FINNEGAN - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- of Counsel
- of Counsel / Boston
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Member of the Management Committee
- Partner
Anand Sharma, chair of Finnegan and former managing partner, tries cases before judges and juries across the country, and manages patent portfolios for several multi-billion dollar companies. A former NASA software engineer, Anand comfortably handles complex technologies, including data storage and software solutions, telecom, medical devices, automotive systems, polymer films, industrial manufacturing, and consumer appliances and electronics.
Anand leads teams of Finnegan attorneys in litigation and strategic patent planning. He works in all areas of patent law, from litigation in U.S. district courts and the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) to strategic client counseling at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Whether managing patent litigations or patent portfolios, Anand develops client-specific strategies and leads experienced teams to implement them. He is a first-chair litigator, with experience in jury and bench trials. He has examined dozens of witnesses at trial, argued key motions, and successfully led clients through complex settlement negotiations and numerous mediations.
Beyond his litigation practice, Anand has drafted patentability, validity, and infringement opinions, as well as patent applications. In addition, he counsels clients on strategic patent planning in areas such as patent procurement, post-grant proceedings, interferences, licensing, and pre-enforcement considerations.
A frequent lecturer on patent-related matters, Anand speaks at conferences sponsored by various industry and legal associations, including the National Bar Association, the Confederation of Indian Industry, and the National Association of Software and Service Companies. As an adjunct professor at Howard University, he taught patent law at the College of Engineering and the Law School.
Anand has held several leadership and management roles at the firm. He served as Finnegan's first chair of its diversity and inclusion committee, and as leader of the mechanical practice group. He was a member of the management committee, served as managing partner, and co-leads the firm's India practice.
Prior to entering the legal profession, Anand worked as a spacecraft and software engineer at National Aeronautics and Space Administration "NASA" Goddard Space Flight Center.
Job Titles:
- Associate / Washington, DC
Job Titles:
- Member of the Management Committee
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner / Palo Alto, CA
Arpita Bhattacharyya, Ph.D., focuses on patent litigation, post-grant proceedings at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), and client counseling. With an undergraduate degree in electronics engineering and a doctorate in biomedical engineering, Arpita brings diverse technical expertise to her practice. She routinely draws on her technical versatility and broad base of patent law experience to advise clients in different technology areas, including medical devices, diagnostics, and electrical and mechanical technologies. She has been recognized as a WIPR Influential Women in IP Trailblazer.
Arpita's patent litigation practice spans all phases in the lifecycle of district court and International Trade Commission (ITC) litigation, from pre-suit due diligence through trial and appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Her experience includes arguing claim construction and dispositive motions and holding stand-up roles in jury and ITC trials, including direct and cross-examination of fact and expert witnesses. In her patent office practice, Arpita represents petitioners and patent owners in all phases of post-grant proceedings, including oral arguments in inter partes review (IPR) and post grant review (PGR) proceedings and resulting appeals. Her counseling practice includes providing strategic advice through opinions of counsel, patent portfolio development and management, due diligence investigations, and freedom-to-operate analyses.
Arpita's Ph.D. dissertation work focused on developing microfluidic "lab-on-a-chip" technologies for point-of-care immunoassays and molecular diagnostics. While completing her master's program, Arpita studied protein adsorption behavior in microfluidic channels and analyzed surface modification conditions that resist biofouling of MEMS (micro-electromechanical system) devices. In addition to her field of research, Arpita gained technical experience in image processing, orthopedics, microfabrication, and biomaterials during her graduate studies. During her undergraduate studies in electrical engineering, Arpita also gained experience in a wide range of electrical technologies, including telecommunication devices, control systems, circuit design, computer architecture, semiconductors, and robotics.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Associate / Reston, VA
Brandon Andersen focuses on patent prosecution and litigation, including inter partes reviews before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), in the areas of chemicals, pharmaceuticals, automotive technology, clean energy, and medical devices. He has technical experience as a nuclear plant engineer, designing systems and training operators for the U.S. Navy's nuclear submarine program. Brandon also has research experience in both biomedical devices and combustion engineering.
