Firm Profiles
IN-DEPTH RESEARCH REPORT
on Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, L.L.P.
- - Financial Information
- - Compensation
- - Billing Rates
- - Lateral Partner Moves
- - Pro bono
- - Key Contacts
Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner
- Designation: Washington, D.C.
- Head Count: 369
- Gross Revenues: $348,000,000
- Revenue Per Lawyer: $945,000
- Profits Per Partner: $1,160,000
- Year Over Year Change: 4
In a day when intellectual property boutiques are a disappearing breed, Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner continues to do well. It was named The American Lawyer’s IP Litigation Department of the Year in 2012 (a title it earned in 2006 as well)—and little wonder: The firm has won key patent victories for leading players in the biotech and pharmaceutical industries (including Eli Lilly and Company, a client for decades), and has become a go–to firm for tech companies bringing matters before the International Trade Commission. With some 400 lawyers—many with Ph.D.s and advanced science degrees—Finnegan handles almost every type of IP case imaginable, though patent work makes up about 80 percent of its docket.
Founded in Washington, D.C., in 1965, Finnegan regularly ranks as one of the city’s 20 largest offices, with more than 200 lawyers based in the nation’s capital (about 50 more work in nearby Reston, Virginia). The firm has five U.S. offices in all—including outposts in tech centers like Palo Alto and Cambridge, Massachusetts. In 1988 it became one of the first patent firms to open an office in Tokyo, and since then has added to its international footprint with outposts in Brussels, Shanghai, and Taipei.
Finnegan’s lawyers are among the most diverse to be found at any law firm, IP specialty shop or otherwise. With minorities comprising about 21 percent of its U.S.based lawyers, and more than 10 percent of the partnership, Finnegan ranked fifteenth of 194 firms on The American Lawyer’s 2011 Diversity Scorecard. The firm scores well on the pro bono front as well: It placed sixty–fifth of 200 firms on our 2011 pro bono tally, with the average Finnegan attorney putting in more than 50 hours of volunteer legal work for the year.
—Updated as of 1/1/12
Firm Rankings
| Survey | Rank | Year Over Year Change | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Am Law 100 | 85 | 4 | Gross revenue |
| Am Law 200 | 85 | 4 | Gross revenue |
| NLJ 250 | 118 | no change | Lawyer head count |
| The A-List | 44 | 15 | Overall excellence |
| Pro Bono Scorecard | 65 | 10 | Pro-bono commitment |
| Diversity Scorecard | 17 | 2 | Minority head count |
| Midlevel Associates Survey | 72 | 41 | Job satisfaction |
| Summer Associates Survey | 86 | 51 | Summer programs |
In the News
Inventors and Patent Attorneys: Beware the Ides of March
Lisa Shuchman : Corporate Counsel : February 19, 2013
IP lawyers and their clients are preparing to implement fundamental changes to U.S. patent law. Beginning March 16, the U.S. will go to a "first-inventor-to file" patent system, a major switch from the longstanding "first-to-invent" system.
Paulsboro Plaintiff Lawyers Irked by Conrail's Claim-Settlement Practices
Mary Pat Gallagher : New Jersey Law Journal : February 11, 2013
As Conrail pushes to settle claims over a train derailment last November that spewed toxic gas into Paulsboro and caused an evacuation of some residents, plaintiff lawyers are complaining about the company's tactics.
Full Federal Circuit to Take New Stab at Defining Patentability
Jan Wolfe : The National Law Journal : February 8, 2013
A common complaint about the patent system is that inventors are claiming ownership of basic, widely understood ideas. No doubt the reason why the Federal Circuit will revisit its definition of patent-eligible subject matter in an upcoming case.
Full Federal Circuit to Take New Stab at Defining Patentability
Jan Wolfe : The National Law Journal : February 5, 2013
One of the most common complaints about the U.S. patent system is that inventors are claiming ownership of basic, widely understood ideas. No doubt aware of these criticisms, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has agreed to revisit its definition of patent-eligible subject matter in an upcoming case.
Federal Circuit to Review Definition of Patentability
Jan Wolfe : The National Law Journal : February 5, 2013
One of the most common complaints about the U.S. patent system is that inventors are claiming ownership of basic, widely understood ideas. No doubt aware of these criticisms, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has agreed to revisit its definition of patent-eligible subject matter in an upcoming case.
New stab at defining patentability
Jan Wolfe : The National Law Journal : February 4, 2013
One of the most common complaints about the U.S. patent system is that inventors are claiming ownership of basic, widely understood ideas. No doubt aware of these criticisms, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has agreed to revisit its definition of patent-eligible subject matter in an upcoming case.
CIVIL ACTIONS
: The National Law Journal : February 4, 2013
The following cases were recently filed in the Washington-area district courts. This information is provided by the district courts' official online bulletins.
Kappos Leaves Big Shoes to Fill at Patent Office
Erika Harmon Arner and Jessica L.A. Marks : The National Law Journal : February 4, 2013
Among his achievements: reducing the backlog of applications and implementing the patent reform law.
Kappos leaves big shoes to fill at patent office
Erika Harmon Arner and Jessica L.A. Marks : The National Law Journal : February 4, 2013
Among his achievements: reducing the backlog of applications and implementing the patent reform law.
In Two High-Stakes Patent Cases, Different Results on Injunctions
Vanessa Blum : The Recorder : January 11, 2013
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