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

Barry Greenbaum, partner at Olshan Frome Wolosky, explains how in-house teams can update their approach to brand development, and where AI can add value
Christine Chiramel, who joins a full-service law firm after 17 years of working at specialist firms, says she’s excited to explore how corporate commercial issues are blurring into IP
Practitioners say increasing the pecuniary jurisdiction of India’s most popular litigation forum to around $2 million would spark unpredictability and make it difficult for SMEs to benefit
The Spain-based firm has appointed an industry veteran to lead the group, which it hopes will strengthen its ability to support clients in ‘disruptive technologies’
Shaina Haria, a final-seat trainee at an international law firm’s UK office, shares how she fell in love with IP and why the area of law has changed the way she views the world
Now in its sixth edition, the IP Case Law Conference was focussed on the notion of ‘growing through change’
Nick Redfearn and Khanh Nguyen of Rouse discuss Vietnam’s latest identification in the 2026 Special 301 Report and how the country is taking genuine steps to meet US expectations
Tatiana Campello reflects on 30 years of practising at the firm, and urges women IP attorneys to think beyond the day-to-day
A David v Goliath battle involving TikTok, and Via Licensing Alliance adding new members to its Voice Codec patent pool, were also among the top talking points
Latham & Watkins bolstered its IP litigation bench in California with the addition of Kieran Kieckhefer, as partner demand for trial-ready expertise shows no sign of slowing
Gift this article