About Us
Our clients come to us with some of the most innovative ideas on the planet. But innovation alone is not enough. Every good idea needs a champion.
Rich Racine, Chairman
Fact #1: We didn’t get to be one of the world’s largest IP law firms by just growing our lawyer ranks and adding offices.
We got there by truly believing in our clients and then protecting, advocating, and leveraging their ideas. The world’s leading corporations and innovators have entrusted us with their most valuable assets for 45 years. They rely on our legal, technical, and scientific experience. And they understand we not only speak their language—but we know how to listen, too. That’s the first fact you need to know about Finnegan. And there are many more.
Fact #2: We have an incredibly wide range of IP-focused talent.
We offer full-service IP legal and technical experience in virtually every industry and technology—from electrical and computer technology, industrial manufacturing, consumer products, medical devices, and biotechnology to pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and alternative energy. Our practice includes all aspects of patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret law, including counseling, prosecution, licensing, and litigation. We also represent clients on IP issues related to international trade, portfolio management, the Internet, e-commerce, government contracts, antitrust, and unfair competition.
- More than 375 lawyers focused on intellectual property, plus an additional 600 professionals and support staff, including patent agents, legal assistants, and dedicated docketing, research, litigation support, and information technology specialists
- 400+ professionals with scientific degrees
- 90+ professionals with Ph.D.'s
- 280 professionals registered to practice before the PTO
- 60 professionals who are former PTO examiners
Fact #3: We don't just value diversity, we live it every day—in thought, approach, and solutions.
Diversity is so much a part of our culture, we’re consistently identified as one of the nation’s top law firms for minority and overall diversity. In the 2010 Vault Guide to the Top 100 Law Firms, Finnegan ranked in the top ten percent for lawyer diversity. We ranked number ten for diversity with respect to minorities and number nine with respect to women. Our commitment to diversity says a lot about our culture in general. We believe in being inclusive, not exclusive. We value collaboration and working as a team. And most important, we are committed to continuing to expand the diverse face of our firm through recruiting, mentoring, collaborating, and innovative approaches that ensure our lawyers and staff develop both personally and professionally.
Fact #4: Sometimes, it’s best to let others speak for you.
- A-List Law Firm, 2010 (American Lawyer)
- North American Full Service IP Firm of the Year, 2008-2010 (Managing Intellectual Property)
- Top IP Firm of the Year, 2010 (Law360)
- #1 or #2 Tier U.S. Law Firm for Patent Contentious and Prosecution Work, 2002–2010 (Managing Intellectual Property’s World IP Surveys)
- #1 or #2 Tier U.S. Law Firm for Trademark Contentious and Prosecution Work, 2005–2010 (Managing Intellectual Property’s World IP Surveys)
- #1 or #2 Tier U.S. Law Firm for Copyright Work, 2008–2010 (Managing Intellectual Property’s World IP Survey)
- #1 Tier Foreign Firm for Patents—Japan, 2007-2010 (Managing Intellectual Property’s World IP Surveys)
- #1 Tier U.S. Law Firm for Intellectual Property, 2010 (Chambers Global)
- #1 Tier U.S. Law Firm for Intellectual Property, 2007-2010 (Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business)
- #1 Tier Law Firm for Patent Litigation and Prosecution, 2008-2010 (The Legal 500 U.S.)
- #1 Tier Law Firm for Trademark Litigation and Prosecution, 2008-2010 (The Legal 500 U.S.)
- #1 Tier International Firm—Japan, 2010 (Asia IP’s Patent Survey)
- #1 Tier International Firm—Taiwan, 2010 (Chambers Asia)
Fact # 5: We’ve come a long way in 40 years.
March 1, 1965. The firm Finnegan & Henderson is founded on the 12th floor of the Chanin Building at 815 Connecticut Avenue in Washington, DC, by Marcus Finnegan and Douglas Henderson. The mission: to do high-quality legal work focused exclusively on intellectual property law.
1968. The firm changes its name to Finnegan, Henderson & Farabow. Art Garrett becomes a partner, and his name is subsequently added to the masthead in 1973.
1979. On April 13, 1979 at the age of 53, the firm’s beloved Marc Finnegan passes away. In the fall of 1979, Don Dunner becomes a name partner.
1988. The firm opens our Tokyo, Japan office and becomes one of the first patent firms to have a lawyer actively practicing in Japan as Gaikokuho Jimu Bengoshi Jimusho (lawyer in foreign law).
