Moving to LEDES 2000
September 01, 2003
Introduced in 1998, the Legal Electronic Data Exchange Standard (LEDES') format rapidly became the de facto US standard format for moving legal invoices from law firms to corporations. LEDES has been embraced by law firms and corporate legal departments, time-and-billing system vendors, corporate matter management vendors, and electronic invoicing and cost management vendors. It's been estimated that more than 90% of legal invoices moving electronically today are formatted according to LEDES 1998B, the first released version of the standard.
Valuation of Marital Property: A New Twist
September 01, 2003
<b><i>'Overreaching' Added to Case Law</i></b> Justice Anthony J. Falanga of the Supreme Court, Nassau County has added another twist to the case law fixing dates for the valuation of marital property when a previous action for divorce is abandoned.
Around The Firms
September 01, 2003
Attorney movement among major law firms and corporations.
Is Your Process Patent Being Circumvented? Housey Forces Another Look at Section 271 Protections for Information-Producing Patented Processes
September 01, 2003
Patents containing process claims, especially those where the result of the process is information, such as some research method, business method or software, Internet or telephone-based process patents, may be among the most valuable elements of a portfolio. If used defensively, such patents may provide a competitive advantage to the owner or prevent competitors from entering into a key line of business. If used offensively, these patents offer licensing opportunities on transactions that may occur millions of times per year. Potential licensees that wish to practice the patented processes described above, however, may choose a course other than licensing — practicing the process abroad and sending the resulting information back into the United States. The recent case of <i>Bayer AG v. Housey Pharmaceuticals, Inc.,</i> No. 02-1598, slip op. (Fed. Cir. Aug. 22, 2003), construing 35 U.S.C. '271(g), may make it more difficult to enforce these process patents with respect to such outsourcing and importing activities.
News from the FDA
September 01, 2003
The latest information for use in your practice, including rulings, draft guidances, seminars, and more.
Case Briefs
September 01, 2003
Highlights of the latest insurance cases from around the country.
The Compaq TC1000 Tablet PC ' The Only Tablet to Ever Own!
August 26, 2003
Very seldom does a new product come from the computing industry that can make a strong impact on the legal profession. However, all that is soon to change with the advent of the Compaq Tablet PC TC1000 from Hewlett-Packard! Without question this new and exciting PC will soon be turning heads in the legal community, as well as turning your office workload into a new and more functional way to work!
IP Docketing Software Can Be Exciting, Really!
August 26, 2003
What could be duller than a law firm's docketing system, especially one for an intellectual property (IP) firm that has to keep track of deadlines and facts for hundreds of thousands of patent and trademark filings in hundreds of countries? While docketing ' the recording of critical information and events surrounding intellectual property ' is an essential part of any IP practice, most firms think it does not have to be fancy, just reliable. At Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione, we thought the same, until we realized that by upgrading to a state-of-the-art system, we could deliver a better, more technologically-savvy and efficient product that was more in line with the way we deliver all of our other services. We chose to be one of the first firms to utilize new software that allows access up to 100 concurrent users at once, and allows clients access to their data from the Web as well. While upgrading the IP software for one of the largest IP law firms in the U.S. was certainly not an easy task, it has brought tremendous benefits not only to our lawyers and staff, but to our clients as well.
