<b>Technology in Marketing:</b> New Tools for Effective Proposal Generation
September 29, 2006
According to a 2006 benchmarking survey by Chicago-based Hubbard One, a Thomson Elite company, 51% of the survey respondents said that they respond to more than 10 proposals a month, often with minimal advance notice. Some indicated close to 30 per month. As the demand increases and marketing is more involved in the business development process, 62% of marketers have indicated they are not satisfied with their current proposal process.
A New Generation of Legal Marketing
September 29, 2006
The BTI Consulting Group's brand new research with law firm marketing leaders reveals three powerful shifts in the world of legal marketing:<ul>1. Marketing spending per attorney climbs more than 20%;</ul><ul>2. Marketing staffs expand by nearly 15%; and</ul><ul>3. Business development takes center stage as a key objective.</ul>
Eliminating the E-discovery Headache with E-mail Intelligence
September 29, 2006
Juries don't always believe what people say, but they do tend to believe what is on paper. The difference that thorough e-mail review and analysis can make in the outcome of litigation is dramatic, and attorneys cannot risk overlooking key evidence that can make or break a client's case.
Mapping Law Firm Capabilities
September 29, 2006
Not so many years ago, running a law firm was a simpler process. If you were good at legal research, drafting documents, arguing cases and attracting and advising clients, the business took care of itself. But today, managing a legal practice, particularly for large firms, is more like running a large, sophisticated, multinational business.
Blogging and the Workplace
September 29, 2006
You may not know about it, but it is happening: At least one, and probably more, of your business' employees has entered the 'blogosphere.' The world of blogs, or interactive diaries posted on the Internet, has expanded exponentially over the past 3 years, and 'bloggers' cannot seem to resist the urge to talk about their jobs. These sometimes quasi-journalistic postings raise a host of concerns for employers, such as protecting a hard-won public image, safeguarding confidential information, and preventing defamation of managers and co-workers. Such concerns arise because blogs can reach millions of readers long before the employer even learns about the posting. No laws specifically regulate 'blogging,' and there is virtually no case law to provide guidance. Consequently, employers need to look elsewhere for guidance on the balance between their employees' interest in having a life away from work and ensuring that employees' activities in the blogosphere do not damage business interests ' a blogging policy.
Outsourcing R&D to India: Patent Pitfalls to Avoid
September 29, 2006
In today's global marketplace, an increasing number of technology-driven companies include R&D outsourcing as part of their business practice. Some industry sectors even consider the viability of technology outsourcing as a prerequisite to any high-impact business plan.
Role for Patents In Videogame Industry
September 28, 2006
For videogame developers, publishers and investors, the most important asset is the intellectual property rights they own or control in a game. All of the elements of a videogame ' the story, audiovisual elements, underlying computer code and even 'gameplay' elements (ie, that specify the way a user interacts with and experiences a game) ' are subject to one or more forms of intellectual property protection. Traditionally, intellectual property protection for videogames has been based upon either trade secret, copyright or trademark. Patents, however, are quickly becoming an important part of the videogame industry.
How a Venture Capitalist Views the Franchise Business: A Q&A with H. Scott Pressly of Roark Capital
September 28, 2006
Roark Capital is one of the most prominent private equity firms participating in the franchise industry. The company has been investing in franchise operating companies since 2001, and has invested in nine brands comprising more than 2600 locations in 50 states and 29 countries. The firm's roots are in franchising, as Neal Aronson, founder and managing partner, was co-founder of U.S. Franchise Systems, Inc., before selling the franchise operator and starting Roark Capital.
Automate and Save
September 28, 2006
A new day is dawning for electronic discovery in corporate environments. Opposing counsels recognize that e-documents stored in proprietary formats or on multiple systems no longer mean that they are inaccessible.
Liability Without Harm: Is There a New Source of Catastrophic Liability Lurking Within Your State's Consumer Protection Statute?
September 28, 2006
Lost benefit suits are especially threatening to product manufacturers because these claims are particularly susceptible to class aggregation. Rule 23 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure permits plaintiffs to assemble into classes when, among other things, they share 'questions of law or fact' and those common questions 'predominate over any questions affecting only individual members.' Fed. R. Civ. P. 23. Ordinarily, injury and causation are sources of diversity between plaintiffs and, by extrapolation, impediments to class treatment. Plaintiffs who claim injury from tobacco, for example, frequently claim different injuries and different causal mechanisms and, therefore, typically may not assemble into classes. <i>See, e.g., Aspinall</i>, 442 Mass. at 392-93, 813 N.E.2d at 485-86. By dispensing with the injury and causation requirements, lost benefit suits destroy a source of diversity between plaintiffs and promote class treatment.
