Finnegan Partner Elizabeth Ferrill Receives IPO’s Prestigious Carl B. Horton Distinguished Service Award

WASHINGTON, DC—Finnegan is pleased to announce that Elizabeth (Beth) Ferrill received the Intellectual Property Owners Association’s (IPO) Carl B. Horton Distinguished Service Award. Presented at IPO’s 2021 Annual Meeting in Austin, Texas, the award is given to those who show extraordinary leadership and dedication to promoting the value of intellectual property to society and the global economy. Since its inception in 2008, Beth is the second woman to receive the award.

As noted in Intellectual Asset Management Patent 1000, Beth is an “undisputed expert on design patents” who is “always updated and enlightening others with her deep knowledge,” “very involved in the design bar,” and “gives her clients an outstanding service.” She focuses on all aspects of design patents, including prosecution, counseling, post-grant, and litigation. She also has extensive experience in utility patent litigation in the areas of software- and hardware-related technologies. Beth currently serves as vice chair of IPO’s Industrial Designs Committee.

Beth is co-leader of Finnegan FORWARD (Focused on Raising Women’s Advancement, Representation, and Development), the firm’s women’s business initiative. She dedicates time to pro bono matters, particularly as the partner in charge of Finnegan’s Veteran’s Assistance Program. She has worked extensively on behalf of military veterans and represented criminal defendants in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, the Eastern District of Virginia, and the Virginia Supreme Court. Beth also served on the Board of Directors of Community Tax Aid, Inc. a local Washington, D.C. non-profit that provides free tax preparation service to low- and moderate-income families.

Before beginning her legal career, Beth graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy and served five years on active duty as a communications officer. She was stationed at Bolling AFB, Washington, D.C., coordinating and overseeing testing of joint intelligence software systems, and at Thule Air Base, Greenland, where she served as the flight commander in charge of base communications.

“This recognition is well-deserved,” said Finnegan’s managing partner, Anand Sharma. “While we are certainly proud of Beth’s design patent experience, we are particularly proud of how she pays it forward; how she provides opportunities for others, and how she always looks to serve.”

Contacts
Anand K. Sharma, Managing Partner 
anand.sharma@finnegan.com 

Mark D. Sweet, Chair 
mark.sweet@finnegan.com 

About Finnegan
Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP is one of the largest IP law firms in the world. From offices in Atlanta, Boston, London, Palo Alto, Reston, Seoul, Shanghai, Taipei, Tokyo, and Washington, DC, the firm practices all aspects of patent, trademark, and copyright law, including counseling, prosecution, licensing, and litigation. Finnegan also represents clients on IP issues related to advertising, trade secret law, European patents and trade marks, international trade, portfolio management, the Internet, e-commerce, government contracts, antitrust, and unfair competition. For additional information on the firm, please visit www.finnegan.com. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.