Finnegan’s Kara Stoll nominated to Federal Circuit

Managing IP is part of Legal Benchmarking Limited, 1-2 Paris Gardens, London, SE1 8ND

Copyright © Legal Benchmarking Limited and its affiliated companies 2026

Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Modern Slavery Statement

Cookies Settings

Finnegan’s Kara Stoll nominated to Federal Circuit

President Barack Obama has nominated Kara Stoll to serve on the Federal Circuit – taking the spot vacated by Randall Rader – and Judge Luis Restrepo to serve on the Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit

kara-stoll200.jpg

Stoll is a partner at Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett and Dunner in Washington, DC. She has represented clients at both the district and appellate levels, and has served as lead counsel on a number of cases before the Federal Circuit.

Stoll worked as a patent examiner at the USPTO from 1991 to 1997. From 1997 to 1998, she clerked for Judge Alvin Schall of the Federal Circuit. In 1998, she joined Finnegan, where her practice focuses on patent litigation, primarily in the consumer electronics, computers, software, and medical devices industries.

Stoll has served as an adjunct professor at George Mason University Law School since 2008 and previously served as an adjunct professor at Howard University School of Law from 2004 to 2008. She currently serves as co-chair of the Rules Committee of the Federal Circuit Bar Association, and she previously served as vice-chair of the Rules Committee from 2012 to 2013.

She takes the seat vacated by former Chief Judge Rader’s resignation in June.

Judge Restrepo has served as a district judge in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania since June 2013 and previously served as a United States Magistrate Judge in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania from 2006 to 2013.

“These individuals have displayed exceptional dedication to the legal profession through their work, and I am honored to nominate them to serve the American people as judges on the United States Courts of Appeals,” President Obama said. “They will be diligent, judicious and esteemed additions to the bench.”

more from across site and SHARED ros bottom lb

More from across our site

Earlier this month, Managing IP had exclusively reported that the French arm of Taylor Wessing was minded to pull out of the deal
Our latest podcast examines how Weil’s IP practice evolved, where its practitioners could (and will) go next, and which firms and markets stand to benefit from the redistribution of talent
Former Latham partner Chris Henry and transactions lawyer Liza Cotter are heading to the firm as Weil’s IP practice starts to disperse
Rival IP teams return to court for a closely watched appeal over AI and copyright, but observers hoping for answers to some of the technology’s biggest legal questions may be left disappointed
Eight years after its launch, members of the Australian patent firm’s Singapore office explain its growth strategy over the past year
Lawyers at Bowmans Kenya discuss the digital blind spots posed by the transition from physical ledgers to cloud databases and digital co-development models
The Powell Gilbert co-founder discusses the confidence required to launch a firm, building an enduring patent litigation practice and why developing the next generation has changed her measure of success
Cabinet M Oproiu’s Raluca Vasilescu explains why AI is changing what clients expect from patent attorneys, where the technology is overhyped and what the next generation will need to do differently
As clients demand more flexible fees and AI-driven efficiencies, IP firms are rethinking pricing without abandoning the value of their work
HG Law was formed largely by ex Fish & Neave lawyers who left after the latter's merger with Ropes & Gray; now those experiences are shaping its latest combination
Gift this article