How I Made Practice Group Chair: 'Be an Active Participant,' Say Karthik Kumar and Frank DeCosta of Finnegan

Law.com interviewed Frank DeCosta and Karthik Kumar, Finnegan partners and co-leaders of the firm’s Artificial Intelligence practice. They discuss how they developed their practices, their roles as practice group leaders, and advice for attorneys looking to become a practice group leader. Below are snippets from the interview.  

What made you pick your practice area?  

DeCosta: My practice has always centered on our clients' most complicated high tech intellectual property matters. About eight years ago, it became apparent to me that Al technology that was once limited to research labs was rapidly becoming available in commercial products, and with the deployment of this technology, our clients were going to face a host of novel IP issues. With the firm's support, I started our Al Section (now branded "Al + Finnegan") to provide our clients with strategic legal guidance in this emerging area. The work of the Al Section was a natural fit within our firm given our IP focus and our deep bench of lawyers with technical experience in Al. Currently our Al Section has about 80 members. 

Kumar: I came to intellectual property law after years as an engineering researcher and inventor. During my doctoral work, I developed patented optical micro-endoscope technologies and applied machine-learning image segmentation methods to flag potentially cancerous tissue, and that technology was licensed to a startup. Those experiences shaped my worldview that technological innovation-properly protected and responsibly commercialized-meaningfully raises the average human being's life experience more than anything else. Today, I focus my practice at the intersection of complex IP litigation and strategy for emerging technologies. My practice allows me to live the highs and lows of the invention process vicariously through the founders and engineers I counsel, and to build legal strategies that help their ideas reach the market.  

How did you develop your expertise in your practice area? 

DeCosta: Before law school, my Ph.D. research and industry experience at Bell Labs and afterwards focused on developing computer vision technology applied to medical diagnosis and other applications. I developed Al algorithms using neural networks and complex signal processing filters that mimicked how our eyes and brain extract and process features from images.  

Kumar: My expertise grew from being given invaluable opportunities at our firm to work on matters requiring a combination of technical understanding and strategic legal thinking. As I mentioned before, I have built up expertise at the intersection of complex IP litigation and strategy for emerging technology companies. Over the years, I litigated patent and trade secret matters in U.S. district courts, at the ITC, at the PTAB, and on appeal, while simultaneously overseeing global patent portfolios in artificial intelligence, machine learning, augmented and virtual reality, advanced SG and 6G communication technologies, electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, and other cutting-edge fields. The dual focus on complex litigation and strategic counseling keeps me close to both the courtroom and the lab bench, so I can translate technical depth into enforceable IP rights and defensible litigation positions. 

How does having a practice leadership role give you a sense of the broader strategic vision of the firm? 

DeCosta: Before taking on firm leadership roles, I had very little understanding of and appreciation for the complexity of the business of running a global law firm. This was not part of law school. Each role I have taken on has presented a steep learning curve, but each has been a rewarding growth experience. I am eternally grateful for the many mentors, experienced fellow committee members, and the outstanding staff that took the time to educate me along the way. 

Each role helped me understand more broadly the diverse scope of our firm. While our firm is IP focused, there is still quite a bit of diversity in our practice. We deal with technology ranging from pharma to semiconductors. Our IP expertise covers patents, trade secrets, copyrights, trademarks, advertising, and privacy. We practice before trial courts, appellate courts, and administrative agencies in the U.S. and Europe. We have more than 600 colleagues in 11 offices throughout the world serving clients with global footprints. It has been tremendously rewarding to serve in management and have an opportunity to help the firm navigate the complex matrix of business issues that is ever present in a firm of our scale and scope. I have also found that serving in management has enhanced my ability to counsel clients that come to us for support because the IP issues presented to us are often intertwined with other business considerations. 

Kumar: Practice leadership is a vantage point. From it, I see how clients’ AI roadmaps intersect with our firm’s investment in talent, technology, knowledge management, and pricing models. Co-leading the AI practice and serving on our internal AI tools committee exposes me to how we are embedding responsible AI into service delivery, training lawyers at scale, and measuring adoption—initiatives that both improve client outcomes and define the firm’s next stage of growth. 

Read How I Made Practice Group Chair: 'Be an Active Participant,' Say Karthik Kumar and Frank DeCosta of Finnegan