Finnegan Facts

Fact #1: We didn’t get to be one of the world’s largest intellectual property 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 and brands. For 60 years, the world’s leading corporations and innovators have entrusted us with their most valuable assets before courts and tribunals, in patent and trademark offices, and around negotiation tables. They rely on our legal and business acumen as well as our technical and scientific experience. And they understand we not only speak their language—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 talent focused on IP and adjacent areas.

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. In addition to handling all aspects of patent, trademark, and copyright law, including counseling, prosecution, licensing, and litigation, we also represent clients on issues related to advertising, privacy, and trade secrets as well as international trade, export control, the Internet, e-commerce, government contracts, antitrust, and unfair competition.

• 350+ attorneys and IP professionals focused on intellectual property and adjacent areas, plus nearly 350 support staff, including patent and trademark legal assistants as well as docketing, research, litigation support, and information technology specialists
• 300+ attorneys and IP professionals with scientific degrees
• 75+ attorneys and IP professionals with doctorates
• 250+ patent professionals registered to practice before the USPTO, DPMA, EPO, and/or UKIPO
• 30+ attorneys who are former USPTO examiners

Fact #3: In complex IP litigation and disputes, few firms can match the scope of our talent and experience.

Our litigation practice covers all aspects of IP-related disputes, from complex patent litigation and appeals to high-profile trademark disputes. Our 250+ experienced litigators have handled hundreds of cases at all stages of litigation before courts and government agencies across the United States and in Germany and the UK. We have more than a dozen former judicial law clerks and nearly 40 former appellate law clerks. In the last five years, Finnegan has represented clients in nearly 200 appeals at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Whether enforcing IP rights or defending against infringement or trade secret misappropriation accusations, our litigation teams know the procedural intricacies and calculated risks to consider in business disputes involving patents, trademarks, copyrights, advertising, and trade secrets.

Fact #4: Our patent stats are hard to beat. 

• In our patent litigation and trials practice over the past five years:
  • Involved in 500+ district court litigations
  • Represented the complainant or the respondent in more than a dozen USITC Section 337 cases
  • Handled nearly 200 appeals to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
• 1,450+ post-grant review patent office proceedings
• 250+ attorneys and patent professionals registered to practice before the USPTO, DPMA, EPO, and/or UKIPO
• 28,500+ patent applications filed globally in the past five years
• Over 30 attorneys who are former USPTO examiners 

Fact #5: We have one of the most successful trademark practices in the world.

• In our trademark litigation and trials practice over the past five years:
  • Filed and defended more than 600 trademark oppositions and cancellations
  • Handled more than 75 trademark litigations
  • Involved in 100 UDRP arbitrations involving nearly 300 domain names
• Over 30 attorneys practicing solely or primarily trademark law, supported by dedicated trademark staff
• Filed more than 7,500 trademark applications globally over the past five years
• Recent trademark accolades can be found here.

Fact #6: We are 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. Since launching the firm in Washington, DC, in 1965, we have opened offices in US research and technology centers such as Atlanta, Boston, Palo Alto, and Reston. We also have offices in the key global markets of London, Munich, Seoul, 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. 

Fact #7: We are intent towards being a trusted resource and offering clients collaborative legal value solutions.

• AI + Finnegan Resource Center 
• Unified Patent Court (UPC) Hub
• Pricing & Alternative Fee Arrangements
• AFA Models We Offer
• Contingency Fees
• Service Innovation: AI + KM

Fact #8: 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 up to 100 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 help give voice to artists, children, older adults, people experiencing homelessness, tenants, veterans, and others in need.

Fact #9: Sometimes, it’s best to let others speak for you.

Fact # 10: We’ve come a long way in 60 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 on intellectual property law.
• 1968. The firm changes its name to Finnegan, Henderson & Farabow. Art Garrett becomes a partner, and his name is 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.
• 1993. Our Brussels, Belgium, office opens to support a growing European client base.
• 1997. We open our Atlanta, GA, and Palo Alto, CA, offices.
• 2001. We open our 4th U.S. office in the high-tech market of Boston, MA.
• 2002. The firm is included for the first time in American Lawyer’s list of the 100 largest U.S. law firms, and our Reston, VA, office opens.
• 2003. Our Taipei, Taiwan, office opens.
• 2005. The DC office relocates to 901 New York Avenue, NW, where we are the anchor tenant in an award-winning building at the center of a downtown redevelopment project.
• 2008. Our 3rd Asian office opens in Shanghai, China. The firm changes its logo and officially recognizes Finnegan as its short name.
• 2013. Our European office relocates to London, and Finnegan Europe LLP is licensed to practice law in the UK.
• 2015. We celebrate our 50th anniversary as one of the world’s leading intellectual property law firms, and we open a Seoul, Korea, office—our 4th Asia location.
• 2022. Our European practice expands with the opening of our Munich, Germany, office and being licensed to practice European and German law.