LJN Newsletters

[Editor's Note: For up-to-date information on the fast-changing issue of same-sex marriage and adoption, please visit http://www.ljnonline.com/alm?map…

Recent cases of importance to your practice.

As discussed in the first part of this article, forensic evaluations can have a dramatic effect on the trajectory of a contested custody dispute and, ultimately, on the path a particular child's life will take post disposition. There are many arguments against giving specific custody recommendations, eg, it has not been established that following specific custody recommendations will result in a better family situation. In addition, the recommendations are frequently deeply subjective and value-laden and the profession itself is divided on many important issues. The conclusion of this article explores the ethical concerns, professional role and positive contributions of forensic psychologists.

Parents in Georgia may need to reconsider moving out of state, or they could risk losing custody of their children. The Nov. 10, 2003 decision by the Supreme Court of Georgia in Bodne v. Bodne, 588 S.E.2d 728 (2003) (Benham, J., dissenting) has overruled or otherwise affected nearly 100 years of child custody law, and it has rescinded the well-established presumption that custodial parents have a prima facie right to retain custody.

Increasingly, family lawyers are encountering property division cases involving the equitable distribution of student loans or claims seeking equitable reimbursement for funds spent on higher education during the marriage. The statistics regarding tuition increases are staggering. According to the College Board's most recent annual survey on trends in college pricing (www.collegeboard.com), for private colleges, the average cost of a 4-year program, including room and board, is $78, 840. The average figure for in-state public universities is $18,776.

The latest from the EU.

The latest news of interest to you and your practice.

Restriction practice (ie, the restriction of a patent application to prosecution of a single claimed invention per filing fee) has been around since the mid-1800s. In recent years, hyperproliferation of restriction requirements, especially in the biotechnology, chemical and software arts, has occurred. It has not been uncommon for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) to assert that a patent application contains 10, 20, even 100 distinct inventions.