Brandon has experience prosecuting patents before the USPTO for inventions in the automotive, pharmaceutical, and renewable energy technology areas. In addition, he has provided validity and freedom-to-operate opinions in the areas of pharmaceuticals and medical devices.
Brandon has litigation experience in pre-trial work such as claim analysis, prior art searches, discovery, and motions practice. He excels at providing thorough legal research and clear analysis. In inter partes review proceedings before the PTAB, Brandon has written pleadings and worked with experts to prepare supporting declarations. He also has experience preparing both appeal and amicus curie briefs for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
After earning his master's degree in chemical engineering, Brandon spent three years supporting the U.S. Navy's nuclear submarine program as a nuclear plant engineer. He provided both classroom and hands-on training to naval officers and enlisted personnel, and he led a watchteam dedicated to the operation and maintenance of a nuclear power plant. As a trainer, Brandon developed an ability to clearly teach engineering principals to those without a scientific background. Brandon also worked as a system design engineer, responsible for designing and preparing the operations manual for a key safety system connected to the nuclear reactor.
Brandon has also conducted research in the biomedical and combustion engineering fields. For his master's thesis, he created a multi-processor, three-dimensional predictive computer model of blood thrombosis and embolization in cardiovascular devices based on chemical kinetics, transport phenomena, and computational fluid dynamics. Brandon also performed research in a combustion lab, performing experiments and building computational models to improve the predictability of flame spread in forest fires.
Pro bono work is an important part of Brandon's practice, through which he enjoys working on behalf of military veterans and asylum applicants. He has written winning arguments before both the Board of Immigration Appeals and the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. Brandon has also appeared on behalf of asylum applicants in immigration court.
Cecilia Sanabria focuses her practice on complex patent litigation and client counseling in the mechanical, industrial, and electrical fields. She represents clients before U.S. district courts and the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC). Cecilia has been selected as a DC Rising Star by the National Law Journal, recognized as a They've Got Next: The 40 Under 40 honoree by Bloomberg Law, as a HNBA Top Lawyer under 40 by the Hispanic National Bar Association, as a Rising Star by the Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA), and by World Intellectual Property Review as one of the "Influential Women in IP."
Cecilia's litigation experience spans the pre-trial, discovery, trial, and post-trial phases of litigation, and includes arguing motions in open court and examining witnesses in jury trials and hearings before the ITC. She manages fact discovery, drafts motions and legal briefs, and works with fact and expert witnesses. Cecilia also works with various aspects of patent prosecution and U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) proceedings, including inter partes reviews (IPRs). She also has experience in drafting licensing and settlement agreements.
In addition to her litigation and counseling practice, Cecilia devotes a portion of her time to pro bono matters. She worked on landlord-tenant and social security disability disputes, representing Spanish-speaking clients, through the firms work with the D.C. Bar, and has represented criminal defendants in the Supreme Court of Virginia.
While obtaining her engineering degree, Cecilia worked for General Electric and was involved in engineering design in the area of aircraft engines as well as technical sales of medical systems.
Cecilia is currently the partner-in-charge of Finnegan's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts and previously served as co-lead of Finnegan FORWARD (Focused on Raising Women's Advancement, Representation, and Development), the firm's women's business initiative.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Managing Partner of Finnegan 's Seoul
Charles Suh is the managing partner of Finnegan's Seoul office. He practices both utility and design patent litigation before U.S. district courts and the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC). Charles has served as lead counsel and participates in every aspect of district court and ITC litigation, and in inter partes review (IPR) proceedings at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
Charles's experience includes formulating litigation and pre-litigation strategy, oral arguments, taking witness testimony at trial, taking and defending depositions, briefing, and day-to-day case management. As a fluent Korean speaker, Charles focuses on IP matters involving Korean companies and is experienced in Korea-specific litigation tasks, including managing discovery of evidentiary material written in Korean and preparation of Korean-speaking witnesses for deposition and trial.
