With 2012 about to become history, it’s time to look back and reflect on those in the Texas legal community whose actions have made it a year to remember. Without further ado, here are the 2012 winners of Texas Lawyer’s Tongue-in-Cheek Awards.
Lubbock personal-injury solo Davis W. Smith may be the “top banana” in his firm, but he chose the gorilla as his service mark. After his competitors in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu matches began referring to Smith as “The Gorilla,” his staff picked up on the nickname. Smith began using the gorilla in his firm’s advertising and applied to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in 2011 to register the service mark, “Injured? Get the Gorilla.” The USPTO issued a notice of allowance for the mark on Jan. 10. Smith doesn’t just use the gorilla as his mark, he also has a 4,000-pound gorilla statue in front of his office and another gorilla figure on the roof. He’s the hands-down winner of The Aped Crusader Award.
