Seven Finnegan Attorneys Recognized in the 2025 IAM Global Leaders Guide

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 23, 2024

WASHINGTON, DC-Intellectual Asset Management (IAM) has again recognized Finnegan attorneys Erika Harmon Arner, Virginia L. Carron, J. Michael Jakes, Charles E. Lipsey, Mark D. Sweet, Ningling Wang, and Naoki Yoshida in its Global Leaders Guide. To qualify for consideration for the Global Leader guide, individuals must be ranked in the Gold Tier of the IAM Patent 1000, the publication's annual directory that identifies the top patent practitioners and firms around the world. From there, IAM compiles the Global Leaders guide, selecting candidates who merit special attention based on their experience and expertise, in addition to their innovation and dedication to delivering value for their firm and clients.

Erika Harmon Arner, managing partner of Finnegan, is a nationally recognized leader in trial practice before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) and related appeals to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Her practice focuses on patent office trials, client counseling, and litigation, with an emphasis on electronic technology and computer software. She has represented patent owners and petitioners in more than 200 PTAB trials, most as lead counsel. Erika has also argued and won appeals from PTAB trials to the Federal Circuit, many of which involve issues of first impression. She has also successfully defended district court decisions on appeal at the Federal Circuit. In addition to her extensive experience in patent office and appellate practice, Erika is a well-known authority in the area of patent-eligibility jurisprudence. Since representing the petitioners before the U.S. Supreme Court in Bilski v. Kappos, she has handled dozens of cases involving issues related to patentable subject matter before the Federal Circuit, U.S. district courts, and PTAB. Throughout her career, Erika has been recognized for her post-grant and patent litigation practices. She consistently ranks as one of the top three female attorneys appearing in PTAB trials and was named a PTAB Litigator of the Year by Managing Intellectual Property (MIP). The Legal 500 U.S. named her one of the leading lawyers in post-grant proceedings and inducted her into the patent prosecution Hall of Fame. For the past several years, she has been named by MIP as one of the "Top 250 Women in IP."

Virgina L. Carron, a partner in Finnegan's Atlanta office, practices patent and trademark litigation and counseling. Her broad client base includes a large food and beverage company; a company involved in refining, chemicals and biofuels, forest and consumer products, fertilizers, polymers and fibers, pollution control and glass; an international manufacturer of hand-made cigars; and numerous international clients in various fields. Virginia's litigation experience includes numerous U.S. district court trials, trials before the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), and appeals to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Virginia counsels clients on intellectual property licensing and related transactional matters in both trademarks and patents for several Fortune 500 companies, including serving as the primary outside counsel to Imerys and its worldwide subsidiaries for all intellectual property matters. Her practice also includes inter partes review (IPR) procedures before the PTAB of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Virginia has been recognized as one of World Intellectual Property Review's (WIPR) Top 100 Most Influential Women in IP, an IP Star Top 250 Women in IP and a patent and trademark IP Star in Georgia by Managing Intellectual Property, as well as a leader in Georgia in private practice by IAM 1000 and as an IAM Global Leader.

Michael Jakes concentrates his practice on patent litigation and related counseling. He serves as lead counsel in federal district courts and the U.S. ITC, before arbitration panels, and on appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Mike deals mainly with computer, electronics, semiconductor, software, and medical device technologies. Mike has vast experience at the Federal Circuit, having argued more than 50 appeals and prepared and filed briefs in many more. He served as a law clerk to the Honorable Giles S. Rich at the Federal Circuit and was also a member of the Federal Circuit's Advisory Council. Mike has been recognized as a Global Leader, a leading patent litigator in the D.C. 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".

Charles E. Lipsey, named as the 2013, 2017, and 2018 "Outstanding IP Litigator of the Year (Virginia)" at the Managing Intellectual Property Americas IP Awards, focuses his practice on intellectual property litigation, particularly patent infringement litigation. A partner at Finnegan's Reston office, Charles has handled cases covering a diverse spectrum of mechanical, chemical, and electrical technologies, with an emphasis on cases involving biotechnology and pharmaceutical chemistry. Since joining Finnegan in 1978, Charles has amassed a wealth of experience in patent infringement litigation, patent arbitration proceedings, and patent interferences. The Legal 500 U.S. has recognized Charles's distinguished career over the years, naming him one of the leading lawyers in patent litigation and inducting him into the patent litigation Hall of Fame. He has also been recognized by Intellectual Asset Management as a Global Leader, a leading patent litigator in the D.C. area, and for his practice before the Federal Circuit.

