Finnegan and Partner Lionel Lavenue Among 2025 National Law Journal Legal Awards Finalists

The National Law Journal (NLJ) recently released the shortlist for the 2025 NLJ Legal Awards, revealing this year's finalists, winners, and honorees. A testament to the firm’s deep bench of talent and outstanding results in high-stakes IP litigation, Finnegan is a finalist for the 2025 Litigation Department of the Year - Intellectual Property Award. Litigation powerhouse and Finnegan partner Lionel Lavenue is also a finalist in the Winning Litigators – Defense category.

Finnegan’s litigation practice covers all aspects of IP-related disputes, from complex patent litigation and appeals to high-profile trademark disputes. We have more than 230 attorneys experienced in all forms of U.S. IP litigation, German patent litigation, and European patent litigation in courts, including the Unified Patent Court, before governmental agencies, and in arbitration forums. In the last five years, Finnegan has represented clients in more than 200 appeals at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. We have more than a dozen former judicial law clerks and nearly 40 former appellate law clerks.

Lionel M. Lavenue focuses his practice on patent trial litigation and creating and managing large patent portfolios. With experience in over 200 patent cases, including 20 bench or jury trials, he has managed or served as first chair in numerous district court litigations, including more than 60 cases in the E.D. Texas, almost a dozen patent infringement cases and/or matters under Section 1498(a) in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, more than a dozen disputes under Section 337 before the U.S. International Trade Commission, and multiple arbitrations. He has directed the discovery for numerous complex cases and disputes, and he has taken or defended over 250 depositions. He also has briefed and argued numerous patent/IP appeals at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

Winners will be announced at the NLJ Legal Awards ceremony on November 5, 2025, at the Westin DC Downtown. For a complete list of finalists and honorees, click here.