Ann K. Ford practices in the area of US and international trademark and copyright law, including the emerging law governing the use and protection of intellectual property on the Internet.

Ms. Ford advises clients with respect to business and transactional aspects of intellectual property, as well as litigation and pre-litigation protective measures. She works with clients to acquire, develop and exploit intellectual property assets and has specific experience in restructuring intellectual property assets for tax planning and developing joint venture arrangements to support co-branding efforts. She has extensive experience in working with both mature and emerging companies on developing and strengthening brands in a wide variety of industries. Ms. Ford utilizes her background in communications and media law, and experience in the retail and fashion sectors, to counsel clients on the specialized and unique issues faced by those industries. She advises clients on the use of other intellectual property and conducts compliance programs for businesses on their use of copyrighted material. She also protects clients' intellectual property through the courts, agencies and uniform dispute resolution procedures.

The respected English research publisher Chambers and Partners recognizes Ms. Ford as one of America's leading lawyers for intellectual property, describing her as "renowned," and has reported that her clients value her "practical and realistic advice" and say she "combines expertise with commercial business judgment" and that she "always keeps the client’s business goals in mind" and "takes a personal interest in each case." In 2009, the Washington Business Journal named her to its short list of Top Washington Lawyers in the Intellectual Property category.

Ms. Ford has been recognized by Legal 500, which praised her for being "pragmatic, not afraid to voice an opinion, but with a great sense of humor, which is important." She has also been listed in An International Who's Who of Trademark Lawyers, Guide to the World's Leading Trade Mark Practitioners, Guide to the World's Leading Women in Business Law and Who's Who Legal: The International Who's Who of Business Lawyers. Ms. Ford has been selected by the Legal Times as one of the leading intellectual property lawyers in the Washington, DC area. For the past several years and again in 2011-2012, Washingtonian magazine listed her among Washington's top lawyers. She has been named a Washington, DC Super Lawyer. In 2011, Arrive magazine, the official publication of Amtrak and Acela Express, named her to its list of Top Women Lawyers in the Northeast.

Ms. Ford is an active member of the International Trademark Association's U.S. Legislative Subcommittee. She has also served on the project team for INTA's Trademarks in Cyberspace program on the use of trademarks on the Internet. She has been a featured speaker on intellectual property issues to organizations such as INTA, the American Society of Picture Professionals, Washington Area Lawyers for the Arts and the District of Columbia Bar Arts, Entertainment and Sports Law Section. She has authored various scholarly works on the subject of intellectual property law, as well as articles on trademark and copyright law for general trade publications.

In 2011, Ms. Ford was appointed vice chair of the DC Bar's Pro Bono Committee.

Ms. Ford is the US chair of DLA Piper's Trademark, Copyright and Media practice. She is a member of the Executive Committee as well as a member of DLA Piper's firmwide Policy Committee.