In addition, Charles has significant experience in patent portfolio management, preparing patentability, validity, and infringement opinions, and preparing and prosecuting patent applications directed to technical areas, including semiconductor fabrication/packaging, electronics, computer hardware/software, and military tactical systems. Charles was recognized as a top IP strategist in Intellectual Asset Management's Strategy 300. Additionally, he has been recognized by Managing Intellectual Property as an "IP Star" in South Korea.
Charles Collins-Chase focuses on district court patent litigation and appeals before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, where he served as a clerk. He uses his chemical engineering background to help clients protect innovations in pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, energy and renewables, and chemical products. He has assisted numerous clients in Hatch-Waxman (ANDA) litigation.
Charles has handled district court litigations at every stage, from pre-litigation through discovery, dispositive motions, and trial. He particularly enjoys writing briefs and motions.
Charles has extensive experience at the Federal Circuit, where he has argued cases and assisted clients in over two dozen appeals from district courts and the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). He has particular experience in appeals involving patent eligibility under 35 U.S.C. ยง 101. He represented the petitioners in Bilski v. Kappos before the U.S. Supreme Court and filed a Federal Circuit amicus brief on behalf of Genetic Alliance in the Myriad Genetics case.
Charles has broad expertise in clean energy and renewable technologies. He has handled litigation, appeals, and due diligence matters involving technologies ranging from renewable diesel fuel and biofuels to pollution control systems and biobased polymers.
Before law school, Charles completed an M.Phil. in engineering for sustainable development at the University of Cambridge, where he researched the feasibility of community-scale biodiesel production using a novel reactor system. His undergraduate thesis research involved synthesizing and characterizing thermosetting polymers made from soybean oil and other renewable resources.
Charles also devotes substantial time to pro bono matters and leads the firm's pro bono committee. He argues before the Federal Circuit on behalf of veterans seeking service-connected disability benefits. He successfully represented a client seeking Social Security disability benefits, writing the briefs and arguing at a hearing before an administrative law judge.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Associate / Reston, VA
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner / Washington, DC
Chris Blackford is a registered patent attorney with more than 15 years of experience practicing all areas of patent law, with particular emphasis on litigation. He also assists with due diligence, licensing, opinion and prosecution matters. Chris represents clients across a wide range of technical subjects, including software, medical devices, cybersecurity, UAVs, smartphones, video processing, telecommunications, two-way radios, user interfaces, computer architecture, power management, semiconductors, and various Internet-related technologies.
Chris has led litigation teams in multiple forums, appearing before U.S. district courts, the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Representing both patent owners and accused infringers, he has litigated numerous cases from conception through trial. Chris regularly balances parallel Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) and district court proceedings, advising clients on strategic implications and strategies. He also conducts IP due diligence and portfolio and landscape analysis, and consults on licensing matters.
Cory Bell focuses on post-grant practice, patent prosecution management, client counseling, and litigation with an emphasis on computer and electronic technologies. He works with emerging and high-technology companies in various electrical sciences, including computer hardware and architecture, software, robotics, graphical user interfaces, communication networks, and content management systems.
Since working on the first ever post-grant review (PGR) of a covered business method (CBM) patent, Cory has represented patent owners and petitioners in over 200 post-grant review (PGR) and inter partes review (IPR) trials before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), and in related matters before the U.S. Court of Appeals for Federal Circuit. He co-authored the American Bar Association's The Practitioner's Guide to Trials Before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, and teaches a course he created on post-grant practice at the Suffolk University Law School.
Cory helps clients with various budgets and desired outcomes (e.g., portfolio or company sale, licensing, defensive posturing) to develop patent prosecution strategies and maximize their return on investments in research and development. A former patent examiner at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), he has more than ten years of patent experience and has evaluated thousands of patents and patent applications for licensing, monetization, or sale; assisted in prosecuting hundreds of patent applications; managed patent portfolios; developed invention harvesting programs; conducted patent landscaping and competitor analysis; and filed patent reexamination, PGR, and inter partes review (IPR) requests.
