Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, L.L.P. Diversity Profile on Martindale.com

Diversity at Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, L.L.P.

Diversity and Inclusion at Finnegan

Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP is one of the largest intellectual property law firms in the world. From offices in Washington, DC; Atlanta, Georgia; Cambridge, Massachusetts; Palo Alto, California; Reston, Virginia; Brussels, Belgium; Shanghai, China; Taipei, Taiwan; and Tokyo, Japan, the firm practices all aspects of patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret law, including counseling, prosecution, licensing, and litigation. The firm owes its success and reputation as a leader in the IP field to the talents, energy, and efforts of a diverse group of attorneys, staff, clients, and other supporters.

Our Commitment

“Treat everyone fairly and with respect” has been at the center of Finnegan’s mission statement since the firm was founded in 1965. Finnegan understands that by cultivating a work environment of respect and inclusion for individuals from many different backgrounds, we position ourselves to offer the most creative of perspectives to a broad range of clients, and to attract and retain the finest talent.

We are committed to promoting and strengthening a diverse workplace where all feel welcome and included. We seek to advance our efforts through a strategic approach that encourages employees to become more aware and appreciative of cultural differences. Our strategy includes a broad range of initiatives that focus on recruiting, mentoring, a supportive infrastructure, association and education involvement, and pro bono and community relations.

Recruitment

Finnegan firmly believes that diversity and inclusion play a critical role in shaping the collective strength of a law firm. Our success and growth stem directly from our recruiting efforts, which include the active recruitment of minority and women attorneys. As a law firm focused on intellectual property law, Finnegan’s recruiting goals are different than a typical general practice firm. Our ideal candidate exhibits not only excellent lawyering skills, but also a strong background in engineering or the sciences.

In 2003 Finnegan established the Diversity Scholarship, providing financial support to minority students intent on pursuing a career in intellectual property law. The recipient receives not only $15,000 per year for tuition and other law school fees, but also a position in the firm’s Summer Associate Program. We often meet several highly-qualified applicants through this process. While we only extend one scholarship, we often extend summer associate offers to multiple scholarship applicants.
Finnegan has been a perennial host of the APABA Education Fund (AEF) annual networking reception. Attorneys and students participate in this annual speed networking event, which helps create numerous new mentoring relationships between minority law students and attorneys. Many of Finnegan’s attorneys have and continue to serve as mentors to minority students and junior attorneys through AEF’s mentoring program.
The firm makes a significant annual contribution to the American Intellectual Property Law Education Minority Scholarship endowment.
Finnegan actively recruits minority and women attorneys, participating in on-campus interviews at law schools across the country and at several minority recruiting job fairs and career panels, including regional Black Law Students Association (BLSA) and South Asian Law Students Association (SALSA) job fairs and the MCCA/Vault Diversity job fair.
In 2008, 37% of our summer associate class was comprised of women and 39% was comprised of minorities. Also in 2008, 30% of our new associate class was comprised of women and over 22% was comprised of minorities.
Finnegan’s commitment to the inclusion of women is evidenced by their substantial representation in key leadership positions across the firm, including membership on the Management Committee, lead roles as the heads of practice groups, and as managing partners of regional offices.
In 2008, more than 25% of the partnership was comprised of minority and women attorneys.

Mentoring and Development

To ensure that all attorneys have the opportunity to develop to their full potential, Finnegan has established a formal mentoring and training program. The firm assigns each attorney a senior associate and partner advisor. It attempts to provide advisement relationships where each attorney (i.e., new associate, senior associate, and partner) shares similar interests and backgrounds. Our student associates and technical specialists are also assigned a partner advisor and a peer advisor. Finnegan stresses the importance of mentoring relationships within the firm by evaluating each attorney on professional growth and firm citizenship as part of the formal review process. This process also allows attorneys to receive credit for time spent on diversity-related matters.

Supportive Infrastructure

The friendly, collaborative atmosphere at Finnegan lends itself to welcoming many points of view. Differing views and abilities, which often result from diverse backgrounds, help make the firm a leader in our field. In addition to the mentoring initiatives discussed above, Finnegan has a well-developed infrastructure and supportive benefits in place to increase recruitment, retention, and promotion of minority and women professionals.

Finnegan’s Diversity Committee is chaired by a partner who works closely with the Director of Diversity and Inclusion. The executive leadership of the Committee includes its Chair, the Managing Partners, the Executive Director, and Directors of Legal Recruiting, Marketing, and Human Resources.
Finnegan established two part-time options (80% and 60% time), which offer attorneys (regardless of gender or parenthood status) a continued path to partnership at the firm while working a reduced schedule.
The firm provides full domestic partner benefits to our employees, and GLBT employees can add domestic partners to their health insurance in the same way that heterosexual employees can add a spouse or domestic partner to their insurance. Even small aspects of internal policies, such as listing “spouse/partner” on the intranet phone list, make our firm a welcoming workplace for all persons regardless of sexual orientation.

