Patent Powerhouse Finnegan Taps Toyota Trial Lawyer as New Head

Finnegan chose James Barney, who represented Toyota Motor Corp. in patent infringement cases for two decades, as the law firm’s new managing partner.

The 25-year trial lawyer, after a unanimous vote by fellow partners, will start a three-year term at the intellectual property law firm on July 1, Barney said in an interview Tuesday. He is based in Washington DC.

The firm’s current managing partner, Erika Arner, will become Finnegan’s chair on July 1, and current chair Anand Sharma will return to full-time law practice, Barney said.

Barney takes the reins after expansion costs in Europe, as well as the increasing costs of legal talent abroad and at home, have eaten into the firm’s profitability. While the firm’s revenue grew to $349 million from $337 million over the last two years, its income after costs shrank to $118 million from $122 million, according to data published by the American Lawyer.

James Barney

“The slight decrease in net income is likely an anomaly which will self-correct as we continue to grow and build out our practice in Europe,” Barney said. “We’re in a challenging environment to retain top talent, but we are dedicated to ensuring we retain and reward top talent.”

The firm, founded in Washington DC in 1965, boasts of one of the world’s most successful trademark practices, with offices in the US, Europe and Asia. It has more than 350 attorneys and professionals working on IP and adjacent areas, according to the firm’s website.

In addition to working with Toyota, Barney has served as outside IP counsel to product developers Aqua Products and US Synthetic Corp. He said his electoral success among the firm’s partnership has more to do with building strong ties with colleagues on a variety of cases since joining the firm in 2000 than his control of client relationships.

“Finnegan has a policy that all clients are firm clients—we are not an eat-what-you-kill firm,” he said. “I practice in multiple sectors—from automobiles and waterslides to firetrucks and everything in between. I’ve had the privilege of collaborating with my partners in these different matters.”

Arner, the new chair, oversaw the firm’s 2022 expansion into Munich. She has emphasized the importance of representing clients before Europe’s Unified Patent Court, created in 2023 to standardize patent litigation across the continent.