Anand Sharma managing partner with Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner. (Courtesy photo)

Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner has named Anand Sharma the firm's new managing partner, replacing Mark Sweet, who will assume the role of firm chair.

The Washington, D.C.-based intellectual property firm said Sharma, whose term began July 1, is the firm's first managing partner of color.

Sweet is replacing James Monroe, who presided over a three-year term in which the firm's revenue and head count remained steady as other large IP firms have struggled to compete. Sweet, who joined Finnegan while still finishing law school, said in a statement that he will focus on implementing new technology solutions and focus on the firm's overall strategic direction as chair.

“It has been an honor to serve as Finnegan's managing partner for the last three years, and I am excited to take on the role as chair to ensure that as a firm we continue to fully integrate with the business objectives of our clients,” Sweet said.

In his new role, Sharma will manage the day-to-day operations of the 284-lawyer firm, which is known for its competitive IP practice and has 10 offices worldwide.

“This is an opportunity to manage a firm that has a long history of excellence in the intellectual-property space, which is the focus of our practice,” said Sharma in a dawn phone call from Seoul, South Korea, where he had traveled for a client meeting in one of Finnegan's Asian offices.

Sharma noted that the firm faces fierce competition in the intellectual property area. He named Fish & Richardson as a competitor, but added that with few other major boutique IP firms in the market, Finnegan also competes with general Big Law firms with strong IP practices.

“One of my first goals is to apply my perspectives and my view to help us maintain this history and keep us at the top,” he said.

This perspective, he said, is in part his long history at Finnegan, which began when he was a second-year summer associate at the firm in 1995. He was hired after graduation and made partner in 2006.

“I haven't updated my resume since the second year of law school,” he said. “It's been a very happy ride.”

Sharma majored in mechanical engineering as a undergrad and had a stint as a NASA software engineer. In his more than 20 years at Finnegan, Sharma built what he called a somewhat “blended practice” focusing on patent prosecution and litigation.

But, “there's another side to me,” he said. “It's not just my background as a lawyer, but also my background from a cultural perspective.” Sharma was born in Guyana, South America, and is of East Indian descent. He and his family came to the United States when he was a child, when his father attended Howard University.

His appointment as managing partner also makes Finnegan one of the largest firms to be led by someone of South Asian descent, according to the firm. Additionally, 66% of the firm's new management team—all of whom are appointed to three-year terms—are women or people of color, the firm said.

“Because we've long been this firm that's focused on IP, we have a unique set of accrued knowledge,” Sharma said. “We'll be working to continue to turn legal experiences and technology expertise as scientists into efficient solutions for clients.”

Sharma said that looking beyond just legal problems, he hopes to partner with clients on joint pro bono opportunities and expanding diversity and inclusion initiatives. It's an arena in which he has experience: Sharma chaired the firm's first official diversity and inclusion team a decade ago after he formalized the firm's diversity efforts into a group, and he held the leadership position for four years.

He said the visibility he's received by being promoted to managing partner is also an important step in making the legal world more inclusive to different backgrounds and perspectives.

“I thought it was important, not just because the firm thought my perspective could add value, but also from the outside looking in because not a lot of partners of color get this experience,” he said. “This is important externally to show there are opportunities to be involved.”