Attributes of Successful Managing Partners
February 25, 2010
Hardly a week passes without receiving information about a new publication or seminar about law office management. However, information is not readily available about what specifically managing partners and members of management committees should do to coalesce their partners, associates and staff into a well-managed and informed organization.
Change As a Management and Marketing Tool
February 25, 2010
In this economic environment, the word "change" looms large in professional services dialogue. Professions can be fairly rigid and resistant to innovation. But the times seem to have accelerated the need for new ideas and structures to cope with new economic and social problems and opportunities.
Alternative Fees
February 25, 2010
The desire among senior corporate counsel and management to control costs has pushed consideration of alternative fee arrangements (AFAs) to the forefront. Some estimates suggest that within five years, as much as half the Am Law 200 revenue might come from AFAs.
ConnectU Sued for Slice of $65M Facebook Deal
January 29, 2010
A Boston software developer is suing the now-defunct social media site ConnectU, its founders, its law firm, Washington-based Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, and Scott Mosko, a Palo Alto, CA, partner at the firm, for allegedly cutting him out of Facebook's $65 million settlement with ConnectU's founders.
Guidelines for Starting an IP Practice in China
January 29, 2010
As more multinational companies turn their attention to, sell products to and open offices in China, intellectual property work will continue to skyrocket. How are international law firms responding? What are the barriers, if any, to entry? What are the best ways to set up an IP practice in China? This article answers those questions and provides a basic roadmap if you are contemplating entering this market.
Recent TTAB Decisions Highlight Challenges of Pleading and Proving Fraud after <i>Bose</i>
January 29, 2010
In <i>Enbridge Inc. v. Excelerate Energy Ltd. Partnership</i>, TTAB issued its first precedential ruling following the Federal Circuit's Bose decision on fraud, <i>In re Bose Corp.</i> <i>Bose</i> reversed a TTAB decision, finding that a trademark is obtained fraudulently under the Lanham Act only if the applicant or registrant knowingly makes a false, material representation with the intent to deceive the USPTO.
The Drive Toward Performance Measurement in Law Firm Administrative Functions
January 29, 2010
In response to increased pressure, administrative leaders are seeking out ways to measure the performance of administrative functions ' to justify the function's staffing and costs and to demonstrate the group's value to firm leadership. The drive for performance measurement programs in law firms entails a shift toward careful assessment and analysis of the overall performance of various law firm administrative functions and their respective value to the firm.
Can Your Retirement Plan Survive an ADEA Claim?
January 27, 2010
The Supreme Court has held that, where an employer adopts a pension plan that includes age as a factor, and the employer then treats employees differently based on pension status, an employer will only be liable for disparate treatment under the ADEA if the plaintiff can adduce sufficient evidence to show that the differential treatment was actually motivated by age and not pension status.
Effective Retention of Your Best Talent
January 27, 2010
New challenges spring from the excess, for the time being, of supply over demand for legal services. Smart firms are using this as an opportunity to reshape their model and to attract and retain lawyers
