Four Finnegan Partners Recognized in the 2026 Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America Guide

Finnegan is proud to announce that four partners have been recognized in the 2026 Lawdragon 500: Leading Litigators in America, an annual guide honoring the nation’s top courtroom advocates. The Lawdragon 500 recognizes attorneys who have demonstrated exceptional skill and success in high-stakes litigation, including commercial disputes, antitrust, securities, intellectual property, and other complex matters. The selection process is based on independent journalistic research, firm submissions, and peer nominations, with honorees chosen for their consistent excellence and impact in the legal field. The four Finnegan partners named to the 2026 Lawdragon 500: Leading Litigators in America include:

Bryan C. Diner practices all aspects of intellectual property law, including district court litigation, Patent Trial and Appeal Board proceedings at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, strategic patent portfolio management, prosecution, opinion preparation, and due diligence investigations. His litigation practice involves diverse technical areas, ranging from protecting the rights of innovative pharmaceutical companies in Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) litigations to defending clients’ right to use certain medical devices. Bryan also has extensive experience in conducting IP due diligence investigations for all types of transactions. Bryan was recognized as a Life Sciences star by LMG Life Sciences in the fields of “Patent Strategy & Management” and “Hatch-Waxman Patent Litigation,” and has previously received LMG Life Sciences’ “U.S. Intellectual Property Life Sciences Rising Star” award. Intellectual Asset Management and The Legal 500 U.S. have recognized Bryan in the areas of patent litigation and prosecution.

Gerald (Jerry) F. Ivey has extensive experience in the areas of civil litigation and trial advocacy, having tried 79 cases to juries in federal and state courts. He concentrates his practice on jury trial patent cases involving Internet, computer software and hardware issues, biotechnology, medical devices, and mechanical products. Jerry also has extensive experience and expertise in trade secrets litigation and counseling. Jerry has acted as lead trial counsel in jury cases involving computer software; optical character recognition technology; parental controls; hardware and software boot-up security; graphic user interface technologies; VOIP technologies; semiconductors; automated key duplication machinery; cases involving self-balancing vehicles; wind and jet engine turbines; cases for biomechanical devices including cardiovascular stents; diagnostic test kits; and pharmaceutical products, such as glaucoma, arthritis, and autoimmune medications. Jerry has been recognized by The Legal 500 U.S. for patent litigation, voted by his peers for inclusion in the Top IP Lawyers by the Washingtonian Magazine, and named a litigation star by Benchmark Litigation. He received the Honorable William J. Brennan, Jr. Award for Outstanding Trial Advocacy Skills. Jerry is also a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation.

J. Michael (Mike) Jakes concentrates his practice on patent litigation and related counseling. He serves as lead counsel in federal district courts and the U.S. International Trade Commission, before arbitration panels, and on appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Mike has vast experience at the Federal Circuit, having argued more than 50 appeals and prepared and filed briefs in many more. Mike has been recognized as a Global Leader, a leading patent litigator in the Washington, DC area, as well as nationally before the Federal Circuit by Intellectual Asset Management and was named one of the top ten business litigators in D.C. by Legal Times. He has ranked among the top U.S. patent lawyers in Legal Media Group’s Guide to the World’s Leading Patent Law Practitioners since 2015 and has been named Lawyer of the Year for Patent Litigation by Best Lawyers. Mike was also recognized by LMG Life Sciences for his contributions in the fields of “Patent Strategy & Management” and “General Patent Litigation”.

Anand K. Sharma, former chair and former managing partner of Finnegan, tries cases before judges and juries across the country, and manages patent portfolios for several multi-billion dollar companies. A former NASA software engineer, Anand comfortably handles complex technologies, including data storage and software solutions, telecom, medical devices, automotive systems, polymer films, industrial manufacturing, and consumer appliances and electronics. Anand leads teams of Finnegan attorneys in litigation and strategic patent planning. He works in all areas of patent law, from litigation in U.S. district courts and the U.S. International Trade Commission to strategic client counseling at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Whether managing patent litigations or patent portfolios, Anand develops client-specific strategies and leads experienced teams to implement them. He is a first-chair litigator, with experience in jury and bench trials, and has examined dozens of witnesses at trial, argued key motions, and successfully led clients through complex settlement negotiations and numerous mediations. Anand has been recognized as a Leading Litigator in America by The Lawdragon 500 in their 2025 guide and praised by Intellectual Asset Management (IAM) for his practice in the D.C. region.

To view the complete guide, click here.