Two-thirds of his staff are “client lawyers”—the
main contact for patent, trademark, employment,
product safety, antitrust and litigation matters. “We
also have our equivalent of rainmaking, in that our
client lawyers are responsible for developing strong
relationships with their key clients...to ensure that
we will be at the front end of the information flow
and can maximize the value we provide.”
Brand protection is the main priority. “We have
players for a period of time,” but a legitimate Face-
book Scrabble outlet was established and things
calmed down. “It’s the kind of case you have to
take on, even though it gets played as David versus
Goliath in the press.” Nagler reports to President
and Chief Executive Officer Brian Goldner.
Chapter for the most significant contributions to the
corporate counsel profession.
ROUTE TO THE TOP
Nagler earned a Bachelor of Science degree in
We are very aggressive but strategic in enforcing our rights.”
CAREER ADVICE
When hired at Reebok, Nagler was offered a sports
marketing position that would have entailed deals
with high-profile athletes and teams—his “dream
job.” On his first day of work, he found out that
he’d actually be working on corporate and securities
issues. “At the time, I was crushed, but in hindsight it
was the best possible outcome for me, since I never
could have become a general counsel without this
experience. The GC at the time told me he was doing
me a favor and, in hindsight, he was right.”
limited issues with counterfeiting, then there’s trade-
mark and copyright infringement, and then the ‘knock
off’ products—which is the sincerest form of flattery.
Those are most interesting because some people
get close to the line but don’t go over it. We are very
aggressive but strategic in enforcing our rights.”
The company has been “relatively unscathed” by
recalls, but in 2007 Hasbro recalled 1 million Easy
Bake Ovens because of safety concerns. Nagler
said that the department has “allocated substantial
resources to product safety.”
In 2008, Hasbro closed down the infringing “Scrab-
ulous” on Facebook. The move “made me quite
unpopular with a lot of very passionate Scrabble
government from Franklin & Marshall University in
1978 and his J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1981.
He began his legal career in the litigation depart-
ment at the old Foley, Hoag & Eliot and, after six
years, went in-house at Reebok International Ltd.,
eventually rising to senior vice president, general
counsel and corporate secretary. He joined Hasbro
in 2000.
PERSONAL
New York City native Nagler enjoys golf, reading,
Facebook and Scrabble. He is married to Laurie
Nagler, a retired teacher. They have two children:
Daniel and Alyssa.
A BOOK AND MOVIE
The Lost Symbol, by Dan Brown; and G.I. Joe—The
Rise of Cobra.
—RICHARD ACELLO
An earlier version of this profile appeared in The
National Law Journal on Dec. 14, 2009.
