Welcome to Our 'Booth'!
July 31, 2007
We recently were privileged to attend the annual meeting of the American Association of Law Librarians (AALL) in New Orleans. This was a fantastic chance for us to meet our readers, talk about Law Journal Newsletters and about our parent company ALM, and in general, 'meet and greet.' One thing that truly surprised me'so it stuck in my mind'was how many conference attendees were not aware that we have 23 newsletters that report on virtually every'
Inequitable Conduct Decision Catches Many Off Guard
July 31, 2007
The recent Federal Circuit decision <i>McKesson Info. Solutions, Inc. v. Bridge Med., Inc.</i>, No. 2006-1517 (Fed. Cir. May 18, 2007) has many patent prosecutors scrambling to file information disclosures after the court found inequitable conduct based on the all-too-common oversight of not cross-citing prior art from similar, co-pending applications and the even more common oversight of not cross-citing allowances and rejections from such applications.
What's the Hurry? Fallout After KSR
July 31, 2007
Every U.S. Supreme Court decision affecting intellectual property involves intellectual property attorneys from that moment forward, and all of the pending patent applications that those attorneys are prosecuting. How those attorneys react to the pronouncement of law makes the difference.
Who Cares About Japan?
July 31, 2007
Part One of this series examined several significant changes to both Japanese and U.S. IP-related laws and regulations that have helped empower Japanese firms to effectively utilize IP. This second installment discusses corporate strategies Japanese firms are starting to employ to capitalize on their intellectual capital.
Affinity Groups: Tools for Retention
July 31, 2007
Affinity groups are groups that are sponsored and supported by an organization and consist of people with a common set of characteristics. Common affinity groups in larger law firms include ones involving women attorneys; attorneys of color; reduced- schedule attorneys; and people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender ('GLBT'). Affinity groups are effective tools that organizations have used successfully to improve retention and promotion, and to enhance recruiting efforts. Affinity groups that 'support the attorneys and provide outlets and channels of communication with senior management' are also considered diversity best practices (The Association of the Bar of the City of New York, Statement of Diversity Principles, Diversity Practices).
Support Modification: Overview and Update
July 31, 2007
In the past few years, more requests for modification of a child support obligations, either upward or downward, have been denied than granted. With regard to the cases in which an upward modification was denied, the courts have been reluctant to find that the party seeking to modify the child support obligation has established that any claimed change in circumstances was unanticipated or that the children's needs were not being met.
Lawsuits over Judicial Pay Raises
July 31, 2007
New York's judges, who have not had a raise in pay since 1999, are growing increasingly frustrated with the legislature's failure to address the issue. Some are taking matters into their own hands by filing lawsuits to force the issue.
Caveat Kojovic v. Goldman
July 31, 2007
The bench and bar are long weary of the surfeit of baseless proceedings to vacate pre- and post-nuptial agreements. A cursory review of decisional authority involving efforts to set aside marital agreements readily reveals that the odds are overwhelmingly against success. These efforts are often futile because they are correctly seen as nothing more than a last try to pressure the payor spouse to be more generous. The hope is that the monied spouse can be intimidated by general trepidation, the fear of legal costs and the difficulties of locating no-longer-extant evidence.