Cory's litigation experience includes matters before U.S. district courts and the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC). He has prepared non-infringement and invalidity contentions; managed fact discovery; worked with fact and expert witnesses to prepare declarations and expert reports; drafted claim construction and summary judgment briefs; and prepared presentations for technical tutorials and claim construction hearings.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Associate / Washington, DC
Courtney Bolin has a diverse patent practice that includes client counseling, IP transactions and licensing, patent prosecution, patent litigation, and post-grant proceedings at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). She works with a variety of technologies, including consumer products, textiles, aerospace materials, medical devices, and mechanical and electrical systems.
Prior to joining Finnegan, Courtney worked in the textile industry for over eight years. During this time, she held a wide variety of roles, including researching and developing aerospace textiles, performing textile conservation for museums, and designing woven performance fabrics. Courtney's master's thesis focused on ultraviolet (UV) protective covering of high performance braids for aerospace applications.
In law school, Courtney was president of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Carolina Intellectual Property Law Association. Courtney also wrote for the university's Journal of Law and Technology.
In addition to her patent practice, Courtney devotes a portion of her time to pro bono matters. She has most recently worked on landlord-tenant disputes. Courtney has been recognized on the Capital Pro Bono Honor Roll.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner / Washington, DC
- Practice Head
Darren Jiron to Serve as Managing Partner of Finnegan's London Office Darren Jiron to Serve as Managing Partner of Finnegan's London Office
Job Titles:
- Chief Human Resources Officer
- Member of the Administrative Leadership Team
Job Titles:
- General Counsel
- General Counsel / Washington, DC
Diana is a lecturer in law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where she teaches a course on Professional Responsibility.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Management Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Administrative Leadership Team
- Chief Practice Support Officer
Job Titles:
- Member of the Management Committee
- Partner
Elizabeth Ferrill is an "undisputed expert on design patents" who is "always updated and enlightening others with her deep knowledge," "very involved in the design bar," and "gives her clients an outstanding service" as noted in Intellectual Asset Management Patent 1000. She focuses her practice on all aspects of design patents, including prosecution, counseling, post-grant, and litigation.
Elizabeth counsels clients who hold design patents as well as those accused of infringement. She has experience with design patents related to consumer and industrial products, medical devices, transportation and construction vehicles, and graphical user interfaces and icons. She has prosecuted families of design patents before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), directed prosecution in foreign countries, and argued appeals before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). She has a special interest in strategic counseling related to acquiring for worldwide protection for designs. She also litigates design patent matters at the U.S. district court level that include trade dress claims. In addition, she has appeared before the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
Elizabeth also has extensive experience in utility patent litigation in the areas of software- and hardware-related technologies and counseling in trade secret matters, including selection of patent or trade secret protection for innovative ideas. Elizabeth's litigation experience includes all aspects, from pre-litigation analysis and discovery through claim construction, summary judgment, and jury trial. She has experience in discovery dispute resolution, preparing and taking expert and fact witness at trial, and settlement negotiations. Elizabeth is the recipient of Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO)'s Carl B. Horton Distinguished Service Award and has been recognized by Intellectual Asset Management as a leader in patent litigation and transactions in the D.C. area, and nationally for design patents.
Before beginning her legal career, Elizabeth graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy and served five years on active duty as a communications officer. She was stationed at Bolling AFB, Washington, D.C., coordinating and overseeing testing of joint intelligence software systems, and at Thule Air Base, Greenland, where she served as the flight commander in charge of base communications.
Prior to joining the firm, Elizabeth served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Liam O'Grady at the U.S. District Court for the E.D. of Virginia, Alexandria Division. She is an adviser and contributor to Finnegan's Federal Circuit IP blog.
As part of Finnegan's pro bono program, Elizabeth worked extensively on behalf of military veterans and represented criminal defendants in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, the E.D. of Virginia, and the Virginia Supreme Court. She also serves on the Board of Directors of Community Tax Aid, Inc. a local Washington, D.C. non-profit that provides free tax preparation service to low- and moderate-income families.
Elizabeth co-leads Finnegan FORWARD (Focused on Raising Women's Advancement, Representation, and Development), the firm's women's business initiative.
