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

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

Mine Güner discusses bridging law and business, taking the initiative, and why Taylor Swift helped put copyright on the map
Cindy Goh discusses why she launched Cheang & Ariff's IP department, the improving litigation environment in Malaysia and what to consider when using AI
Increased focus on adding patent litigation depth to the firm’s Dallas office was behind the boutique’s most recent hires
IPH's Canadian acquisitions are paying off on paper, but a couple of strong years may not be enough to show that the group's strategy has truly won over the market
Examiner statistics could help patent prosecution practitioners tailor strategies, turning an area of high variability into a potential competitive advantage
The England and Wales High Court’s ruling in Accord v Novartis may not rewrite the law on plausibility, but it does signal a pragmatic approach that could provide greater certainty for life sciences innovators
Firms with established sports relationships and specialised expertise are well positioned to capture the market’s expanded pool of IP work
Gunjan Paharia discusses developing RIA, an AI platform built to draw on decades of institutional knowledge, support junior lawyers, and reshape how legal teams work
A strong Canadian business helped lift profits, but the IP service group's latest results underline the pressure facing its operations in Australia, New Zealand and parts of Asia
Wins in court have been key to the six-year-old firm’s growth, as one of its founders explains
Gift this article