Association and Education Involvement

Finnegan has a long history of involvement in legal and business associations. The firm encourages its attorneys not only to be members, but also to take active leadership roles. The same holds true for relationships with area law schools. Finnegan proudly supports and sponsors many associations and educational programs focused on the development of minority and women attorneys.

Minority Judicial Clerkship Conference (founding partner and annual sponsor)
Howard University Law School’s Institute of Intellectual Property and Social Justice (co-host and co-organizer of annual IP Law Seminar)
Howard University Law School (professors, curriculum advisors)
DC Minority Attorney Networking Series (members of Task Force)
American University, Washington College of Law (Dean’s Diversity Counsel)
Women's Bar Association of DC (serve on Board of Directors, member of newsletter editorial board, sponsor of special programs)
American Intellectual Property Law Association (sponsor of minority and women-focused programs)
Asian Pacific American Bar Association for the Greater Washington, DC area (APABA-DC) (serve on Board of Directors)
National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (various leadership roles)
South Asian Bar Association (SABA) (sponsor, various leadership roles)
National Bar Association (sponsor, member of the Executive Committee of the IP Section)

Pro Bono and Community Relations Activities

Our commitment to diversity and inclusion is not limited to internal strategies and practices. At Finnegan, we believe it is important to provide pro bono legal services to a wide range of organizations whose missions and activities impact a full spectrum of people from the communities in which our offices are located.

More than 40 percent of our lawyers are actively engaged in pro bono activities. The firm credits 80 hours a year toward a lawyer’s billable hours goal. For those who choose more involved pro bono work such as litigation, the additional hours are rewarded and credited toward merit bonuses. Our pro bono opportunities are as diverse as our professionals. Lawyers can sharpen their skills by litigating criminal and civil cases, negotiating agreements and settlements, and working with community non-profit organizations to address their constituencies’ legal issues. Lawyers and non-lawyers have opportunities to help artists, children, the elderly, veterans, the homeless, and other groups in need that might not be heard without our assistance.

Diversity: Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, L.L.P.

About This Firm

Diversity at Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, L.L.P.


