Her earth sciences teacher told her, “Who do you think you are — the country lawyer?” Finguerra-DuCharme was 14, and as she left class she thought to herself, “Wow, I do think I’m the country lawyer!”
Since earning her JD at Brooklyn Law School, the Westbury, Long Island, native went on to become a partner at the Manhattan firm Pryor Cashman where she specializes in intellectual property law. This year Forbes ranked her as one of the nation’s Top 200 Lawyers. Her husband, Seth DuCharme ’92, is a former U.S. attorney and a partner at the law firm Bracewell.
“I like making a difference. I like taking positions and being able to fight for them.”
Finguerra-DuCharme has represented clients who range from Honda, Cartier, and L’Oreal to Lady Gaga. Often called on to protect — and help create — their trademarks, she decorates her office with counterfeit goods like a phony Beyoncé T-shirt, counterfeit Jimmy Choo sandals, and the herbal product Triagra.
When she walks into a drugstore, she gets a kick out of seeing shampoos and lotions she’s named. But practicing law has more satisfying rewards. “I like making a difference. I like taking positions and being able to fight for them,” she said.
Having a strong moral compass is essential. “In the law you need to make ethical arguments,” she said. If a client wants to take a questionable position, “you need to have the strength and wherewithal to stick to your grounds.”
Studying leadership under Ted Eismeier, emeritus professor of government, “fortified” her, but her father gave her key wisdom. As a teen she sometimes got steamed debating politics over dinner. To carry the day he told her, “Be like a seal — let the water flow off your back.”
