A highly influential figure in the development of trademark law and practice across the world, Dolores Hanna holds the distinction of being the first female president of the International Trademark Association. After graduating from the Chicago-Kent College of Law, Hanna practiced both in-house at Kraft Inc, and at law firms Bell, Boyd & Lloyd and Hill & Simpson. From 1985 to 1987 Hanna chaired the Trademark Review Commission's comprehensive review of federal trademark law that resulted in the passage of the Trademark Law Revision Act of 1988.

A past president of the Women's Bar Association of Illinois, Hanna was also president of the Women's Bar Foundation and the Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago. Her many honours include a Justice John Paul Stevens Award from the Chicago Bar Association, a Founder's Award from the CBA Alliance for Women and a President's Award from INTA.