About This Firm Overview People Practice Areas & Industries Offices Diversity Documents Peer Review Ratings Client Review Ratings U.S. Federal Litigation Activity U.S. Patent Activity	Diversity at Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, L.L.P. Diversity and Inclusion at Finnegan Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP is one of the largest intellectual property law firms in the world. From offices in Washington, DC; Atlanta, Georgia; Cambridge, Massachusetts; Palo Alto, California; Reston, Virginia; Brussels, Belgium; Shanghai, China; Taipei, Taiwan; and Tokyo, Japan, the firm practices all aspects of patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret law, including counseling, prosecution, licensing, and litigation. The firm owes its success and reputation as a leader in the IP field to the talents, energy, and efforts of a diverse group of attorneys, staff, clients, and other supporters. Our Commitment “Treat everyone fairly and with respect” has been at the center of Finnegan’s mission statement since the firm was founded in 1965. Finnegan understands that by cultivating a work environment of respect and inclusion for individuals from many different backgrounds, we position ourselves to offer the most creative of perspectives to a broad range of clients, and to attract and retain the finest talent. We are committed to promoting and strengthening a diverse workplace where all feel welcome and included. We seek to advance our efforts through a strategic approach that encourages employees to become more aware and appreciative of cultural differences. Our strategy includes a broad range of initiatives that focus on recruiting, mentoring, a supportive infrastructure, association and education involvement, and pro bono and community relations. Recruitment Finnegan firmly believes that diversity and inclusion play a critical role in shaping the collective strength of a law firm. Our success and growth stem directly from our recruiting efforts, which include the active recruitment of minority and women attorneys. As a law firm focused on intellectual property law, Finnegan’s recruiting goals are different than a typical general practice firm. Our ideal candidate exhibits not only excellent lawyering skills, but also a strong background in engineering or the sciences. In 2003 Finnegan established the Diversity Scholarship, providing financial support to minority students intent on pursuing a career in intellectual property law. The recipient receives not only $15,000 per year for tuition and other law school fees, but also a position in the firm’s Summer Associate Program. We often meet several highly-qualified applicants through this process. While we only extend one scholarship, we often extend summer associate offers to multiple scholarship applicants. Finnegan has been a perennial host of the APABA Education Fund (AEF) annual networking reception. Attorneys and students participate in this annual speed networking event, which helps create numerous new mentoring relationships between minority law students and attorneys. Many of Finnegan’s attorneys have and continue to serve as mentors to minority students and junior attorneys through AEF’s mentoring program. The firm makes a significant annual contribution to the American Intellectual Property Law Education Minority Scholarship endowment. Finnegan actively recruits minority and women attorneys, participating in on-campus interviews at law schools across the country and at several minority recruiting job fairs and career panels, including regional Black Law Students Association (BLSA) and South Asian Law Students Association (SALSA) job fairs and the MCCA/Vault Diversity job fair. In 2008, 37% of our summer associate class was comprised of women and 39% was comprised of minorities. Also in 2008, 30% of our new associate class was comprised of women and over 22% was comprised of minorities. Finnegan’s commitment to the inclusion of women is evidenced by their substantial representation in key leadership positions across the firm, including membership on the Management Committee, lead roles as the heads of practice groups, and as managing partners of regional offices. In 2008, more than 25% of the partnership was comprised of minority and women attorneys. Mentoring and Development To ensure that all attorneys have the opportunity to develop to their full potential, Finnegan has established a formal mentoring and training program. The firm assigns each attorney a senior associate and partner advisor. It attempts to provide advisement relationships where each attorney (i.e., new associate, senior associate, and partner) shares similar interests and backgrounds. Our student associates and technical specialists are also assigned a partner advisor and a peer advisor. Finnegan stresses the importance of mentoring relationships within the firm by evaluating each attorney on professional growth and firm citizenship as part of the formal review process. This process also allows attorneys to receive credit for time spent on diversity-related matters. Supportive Infrastructure The friendly, collaborative atmosphere at Finnegan lends itself to welcoming many points of view. Differing views and abilities, which often result from diverse backgrounds, help make the firm a leader in our field. In addition to the mentoring initiatives discussed above, Finnegan has a well-developed infrastructure and supportive benefits in place to increase recruitment, retention, and promotion of minority and women professionals. Finnegan’s Diversity Committee is chaired by a partner who works closely with the Director of Diversity and Inclusion. The executive leadership of the Committee includes its Chair, the Managing Partners, the Executive Director, and Directors of Legal Recruiting, Marketing, and Human Resources. Finnegan established two part-time options (80% and 60% time), which offer attorneys (regardless of gender or parenthood status) a continued path to partnership at the firm while working a reduced schedule. The firm provides full domestic partner benefits to our employees, and GLBT employees can add domestic partners to their health insurance in the same way that heterosexual employees can add a spouse or domestic partner to their insurance. Even small aspects of internal policies, such as listing “spouse/partner” on the intranet phone list, make our firm a welcoming workplace for all persons regardless of sexual orientation. Association and Education Involvement Finnegan has a long history of involvement in legal and business associations. The firm encourages its attorneys not only to be members, but also to take active leadership roles. The same holds true for relationships with area law schools. Finnegan proudly supports and sponsors many associations and educational programs focused on the development of minority and women attorneys. Minority Judicial Clerkship Conference (founding partner and annual sponsor) Howard University Law School’s Institute of Intellectual Property and Social Justice (co-host and co-organizer of annual IP Law Seminar) Howard University Law School (professors, curriculum advisors) DC Minority Attorney Networking Series (members of Task Force) American University, Washington College of Law (Dean’s Diversity Counsel) Women's Bar Association of DC (serve on Board of Directors, member of newsletter editorial board, sponsor of special programs) American Intellectual Property Law Association (sponsor of minority and women-focused programs) Asian Pacific American Bar Association for the Greater Washington, DC area (APABA-DC) (serve on Board of Directors) National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (various leadership roles) South Asian Bar Association (SABA) (sponsor, various leadership roles) National Bar Association (sponsor, member of the Executive Committee of the IP Section) Pro Bono and Community Relations Activities Our commitment to diversity and inclusion is not limited to internal strategies and practices. At Finnegan, we believe it is important to provide pro bono legal services to a wide range of organizations whose missions and activities impact a full spectrum of people from the communities in which our offices are located. More than 40 percent of our lawyers are actively engaged in pro bono activities. The firm credits 80 hours a year toward a lawyer’s billable hours goal. For those who choose more involved pro bono work such as litigation, the additional hours are rewarded and credited toward merit bonuses. Our pro bono opportunities are as diverse as our professionals. Lawyers can sharpen their skills by litigating criminal and civil cases, negotiating agreements and settlements, and working with community non-profit organizations to address their constituencies’ legal issues. Lawyers and non-lawyers have opportunities to help artists, children, the elderly, veterans, the homeless, and other groups in need that might not be heard without our assistance.	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