Court Watch Franchisors Rebuff Franchisees' Claims Of Bad Behavior
February 29, 2016
The implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, while not always a separate cause of action, depending on the jurisdiction, can be a powerful tool in a franchisee's arsenal to assert claims based on breaches of franchise agreements due to a franchisor's bad conduct. However, recent cases coming out of New York and Michigan demonstrate just how difficult it can be for a franchisee to make out a claim premised on the franchisor's poor behavior.
Intellectual Property
February 29, 2016
Courts and negotiators, mediators and arbitrators across our country are grappling with questions surrounding the equitable distribution of intellectual property assets ' including, but not limited to, copyrights and patents. But this area of the law has not yet been fully addressed by case law.
The Dirty Little Secret Of Law Firm Billing
February 29, 2016
<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.
The Rise of Cyber Insurance Liability Litigation
February 29, 2016
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.
Thought Leadership Initiative
February 29, 2016
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
February 29, 2016
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.
Development
February 29, 2016
In-depth analysis of two key cases.
The Illusion of a 'Second Opinion'
February 29, 2016
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.
Social Media Scene: Teach Your Lawyers Well
February 29, 2016
One size does not fit all when it comes to social media training for lawyers, and those responsible for such training must take into account different levels of sophistication and comfort, which are not necessarily based on generations.
The Raising of a Privacy Shield
February 29, 2016
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.
