J. Michael Jakes

J. Michael "Mike" Jakes is a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, where he has practiced for his entire career, joining the firm in 1988. His practice concentrates on patent litigation with a focus on high-technology matters, including those in the computer, electronics, semiconductor, software, and medical device sectors. A significant portion of his work involves appellate practice before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, where he has argued more than 50 appeals. Before joining Finnegan, he served as a law clerk to the Honorable Giles S. Rich at the Federal Circuit.

The authoritative case list shows a recent appearance as lead counsel for the defendant LG Electronics. However, a review of his broader career reveals a mixed practice where he represents both patent owners and accused infringers. Notable representations for patent holders include successfully defending a $140 million verdict for Sprint in a VoIP patent case against Time Warner Cable and affirming a $61 million verdict for PPC Broadband against Corning. On the defense side, he has represented clients such as ADT and SAP.

Mr. Jakes has been lead counsel in several landmark and high-stakes cases. He argued for the petitioners in the seminal business method patent case, Bilski v. Kappos, before the U.S. Supreme Court. His experience also extends to post-grant proceedings, including representing clients in appeals from multiple inter partes review (IPR) proceedings at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). He is a co-author of a treatise on Federal Circuit practice and procedure.