FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 10, 2019
WASHINGTON, DC—Finnegan announced changes to its executive management team, effective July 1, 2019. Anand K. Sharma will succeed Mark D. Sweet as managing partner of the firm’s 10 offices worldwide. Mr. Sweet will assume the role of firm chair, held most recently by James B. Monroe. The election of Mr. Sharma, who was born in Guyana, South America, will make the firm one of the largest led by a person of South Asian descent. In addition to electing a partner of color as managing partner, 66% of the firm’s new management team is diverse. The leadership changes align with Finnegan’s practice to rotate firm leadership positions every three years to ensure business continuity and the firm’s focus on developing leaders with diverse backgrounds and perspectives.
Mr. Sharma joined Finnegan over 20 years ago and has held several leadership and management roles at the firm. He was the firm’s first diversity chair, he served as the mechanical practice group leader, and was a member of the management committee. He also co-leads the firm’s India practice.
With a focus on high-stakes IP litigation and strategic client counseling, Mr. Sharma manages an array of matters for several multi-billion dollar companies. As a former NASA software engineer, he comfortably handles complex technologies, from telecom software solutions to consumer appliances.
As managing partner, Mr. Sharma will handle the day-to-day management of the firm. He is particularly focused on capitalizing on the firm’s reputation as an intellectual property leader, leveraging technology to improve efficiencies both internally and externally, expanding diversity and inclusion efforts, and supporting pro bono interests. Mr. Sharma stated, “With a deep bench of experience in all aspects of IP, the firm remains distinctively positioned as the go-to IP firm, whether a patent, trade secret, trademark, copyright, or licensing matter. Our success is a result of our attorneys’ legal experience and technical expertise, often derived from marketplace working experience, as well as their ability to offer unique perspectives when helping clients solve problems. We will leverage those qualities for the continued growth of the firm’s litigation and counseling practices.”
As chair, Mr. Sweet will focus on continuing to lead the implementation of technologies that are key to running the firm profitably and to supporting the services the firm’s clients need. He will also focus on the overall strategic direction of the firm and work closely with Mr. Sharma on these initiatives. Mr. Sweet said, “It has been an honor to serve as Finnegan’s managing partner for the last three years and I am excited to take on the role as chair to ensure that as a firm we continue to fully integrate with the business objectives of our clients.”
Finnegan is consistently ranked as an elite intellectual property firm by U.S. News, The Legal 500, Managing Intellectual Property, Intellectual Asset Management, and World Trademark Review. Additionally, Vault’s 2020 Guide to the Top 100 Law Firms, ranked Finnegan as a top 10 “Best Law Firm for Diversity”. In 2019, The American Lawyer included the firm in the top 20 in its 2019 survey of the leading 100 U.S. law firms for overall diversity, and Finnegan scored a perfect 100 in the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index (Best Place to Work for LGBTQ Equality designation). Additionally, Law360 named Finnegan a top 10 “Best Firm for Minority Attorneys” in its 2019 Diversity Snapshot.
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, copyright, and trade secret law, including counseling, prosecution, licensing, and litigation. Finnegan also represents clients on IP issues related to 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.
