Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner

Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner
Name	Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner
Founded	1965
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.
Attorneys	~400
Practice areas	Intellectual Property, Patent Litigation, Trademark, Copyright, Trade Secrets
Website	finnegan.com

Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner is a U.S.-based law firm known for its specialization in intellectual property law, patent prosecution, and complex litigation. The firm operates at the intersection of technology, life sciences, and corporate strategy, advising clients from startups to multinational corporations. Finnegan's practitioners have been involved in landmark matters before tribunals and agencies such as the Supreme Court of the United States, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and international forums.

History

Finnegan traces its origins to the mid-20th century and founders who practiced in Washington, D.C., connecting to broader legal developments exemplified by cases like Graham v. John Deere Co. and statutes such as the Patent Act of 1952. Over decades the firm expanded through associate recruitment from institutions including Harvard Law School, Yale Law School, Stanford Law School, and clerkships with judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the United States Supreme Court. Growth paralleled technological shifts represented by corporations such as Intel, IBM, Microsoft, Pfizer, and Amgen. The firm's trajectory intersects regulatory milestones like decisions from the United States Patent and Trademark Office and doctrinal changes following eBay Inc. v. MercExchange, L.L.C. and Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank International.

Finnegan's partners engaged in professional organizations including the American Intellectual Property Law Association, the International Trademark Association, and the Federal Circuit Bar Association, while contributing to scholarship in venues such as the Harvard Journal of Law & Technology and the Stanford Technology Law Review. The firm's development also mirrored industry alliances with technology clusters like Silicon Valley, Boston (Massachusetts), and the Research Triangle.

Practice Areas

The firm's core practices cover patent prosecution, patent litigation, trademark counseling, copyright matters, and trade secret disputes, frequently advising clients in sectors like biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, semiconductors, software, telecommunications, and chemical engineering. Practitioners often litigate before forums such as the United States District Court for the District of Delaware, the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, the International Trade Commission, and arbitral panels under rules like the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center procedures.

On transactional matters, attorneys work with corporate entities including Google, Apple, Amazon (company), Novartis, and Johnson & Johnson, and assist inventors in patent prosecution strategies influenced by precedents like KSR International Co. v. Teleflex Inc. and statutory regimes such as the Leahy–Smith America Invents Act. The firm also provides counseling on licensing, due diligence for mergers and acquisitions involving firms like Broadcom Inc. and Cisco Systems, Inc., and portfolio management for universities such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology and University of California.

Notable Cases and Clients

Finnegan teams have represented major clients in high-profile disputes touching on technology and life sciences. Noteworthy courtroom and appellate matters include involvement in patent litigation matters analogous to disputes involving Qualcomm, Nokia, Samsung Electronics, and Huawei. The firm has served clients in matters relating to pharmaceuticals and biologics in contexts influenced by the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act and litigation trends seen in cases involving Amgen and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals.

Finnegan attorneys have argued patent eligibility and validity issues before the United States Supreme Court and the Federal Circuit, engaging with precedent-setting decisions such as Mayo Collaborative Services v. Prometheus Laboratories, Inc. and Association for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics, Inc.. The firm also counsels universities, startups, and multinational corporations on licensing arrangements like those utilized by Genentech and Biogen. In trade secret arenas, Finnegan lawyers have litigated matters similar to cases involving Waymo LLC and Tesla, Inc. concerning proprietary technology.

Offices and Global Presence

Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the firm maintains additional offices in U.S. innovation centers and international markets aligned with client needs. Domestic locations include cities such as Boston (Massachusetts), Atlanta, Dallas, and offices proximate to federal courts like those in Alexandria, Virginia and the Northern District of California. Internationally, Finnegan has cultivated networks with practitioners and firms operating in regions including Europe, Japan, China, and South Korea, aligning with trade and intellectual property frameworks like the European Patent Office and the Japan Patent Office.

Collaborations extend to cross-border disputes, prosecution strategies before regional patent offices such as the European Union Intellectual Property Office, and coordination with in-house counsel at multinational corporations including Siemens, BASF, and Toyota Motor Corporation.

Awards and Rankings

Finnegan has received recognition from legal ranking organizations and industry publications including Chambers and Partners, Legal 500, U.S. News & World Report Best Lawyers "Best Law Firms", and IAM Patent 1000. Attorneys have been listed individually in directories such as Best Lawyers and honored by entities like the National Law Journal and the American Bar Association for contributions to intellectual property practice. The firm’s accolades reflect client service in patent litigation, patent prosecution, and IP strategy, as recognized in market surveys conducted by Managing Intellectual Property and awards presented at events hosted by the Intellectual Property Owners Association and the American Intellectual Property Law Association.

Category:Intellectual property law firms