Mark D. Sweet, a partner in Finnegan's D.C. office, focuses his practice on portfolio analysis; due diligence investigations; interference proceedings; reissue and reexamination proceedings; preparing patentability, validity, and infringement opinions; and client counseling. Mark is a registered patent attorney with extensive experience handling procurement matters before the USPTO, including patent application drafting and prosecution, conducting examiner interviews, filing appeals to and presenting oral arguments before the PTAB of the USPTO, interference proceedings, reissue proceedings, and reexamination proceedings. Mark also has significant experience in inter partes review (IPR) and post grant review (PGR) proceedings. Mark is a frequent lecturer at legal and corporate seminars on a variety of intellectual property topics, including patent procurement and procedures, such as the provisions of the America Invents Act (AIA). The Legal 500 U.S. has recognized Mark for his work in patent prosecution, reexaminations, and post-grant proceedings. He has been recognized as a Global Leader and as a leading patent prosecutor in the D.C. area by Intellectual Asset Management.

Ningling Wang, managing partner of the firm's Shanghai office, has over 20 years of experience in various intellectual property fields. Her practice involves patent prosecution, opinions, due diligence, client counseling, licensing, and patent litigation in the areas of chemicals, chemical engineering, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, semiconductor materials, 3D printing, and nanotechnology. Ningling has extensive experience working with multinational and Chinese companies, providing legal advice on IP portfolio management, due diligence, licensing, litigation, and trade secret protection and enforcement. She has been involved in various cases before the U.S. ITC and U.S. district courts. She also has represented companies with IP enforcement in China, including judicial and customs enforcement actions. Ningling has been recognized by Intellectual Asset Management as a Global Leader, a leader in patent transactions in China, as well as for patent prosecution. She has been named a top IP strategist in the IAM Strategy 300 list, which identifies individuals who are leading the way in the development and implementation of strategies that maximize the value of IP portfolios. World Intellectual Property Review named Ningling as a Leader for patents in China. Ningling frequently speaks at conferences and seminars in China and internationally on patent-related topics. Currently, she is an adjunct professor with Dalian University of Science and Technology, School of Law.

Naoki Yoshida, managing partner of Finnegan's Tokyo office, handles a broad range of intellectual property matters, including litigation, patent portfolio management, intellectual property due diligence, client counseling, licensing and negotiations, patent prosecution, and pre-litigation strategic counseling. Naoki has significant experience in global intellectual property issues involving multinational corporations. With his fluency in Japanese and appreciation for cultural differences, he frequently counsels clients on unique intellectual property issues arising out of negotiations and disputes involving Japanese companies. Naoki has participated in proceedings in Japanese courts in connection with U.S. patent infringement litigation. His work with clients in Japan includes representing a major Japanese semiconductor company in a licensing negotiation; a major Japanese automobile company in U.S. district court litigation that resulted in a favorable summary judgment decision; and a Fortune 500 company in a patent infringement suit involving HVAC technology that resulted in a favorable trial judgment. Over the course of his career Naoki has received many accolades and various recognition, including being named as one of the 50 Licensing Lawyers You Should Know by Asia IP, a leading intellectual property lawyer by The Legal 500 Asia Pacific Japan, and a litigation star by Benchmark Litigation. Naoki has been recognized as an IP Star in Japan by Managing Intellectual Property and ranked among top Japan patent lawyers in Legal Media Group's Guide to the World's Leading Patent Law Practitioners since 2015.

These seven attorneys, along with 39 other Finnegan practitioners, were ranked earlier this year in the 2024 IAM Patent 1000, where Finnegan received Gold Tier rankings in multiple U.S. jurisdictions. IAM recognized 11 additional attorneys on its 2024 IAM Strategy 300 List, which honors the world's leading IP strategy professionals.

Contacts

Erika H. Arner, Managing Partner
[email protected]

Anand K. Sharma, Chair
[email protected]

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, Munich, Palo Alto, Reston, Seoul, Shanghai, Taipei, Tokyo, and Washington, DC, the firm practices European, German, UK, and U.S. IP law. In addition to services related to all aspects of patent, trademark, and copyright law, including counseling, prosecution, licensing, and litigation, Finnegan provides counseling and litigation services in advertising, privacy, and a wide spectrum of additional IP-adjacent commercial matters, including trade secrets, international trade, the Internet, e-commerce, government contracts, antitrust, and unfair competition. For additional information on the firm, please visit www.finnegan.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

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