1990. The firm’s Washington, DC office moves to 1300 I Street, NW. Our lawyer headcount reaches 100.
1993. Our Brussels, Belgium office opens to support our growing European client base.
1997. We open our Atlanta, GA and Palo Alto, CA offices.
1999. The firm grows to 200 lawyers.
2001. We open our 5th U.S. office in a high-tech market, Cambridge, MA.
2002. The firm is included for the first time in American Lawyer’s list of the 100 largest U.S. law firms—we are the only law firm in the listing focused exclusively on intellectual property law. Our Reston, VA office opens, and the firm’s lawyer ranks reach 300.
2003. Our Taipei, Taiwan office opens.
2005. The DC office relocates to 901 New York Avenue, where we are the anchor tenant in an award-winning building at the center of a downtown redevelopment project.
2008. Our 4th international office opens in Shanghai, China. The firm changes its logo and officially recognizes Finnegan as its short name.
Fact #6: To us, pro bono isn’t just a program. It’s a state of mind and a way of life.
Our pro bono work is as varied and diverse as the professionals at our firm. We let our professionals tell us what is important to them and where they feel they can best put their passion and expertise to good use. We credit 80 hours a year toward a lawyer’s billable hours goal. For those who choose more involved pro bono work such as litigation, the additional hours are rewarded and credited toward bonuses. Our lawyers sharpen their skills and help others by litigating criminal and civil cases, negotiating agreements and settlements, and working hand-in-hand with community nonprofit organizations to address their constituencies’ legal issues. We provide counsel to artists, children, the elderly, veterans, the homeless, and other groups in need that might not be heard without our assistance.
Fact #7: In complex IP disputes, few firms can match the scope of our talent and experience.
Our litigation practice covers all aspects of IP disputes, from complex patent litigation and appeals to trademark disputes. Our 250+ experienced IP litigators have handled hundreds of cases at all stages of litigation. We have 35 former district court or trial judge law clerks and 45 former CAFC or CCPA law clerks. In the last five years alone, Finnegan has represented clients in more than 100 Federal Circuit appeals.
Our litigation experience includes:
- Patent infringement and related litigation issues
- Patent appeals
- U.S. International Trade Commission, Section 337 cases
- Interference proceedings
- Trademark litigation
- Copyright litigation
- Trade secret litigation
Fact #8: Our patent stats are hard to beat
- 80 percent of our work is patent-related
- 320 attorneys focused on patent
- 280 professionals registered to practice before the PTO
- 60 professionals who are former PTO examiners
- 11,000 U.S. patent applications filed in a three-year period
- Involved in 400+ district court litigations in past five years
- Represented either the complainant or the respondent in nearly 20 percent of all ITC cases filed in the past five years
- Involved in 15 percent of all interferences declared in past five years
- Briefed and argued more than 100 Federal Circuit appeals in past five years
Fact #9: We have one of the most successful trademark practices in the world.
- #1 or #2 Tier U.S. Law Firm for Trademark Contentious and Prosecution Work, 2005–2010 (Managing Intellectual Property’s World IP surveys)
- #1 Tier Law Firm for Trademark Litigation and Prosecution, 2008-2010 (The Legal 500 U.S.)
- Currently responsible for more than 28,000 trademark applications and registrations (U.S. and foreign)
- Filed and defended nearly 500 U.S. trademark oppositions and cancellations in past five years
- Nearly 100 U.S. trademark civil litigations filed and defended in past five years
- Involved in more than 220 UDRP arbitrations in past five years
- Litigated more than 75 civil litigations in the U.S. involving domain names
Fact #10: We're at the hub of innovation—wherever in the world it may be.
Our clients’ businesses and IP assets are global, and protection of these assets is increasingly challenging. With offices around the world and decades of experience assisting multinational companies, Finnegan has the resources and expertise to formulate and execute global strategies. We’re located in research and technology centers such as Atlanta, Georgia; Cambridge, Massachusetts; Palo Alto, California; and Reston, Virginia. We regularly appear on our clients’ behalf in courts throughout the U.S. and before regulatory and administrative agencies in Washington, DC. We also have offices in the key global markets of Brussels, Shanghai, Taipei, and Tokyo. Our professionals are multilingual and multicultural, and they work with clients in real time around the clock and around the world.
