(Burlington, Vt.)  Attorney William J. Morris III has joined the northern New England law firm Downs Rachlin Martin PLLC.

Morris, a trademark attorney, joined the firm on Jan. 2 and will work in its Burlington office. His practice will focus on trademark clearance, procurement, enforcement, dispute resolution and licensing.

“As a result of his varied professional experience, William joins DRM with a deep background in the management of large trademark portfolios, trademark enforcement activities, and trademark clearance and registration,” said Lawrence H. Meier, a director in the firm and chair of DRM’s Intellectual Property Group. “We’re fortunate that he is at a point in his career when it makes sense to return to private practice and he has chosen DRM. Our clients and our practice will greatly benefit from his rich experience with intellectual property law around the world.”

Since 2005, Morris has worked at a number of law firms and corporations. Most recently he worked as senior counsel in the Alprin Law Offices, P.C., of Washington, D.C. and as general counsel at Felt LLC in Telluride, Colo. Among his other roles he has been the lead trademark attorney at Under Armour, Inc., in Baltimore, Md., and at the Hershey Chocolate and Confectionary Corporation in Wheat Ridge, Colo., the IP holding company for Hershey, where he was president and counsel. He graduated from Wake Forest University in 1997 with a bachelor’s degree in history, from Vermont Law School in 2000 with the juris doctor degree, and from the University of New Hampshire Law School summa cum laude in 2005, with a Master of Laws degree in intellectual property.