Solving an IP Practice Business Need with Patricia
December 22, 2008
In January 2003, Duane Morris recognized a need to provide a better IP docketing system. The new docketing system needed to be user-friendly and give users the ability to create reports quickly and efficiently. It also needed to provide a flexible solution for incorporating the dockets of lateral hires during the firm's growth cycle and to integrate the firm's nine separate IP docketing databases into a master database. Finally, it was vital that it work well within the firm's existing infrastructure.
<i>Product Review</i>: BigHand Digital Dictation Improves Workflow
December 22, 2008
As part of my role as Firm Administrator, productivity lags, as well as bottlenecks and workflow issues concerning flow of information and documents, are all brought to my attention ' sooner or later ' and obviously require swift action. We were faced with a big challenge when we began to rate the efficacy of our existing dictation technology and best practices of delivering dictations.
Practical Advice for European Electronic Discovery Projects
December 22, 2008
If you are a U.S.-based IT or litigation support professional, have you ever received an e-mail message that ended like this: "And there are three people in the Munich office"? If you have not, you may very well receive such a message within the next few months. This article provides practical advice for European electronic discovery projects for litigation support and IT professionals.
Determining an e-Mail Management Strategy
December 22, 2008
Legal IT professionals are challenged with finding the most efficient and appropriate e-mail management model while considering the rising cost of e-discovery and ethical issues surrounding e-mail retention. Against this demanding backdrop, firms must determine which of three potential e-mail management strategies to employ: passive, active or a combination of the two.
Case Briefs
December 22, 2008
Highlights of the latest insurance cases from around the country.
Notice under Occurrence Policies: Issues Beyond the Prejudice Debate
December 22, 2008
This article reviews key notice issues under occurrence-based policies, underscoring how multi-faceted and complex the questions are that can arise when a notice defense is presented. These questions range from what triggers the notice requirement to what the applicable statutory standards are for a notice defense, and from how theories of constructive notice apply to whether there are circumstances where notice will be excused on the basis of excuse or futility.
When Is Credit Due? Reallocation for Settlements under 'All Sums'
December 22, 2008
In a multi-insurer coverage case, it is common for the insured to settle with one or more insurers before trial. When that happens in a case in which the court employs the "all sums" scope-of-coverage approach, can the non-settling insurers bring claims of their own against the settled carriers in an effort to reallocate some of their liability to their former co-defendants? If not, is there another mechanism to account for those settlements?
Fair Value Accounting: Insights and Issues
December 19, 2008
This article examines the accounting principles and the framework underlying fair value measurements and clarifies the difference between mark-to-market accounting and fair value accounting. The article then examines the application of fair value accounting in inactive or illiquid markets, and in doing so, raises certain thematic issues that have surfaced in regard to this topic.