Maili C. Barber

Maili is a seasoned attorney whose practice focuses on municipal law, business transactions, and intellectual property. She brings nearly two decades of legal experience, including more than a decade serving as in-house counsel to public agencies, where she advised on a wide range of legal, operational, regulatory, and transactional matters.

Maili’s practice includes a significant business transactions component. She regularly advises clients on the drafting, review, and negotiation of a broad range of commercial agreements, including marketing and sponsorship agreements, influencer and performer agreements, venue and event contracts, software and SaaS agreements, intellectual property licenses, professional services agreements, data-sharing agreements, and other technology-related contracts. Her transactional work frequently intersects with intellectual property, advertising, privacy, entertainment, and emerging-technology issues, allowing her to provide practical advice that addresses both the legal terms of an agreement and the client’s broader business objectives. She has also advised clients on consumer-facing marketing initiatives, brand strategy, sponsorship activations, software implementation, and cross-border intellectual property matters involving coordination with foreign counsel.

Maili also maintains an active intellectual property practice. Her work includes trademark clearance, prosecution and enforcement, technology and licensing agreements, artist and performer agreements, publicity rights, AI-related legal issues, data-sharing matters, and other matters involving the protection and commercialization of intellectual property. She regularly works with clients on brand strategy and trademark portfolio matters and has experience coordinating with outside and international counsel on intellectual property issues.

Her municipal practice draws on extensive prior experience serving as City Attorney and Deputy City Attorney for multiple municipalities. In those roles, she managed a broad portfolio of matters involving contracts, public records, code enforcement, police advising, land use, regulatory compliance, litigation, administrative hearings, and municipal operations. She represented public agencies in courts and administrative proceedings, drafted ordinances, policies, and legal processes, and developed documents and procedures that were later adopted or used by other municipalities.

Earlier in her career, Maili gained corporate legal experience with T-Mobile USA, where she worked on FTC and FCC compliance, corporate sales agreements, NDAs, real estate matters, and consumer-facing marketing materials. She later earned an LL.M. in Intellectual Property from the University of Washington School of Law, complementing her J.D. from Seattle University School of Law.

During her undergraduate years at the University of Washington, Maili was a varsity letter athlete on the Women’s Rowing team, earning two conference titles and an NCAA Division I national championship. She also served on the Student Athlete Advisory Council. While in law school, she was active in Moot Court, served as President of the Asian Pacific Islander Law Student Association, participated in the Latino/a Organization for Legal Advancement, and externed with the King County Prosecutor’s Office.

Maili is also committed to professional development, leadership, and inclusion. She has served in leadership roles involving diversity and equity initiatives and remains active in the intellectual property community, including through the Seattle Intellectual Property Inn of Court.