrust: From American Banana to Hartford Fire.  24 Syracuse Journal of International Law and Commerce 41 (1997).

Presentations

• Copyright Law, Negotiations, Doing Deals: Intellectual Property:  courses taught at Emory University School of Law 2000 – present (Adjunct Prof of Law)
• DragonCon, Annual Engagement 2007 – Present.  Art Show, Electronic Frontiers Foundation: Presentations on Copyright Law, Technology Law and current developments in Intellectual Property. Professional Game Design Seminar (2021): Intellectual Property in Game Design. Fantasy/Science Fiction Writer’s Seminar (2021): Copyright Law for New Authors.
• Southern Interactive Entertainment and Game Expo (professional conference for game developers). 2007 – 2014. Presentation: “Crucial Issues in Intellectual Property for Game Designers” and similar topics.
• Non Profit Law Seminar, Georgia Bar Continuing Legal Education, March 2006.  Presentation:  Fundraising Law.
• Georgia Center for Non Profits:  “Recruit, Retain, Develop: Strategies for Success Conference” November 2005.  Presentation: Employment Law Basics for Non Profit Corporations.
• Southeast Cybercrime Summit, March 2005.  Presentation: Practical Applications of Intellectual Property Laws.
• College Art Association Annual Meeting, February 2005. Panel Presentation: Faculty Artists’ Copyright Issues and Works Made for Hire.
• Conference on the 150th Anniversary of Hadley v. Baxendale, June 2004.  Hadley’s Mill, Gloucester, England.  Presentation: My Kingdom for a Horse: Reining in Technology and Sales Legislation from Software to Spam.
• Annual Chancellor and Bishop Meeting of Episcopal Church Dioceses, October 2001.  St Thomas US Virgin Islands. Presentation: Copyright Law Issues in Church Administration.

Interesting Facts
Ms. Sarnow exercises and trains polo ponies at Atlanta Polo Club.  She is currently training with her dog, a Border Collie/Australian Shepherd mix, to become a therapy dog team to visit hospitals and schools.  As an undergraduate, she was the Captain of the UVa Pistol Team and was ranked in the top ten in the National Women’s Collegiate Air Pistol Championship.  In college, she also worked as a lifeguard and taught children how to swim; now she is an attorney who teaches law students how to practice — there are more parallels between the two than you might think!