The Dirty Little Secret Of Law Firm Billing
<i>The Wall Street Journal</i>'s front-page headline on billing rates last month tells only part of the story. "Legal Fees Cross New Mark: $1,500 an Hour," the Feb. 9 article announced, before listing partner hourly rates at several big firms.
Features
The Rise of Cyber Insurance Liability Litigation
As businesses are quickly learning, companies today have no choice but to confront the risks presented by the proliferation of cyber-based attacks targeting their confidential business information. Faced with this growing threat, many companies have begun taking steps to fortify security measures protecting their informational and technological infrastructure in the hope of preventing a cyber-attack.
Features
Thought Leadership Initiative
Many brilliant attorneys struggle to attract clients despite their well-developed strategic and winning legal skills. Most likely, they have either resisted or simply don't know how to "get the word out" about the availability and quality of their services.
Court of Appeals Modifies Standing Test in Land-Use Cases
There has been a long history of judicial analysis of what gives rise to standing to challenge a land-use approval. The interplay between the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) and the vast majority of land use approvals has given rise to a number of cases applying and modifying the standing test in the context of SEQRA.
The Illusion of a 'Second Opinion'
Creating the illusion of an independent "second opinion," insurance companies involved in personal injury lawsuits frequently contract with vendors to provide "records reviews," "peer reviews" or "paper reviews." In the authors' view, these opinions are far from objective.
Features
The Raising of a Privacy Shield
On Feb. 2, 2016, the U.S. Department of Commerce and European Commission unveiled a new framework for personal data transfers from European Union (EU) Member States to the U.S. The new framework ' dubbed the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield ' will replace the EU-U.S. Safe Harbor program, which was invalidated by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in 2015.
Features
Extracting the 'Consent to Settle': A Game Plan for Insurers and Defense Counsel
Consent-to-settle provisions in medical malpractice insurance policies present challenging issues to insurers, defense attorneys and policyholders in the context of defending professional liability claims. Most liability insurance policies cede the ultimate discretion over settlement decisions to the insurer. Medical malpractice policies are outliers from the norm in the insurance industry.
Features
Expert Testimony on Industry Practice
Recently, the Second Circuit held that expert testimony regarding how a "specialized securities market" operated was relevant and potentially "highly" probative of the question of whether the defendant's misstatements to investors were material. Because juries are tasked with determining materiality, the notion that experts can opine on overarching industry practice that is not case-specific appears surprising.
Need Help?
- Prefer an IP authenticated environment? Request a transition or call 800-756-8993.
- Need other assistance? email Customer Service or call 1-877-256-2472.
MOST POPULAR STORIES
- Protecting Innovation in the Cyber World from Patent TrollsWith trillions of dollars to keep watch over, the last thing we need is the distraction of costly litigation brought on by patent assertion entities (PAEs or "patent trolls"), companies that don't make any products but instead seek royalties by asserting their patents against those who do make products.Read More ›
- Meet the Lawyer Working on Inclusion Rider LanguageAt the Oscars in March, Best Actress winner Frances McDormand made “inclusion rider” go viral. But Kalpana Kotagal, a partner at Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll had already worked for months to write the language for such provisions. Kotagal was developing legal language for contract provisions that Hollywood's elite could use to require studios and other partners to employ diverse workers on set.Read More ›
- From the PTO to the FDA: What to Consider When Branding Clinical TrialsThe legal implications of branding generally arise initially for companies during the process of selecting a company name and any initial product or service names. For drug development companies, however, careful consideration should also be paid to the implications of branding a clinical trial.Read More ›
- Use of Deferred Prosecution Agreements In White Collar InvestigationsThis article discusses the practical and policy reasons for the use of DPAs and NPAs in white-collar criminal investigations, and considers the NDAA's new reporting provision and its relationship with other efforts to enhance transparency in DOJ decision-making.Read More ›