Elliot Cook, managing partner of the firm's Reston office, maintains a diverse intellectual property practice, including patent litigation, post-grant patent challenges, strategic patent prosecution and portfolio development, and patent monetization.
Elliot devotes a significant amount of his practice to helping clients strategically develop patent portfolios that effectively block competitors and build corporate value. He works closely with clients to ensure that their patents align with and advance their business goals, thereby optimizing value and minimizing cost.
Based on his involvement in more than 25 patent litigations, Elliot has significant experience both defending against and asserting patent rights. His litigation experience ranges from early dispositive motions through trying a case before a jury, including both written and oral advocacy.
Elliot's practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) includes post-grant proceedings and patent prosecution. He has worked on more than 40 inter partes review (IPR) matters, representing both petitioners and patent owners, as well as several ex parte and inter partes reexamination matters. He represented the petitioner in an IPR, securing institution of trial based on all 20 claims of challenged patent and final written decision finding all 20 claims unpatentable. He maintains an active patent prosecution practice, securing patent rights for both startups and established market leaders. Elliot has assisted clients with patent licensing, patent monetization strategy, and patent sales ranging in value from approximately $20 million to more than $1 billion.
Eric Raciti, managing partner of the firm's Boston office, has more than 20 years of experience advising companies as a trusted advisor on intellectual property matters. He received his formational training in industrial systems engineering, learning the importance of a multidisciplinary approach that includes a marriage of technology and business processes. His training and experience taught him the value of communicating clearly with management, legal, financial, and technical professionals.
Eric's extensive background in IP law includes patent portfolio development, intellectual property enforcement, technology counseling, strategic commercialization strategies, corporate IP policy, technology acquisitions, risk mitigation and due diligence for fund-raising and investment rounds. Based in Boston, his experience with large corporate environments as well as conception-stage startups has given him broad perspective over a range of intellectual property issues, and allows him to find pragmatic and creative solutions to complex problems, as well as the efficient realization of client goals.
A frequent speaker on intellectual property matters, Eric has delivered dozens of seminars across North America and Europe on a wide range of topics to audiences of lawyers, business managers and engineers.
As a young lawyer before joining Finnegan, Eric worked at prominent Boston general practice firms, learning the role of intellectual property in a general corporate practice, focusing on licensing, transactions, and mergers and acquisitions. Earlier in his career, Eric worked as a patent examiner for five years at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and later, after earning his masters of laws degree, for the commissioner of patents in the Office of Legislative and International Affairs. Eric serves as an adjunct professor at the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law, where he teaches a course on technology licensing.
Eric was selected as one of the Top 100 Clean Technology and Renewable Energy Attorneys by LMG Clean Technology and Renewable Energy.
Eric Raciti Appointed to Managing Partner of Finnegan's Boston Office Eric Raciti Appointed to Managing Partner of Finnegan's Boston Office
Job Titles:
- Managing Partner
- Member of the Management Committee
- Partner / Reston, VA
Job Titles:
- Member of the Management Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Administrative Leadership Team
- Partner and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer
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- Six Attorneys to Partner Finnegan Elevates Six Attorneys to Partner
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- Chief Information Security Officer
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- Chief Information Officer
- Member of the Administrative Leadership Team
Job Titles:
- Chief Operating Officer
- Member of the Administrative Leadership Team
- Member of the Management Committee
- Ex Officio
Job Titles:
- Student Associate / Boston
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- Associate / Palo Alto, CA
Job Titles:
- Member of the Management Committee
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- Associate / Washington, DC
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- Associate / Washington, DC
Job Titles:
- Member of the Management Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Management Committee
Defeated class certification in false advertising case involving the advertisement of sports equipment. Plaintiff withdrew the case before trial.
Job Titles:
- Chief Financial Officer
- Member of the Administrative Leadership Team
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- Associate / Washington, DC
Job Titles:
- Chief Marketing Officer
- Member of the Administrative Leadership Team
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- Member of the Administrative Leadership Team
- Chief Legal Talent Officer
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- of Counsel / Washington, DC
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- Technical Specialist / Washington, DC