Richard Linn was appointed by President William J. Clinton in 1999. Prior to his appointment, Judge Linn was a Partner and Practice Group Leader at the Washington, DC law firm of Foley and Lardner from 1997 to 1999. He was a Partner and head of the intellectual property department at Marks and Murase, L.L.P. from 1977 to 1997. Judge Linn served as Patent Advisor, United States Naval Air Systems Command from 1971 to 1972, was a Patent Agent at the United States Naval Research Laboratory from 1968 to 1969, and served as a Patent Examiner at the United States Patent Office from 1965 to 1968. He was a member of the founding Board of Governors of the Virginia Bar Section on Patent, Trademark, and Copyright Law and served as Chairman in 1975.

In 2000, Judge Linn received the Rensselaer Alumni Association Fellows Award. He was honored in 2006 for dedication, service, and devotion to justice by the Austin Intellectual Property Law Association. Judge Linn was awarded the 2009 New York Intellectual Property Law Association Leadership Award. He also received the 2009 Jefferson Medal from the New Jersey Intellectual Property Law Association "in recognition of meritorious and outstanding contributions in support of the Constitution of the United States of America and furtherance of a fundamental principle thereof-'to promote the progress of Science and useful Arts.'" In 2010, Judge Linn received the Outstanding Public Service Award from the New York Intellectual Property Law Association. In 2011, he was awarded the inaugural Mark Banner Award by the American Bar Association for his contributions to intellectual property law and the A. Sherman Christensen Award by the American Inns of Court Foundation for distinguished, exceptional and significant leadership to the American Inns of Court movement. He served as an Adjunct Professor and Professorial Lecturer in Law at George Washington University Law School from 2001 to 2003, and currently serves on the Law School's Intellectual Property Advisory Board. Judge Linn is a past president of the Giles Sutherland Rich American Inn of Court, a member of the Richard Linn American Inn of Court, a visiting member of the Hon. William C. Conner American Inn of Court, and an honorary lifetime member of the Benjamin Franklin American Inn of Court. He received a B.E.E. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1965, and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center in 1969.