Columns & Departments

Recent news of importance.

Last month, we began discussion of the question: "When the court orders a litigant to undergo a psychological examination, is it proper, or permissible, for that party's attorney to attend the session?" The discussion concludes herein.

Writing in many parts of the legal and business worlds have probably changed more in the last decade than in any comparable period over the last five centuries.

Despite the obvious opportunities, the integration of small groups of attorneys into a larger firm does not always succeed. This is precisely why "due diligence" should be the mantra of both parties in anticipation of any acquisition/merger.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit recently found that a woman who appears on camera for 16 seconds in an 82-minute documentary film about Joan Alexandra Molinsky Sanger Rosenberg (more commonly known as the comedian Joan Rivers), does not have a right to sue for invasion of privacy and misappropriation of her image under the Wisconsin Right of Privacy statute.

With the advent of legal-specific court date calculation and rules-based calendaring technologies, firms of all sizes and budgets can tap into resources to assist with the calendaring process, improve efficiencies, and minimize the risk of missing deadlines. This article explores Perkins Coie's calendaring automation challenge and what we have proactively done in conjunction with our Aderant CompuLaw rules-based calendaring technology.

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As the pressure mounts and public concern rises, we await further clarification, by Supreme Court or congressional action, as to whether software is patent eligible. In the meantime, patent applicants should hedge against any potential outcome by drafting applications having claim sets that attempt to comply with future adoptable patent eligibility tests.

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With the possibility of limited capital expenditures, financing technological advances will certainly be a way to stay within budget constraints and allow firms to continue investing in the latest and greatest technological trends. Leasing is one financing option that a firm can use to cut the out of pocket costs for technology upgrades and still be able to implement new projects by providing a monthly expense versus a total cost purchase.