Clinical Trial Transparency
July 29, 2004
There's a newly urgent push from outside the pharmaceutical research and development community to get drug firms to disclose the results of all tests conducted on new drugs, even those that don't lead to the marketing of new medications.
'Use Clauses' and the Bankruptcy Code: A Cautionary Tale
July 29, 2004
The recent Chapter 11 bankruptcy of Trak Auto Corporation ("Trak Auto"), the retail auto parts chain, has yielded a reported decision of the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals that offers some insights for landlords on how "use clauses" in leases will be put under the bankruptcy microscope. <i>In re Trak Auto Corporation</i>, 42 B.R. 255 (4th Cir. 2004).
Defining 'Spousal' Benefits
July 27, 2004
Recent moves by various cities, states, and municipalities to legalize or ban same-sex marriage have generated a flood of press, but little concrete advice as to the potential implications of these laws and related court rulings. The dearth of specific and actionable analysis of the implications of these shifts in the law places law firms, as well as most large enterprises, at a competitive disadvantage by forcing them to react as these laws change. This issue is an especially pressing one for large law firms with offices in many states because the definition of "spouse," and thus the availability of "spousal" benefits, may differ in diverse localities.
Practice Groups Lead To Better Management
July 27, 2004
The evolution of law firm management has been slow and deliberate, usually built around established business management models. For most firms, the model is flat: A few senior-level administrative managers work closely with the partnership's executive management and make most of the decisions. But recently, several firms have adopted a new management model: practice group administrators.
Sabbaticals Benefit Both Firms and Partners
July 27, 2004
A steadily increasing number of law firms are offering partners the opportunity to take a sabbatical. A few firms are even requiring them to do so. And more lawyers are taking them. It's a "win-win" situation.
The 'Best Of' Women in Law Programs
July 23, 2004
Women in Law initiatives and programs are not a new phenomenon. Many firms nationwide have programs that afford their women attorneys business development, mentoring and career counseling. In writing this article, we spoke to 10 different firms to learn the how's and why's of their women's initiatives. In Part 1 of this article we have profiled the first five firms.
Challenge and Change
July 23, 2004
There is not a single statistic that says that women lawyers have achieved equality in terms of pay, position, power, or prestige ' not one. From its roots in 1987 as the brainchild of ABA President Robert MacCrate and its first chair, Hillary Rodham Clinton, the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession has worked to assess the status of women lawyers and support efforts to help them achieve full and equal participation and opportunities in the legal profession. The Commission's lodestar has been that organized and concerted efforts could make a difference in combating the causes and effects of gender bias, stereotypes, harassment, and inhospitable work environments that have impeded the professional careers and aspirations of women in the bar.
When Diversity Works
July 23, 2004
Of the top litigation firms in the country that boast a blue-chip roster of Fortune 100 clients, how many are composed of more than 50% women lawyers, 25% gay or lesbian lawyers, and a Native American shareholder? I only know of one: Caldwell, Leslie, Newcombe and Pettit (CLNP) in Los Angeles.
Open Source Goes Mainstream: How to Manage the Risk
July 23, 2004
In recent years, numerous articles have been published in legal journals warning of the inherent risks of using open source code in the development of software ' the fear of pirated code, the possible threat of infringement claims, the "viral" effect of the redistribution provisions of the open source license on proprietary code, just to mention a few. Arguments that such risks are merely academic were trounced when SCO Group launched an infringement claim against IBM and its customers. <br>Notwithstanding the dire warnings from lawyers and risk managers alike, companies continue to use open source code for their internal use, and to develop products to be sold or licensed to customers.
