Esther Lim has twenty-five years of experience in patent litigation, portfolio management, licensing, and counseling. She has litigated extensively before federal district courts, the International Trade Commission (ITC), and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) in complex matters involving a wide range of technologies from electrical to mechanical to pharmaceutical. Esther served as the founding managing partner of Finnegan’s Shanghai office. She is the past president of the D.C. Bar with 110,000 members.
Over two decades of diverse professional endeavors and community activism have given Esther a rare combination of IP insight, management skill sets, and proven leadership, both domestically and internationally. Esther frequently writes and lectures internationally on issues relating to procurement and enforcement of U.S. intellectual property rights. For ten years, she served as editor-in-chief of the firm’s Last Month at the Federal Circuit newsletter. She now serves as an advisor and contributor for Finnegan’s Federal Circuit IP blog. Esther served at the Federal Circuit as a law clerk to the Honorable Randall R. Rader.
Rooted in her values of equity and diversity, Esther is active in bar leadership, community outreach, and pro bono work. She has served in leadership positions for many associations, including the D.C. Bar, ABA, Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, APABA-DC, and NAPABA. Teaching as an adjunct professor at Howard University School of Law since 2003, she chairs its annual Institute for Intellectual Property and Social Justice (IIPSJ), which is nearing its 20th anniversary. She has handled a number of pro bono cases to assist individuals and families in need with safe housing, domestic relations, veteran’s benefits, and access to special education. She also volunteers at weekend legal clinics to assist low-income residents of the District of Columbia.
Esther has received recognitions from Chambers Global and was recognized as a leader in the field of intellectual property law by Chambers Asia. She was recognized as one of the Top 250 Women in IP Law by Managing Intellectual Property. Esther received the IP and Social Justice Award from Howard University School of Law in recognition of her contributions in promoting diversity in the legal profession and mentoring students of color.
