Posts on ‘October 1st, 2009’

The current economy presents unparalleled opportunities for nimble law firms to achieve new levels of success, writes Pillsbury’s Craig A. Barbarosh. However, as in most business cycles, many of the “old ways” may no longer work and firms need to become more entrepreneurial to take advantage of the new economy. With that in mind, Barbarosh outlines some of the key issues firms should consider as they review their strategic plans for the future. One tip: Be famous for something.

New Jersey’s Supreme Court seems poised to alter its current outright prohibition on advertising in which lawyers compare their abilities to others. But it was clear from the tenor of the arguments at a hearing Wednesday that comparative advertisements will likely have to be accompanied by some form of disclaimer that “super lawyer” or “best lawyer” designations do not have the court’s blessing. The court wants to create a “sensibly balanced rule,” Chief Justice Stuart Rabner said at the hearing.

Legal aid may be their expertise, but financial aid is the calling of the day for attorneys at Fisher & Phillips, who are doing their bit to help co-workers affected by the floods in Georgia. Lawyers from several of the firm’s 21 offices are lining up to donate to the Fisher & Phillips Foundation, which helps attorneys and staff recover from natural disasters. Formed after Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, the foundation was also tapped to help Florida lawyers and staff affected by more recent hurricanes.

An attorney who claimed his own experience as an adopted child motivated him to help people seeking to start families is suspected of running a Ponzi-like scheme that ripped off couples from New York to Texas, promising children that didn’t exist. Kevin Cohen pleaded not guilty to grand larceny and other charges after one couple told prosecutors they paid him $60,000 in fees for a promised baby that he never delivered. Fifteen other couples have contacted the prosecutor, telling similar stories.

Foley & Lardner on Wednesday hired partner Douglas Spelfogel from Baker & Hostetler to head up an expansion of its New York bankruptcy practice. While the bankruptcy boom has been under way for more than a year, Spelfogel said Foley foresees continued growth in the area and plans to make more hires. “Even though there is some talk that we’re out of a recession, the credit markets remain tight, and the ramifications are going to likely continue for a while,” Spelfogel said.

The recent Great Purge of law firm personnel passed you by, and you still have a paycheck, a current business card and an office to go to every morning. You should be elated, right? Well, if you’re not, The Snark understands, because many Cogs who managed to hold onto their jobs are suffering from survivor’s guilt. These days, conversations with involuntarily-ex-Cogs who have not yet found employment are awkward and guilt-ridden, so the Snark discusses some do’s and don’ts when connecting with ex-colleagues.

Rhode Island federal Judge William Smith ruled Tuesday that, as a matter of law, Microsoft did not infringe Uniloc’s patent on a method of limiting unlicensed use of software through casual copying. Essentially concluding that the jury did not understand the highly complex technical evidence both sides presented, Smith vacated a $388 million jury verdict and entered judgment for Microsoft — the second time this month that the software giant has wiped out a huge patent infringement jury verdict against it.

Michael Jackson’s estate has filed suit against two California organizations that it alleges sought infringing trademarks for such phrases as “King of Pop” and “Thriller” in an attempt to masquerade as a legitimate charity tied to the late pop star. The suit — the first trademark infringement case for the estate since Jackson’s death on June 25 — was filed on Tuesday in Los Angeles federal court and names the Heal the World Foundation and its affiliated corporation, United Fleet.

The march toward peace in the stent wars continues. A couple months ago, Abbott Laboratories and Medtronic signed a blockbuster deal that ended all their patent litigation over cardiac stents. Now comes news that two more major stent players — Boston Scientific and Johnson & Johnson’s Cordis unit — have settled more than a dozen stent-related patent suits. In a deal to resolve cases that have provided 12 years of billable hours for a horde of lawyers, Boston Scientific will pay Johnson & Johnson $716.3 million.