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Vermont Declares War On Patent Trolls; Passes New Law And Sues Notorious Patent Troll
June 17, 2013
I’ve always liked the state of Vermont — but mainly because it was a nice place to visit. But, now the state appears to be declaring war on patent trolls. A new anti-patent trolling law has been quietly enacted, H.299, which targets patent trolls. Or, as it says “bad faith assertions of patent infringement.” It does this by amending the state’s consumer protection laws, to give tools to judges to recognize when patent litigation is done in bad faith (i.e., for trolling, rather than legitimate...
June 17, 2013
I’ve always liked the state of Vermont — but mainly because it was a nice place to visit. But, now the state appears to be declaring war on patent trolls. A new anti-patent trolling law has been quietly enacted, H.299, which targets patent trolls. Or, as it says “bad faith assertions of patent infringement.” It does this by amending the state’s consumer protection laws, to give tools to judges to recognize when patent litigation is done in bad faith (i.e., for trolling, rather than legitimate...
The Neuroscience of Decision Making and Our Standards for Assessing Competence to Consent
June 17, 2013
Rapid advances in neuroscience may enable us to identify the neural correlates of ordinary decision making. Such knowledge...
June 17, 2013
Rapid advances in neuroscience may enable us to identify the neural correlates of ordinary decision making. Such knowledge...
What Neuroscience Can Teach Us About Settlement Negotiations
June 17, 2013
There is much that the latest developments in neuroscience can teach legal professionals about negotiations. This is particularly true when it comes to how people process information and make decisions. Mediators and lawyers alike can benefit particularly from what neuroscientists have revealed about priming and framing, two potent filtering mechanisms that can either inflame the emotional barriers to settlement or potentially defuse them.
June 17, 2013
There is much that the latest developments in neuroscience can teach legal professionals about negotiations. This is particularly true when it comes to how people process information and make decisions. Mediators and lawyers alike can benefit particularly from what neuroscientists have revealed about priming and framing, two potent filtering mechanisms that can either inflame the emotional barriers to settlement or potentially defuse them.
Invalid Attorney’s Fee Provision Severed and Arbitration Compelled
June 17, 2013
An arbitration provision in an employment agreement provided that the “costs and expenses of the arbitration, including the arbitrator’s fees, shall be borne equally by the parties.” The court held the provision invalid because it would have prevented the plaintiff, if successful, from recovering attorneys fees as provided for in Title VII. However, the court severed the invalid provision and compelled arbitration. Adams v. Republic Parking System, Inc., Case No. 12-1310 (USDC W.D. Okla. April...
June 17, 2013
An arbitration provision in an employment agreement provided that the “costs and expenses of the arbitration, including the arbitrator’s fees, shall be borne equally by the parties.” The court held the provision invalid because it would have prevented the plaintiff, if successful, from recovering attorneys fees as provided for in Title VII. However, the court severed the invalid provision and compelled arbitration. Adams v. Republic Parking System, Inc., Case No. 12-1310 (USDC W.D. Okla. April...
Humor in Retail
June 17, 2013
Three reasons why humor is important to retail: 1. Customers want it: Humor helps create a more pleasing environment and helps create more enjoyable interactions with sales people and customer service agents. 2. Employees want it: People work for more than just money. Retail environments are workplaces. Employees want an enjoyable, fun place to work. 3. Brands (might) want it: Humor is a way to delight customers – a goal of any company that relies on word of mouth. Moreover, to the degree...
June 17, 2013
Three reasons why humor is important to retail: 1. Customers want it: Humor helps create a more pleasing environment and helps create more enjoyable interactions with sales people and customer service agents. 2. Employees want it: People work for more than just money. Retail environments are workplaces. Employees want an enjoyable, fun place to work. 3. Brands (might) want it: Humor is a way to delight customers – a goal of any company that relies on word of mouth. Moreover, to the degree...
Are Law Schools Neglecting Half of the Brain?
June 16, 2013
The notion that law schools should teach more practical skills and hands-on training is in vogue these days. But Paula...
June 16, 2013
The notion that law schools should teach more practical skills and hands-on training is in vogue these days. But Paula...
New Statistics Highlight Power of Social Media for Law Firms
June 16, 2013
Monica Jade Romeri (@mjromeriddc) shared yesterday 17 statistics highlighting the power of social media. The new statistics from HubSpot’s 2013 State of Inbound Marketing Report provide ample support for lawyers’ and law firms’ investing time and money in social media for business development. Here’s 15 of the stats that I thought would be of interest to you. They certainly were to folks on Twitter and LinkedIn when I shared word of the statistics yesterday. 27% of total US internet...
June 16, 2013
Monica Jade Romeri (@mjromeriddc) shared yesterday 17 statistics highlighting the power of social media. The new statistics from HubSpot’s 2013 State of Inbound Marketing Report provide ample support for lawyers’ and law firms’ investing time and money in social media for business development. Here’s 15 of the stats that I thought would be of interest to you. They certainly were to folks on Twitter and LinkedIn when I shared word of the statistics yesterday. 27% of total US internet...
Law Ratchet Like Google Reader for Legal News
June 16, 2013
With Google Reader set to shut down on July 1, many of us have been scrambling to find a substitute way to keep up with news and blogs. Yesterday, a new aggregation tool was launched, Law Ratchet, designed to enable legal professionals to keep up with the top legal and business news, analysis and commentary. Available for free both as an iPad app and on the Web, Law Ratchet is essentially an RSS reader, similar in function to Google Reader. Unlike other RSS readers, however, Law Ratchet is preconfigured...
June 16, 2013
With Google Reader set to shut down on July 1, many of us have been scrambling to find a substitute way to keep up with news and blogs. Yesterday, a new aggregation tool was launched, Law Ratchet, designed to enable legal professionals to keep up with the top legal and business news, analysis and commentary. Available for free both as an iPad app and on the Web, Law Ratchet is essentially an RSS reader, similar in function to Google Reader. Unlike other RSS readers, however, Law Ratchet is preconfigured...
A Litigator Reviews John Grisham’s “The Litigators”
June 16, 2013
A few months ago I was talking with a retired lawyer with a mass tort claim that fit squarely within our firm’s criteria. Given the details he provided, there really wasn’t a lot to do pre-suit, my next steps would be to get the medical records to confirm what happened, file the complaint, and then get to work. Being a lawyer, he unsurprisingly wanted to know the whole process “from start to finish,” so we spent a while on the phone talking about short form complaints, plaintiff’s fact...
June 16, 2013
A few months ago I was talking with a retired lawyer with a mass tort claim that fit squarely within our firm’s criteria. Given the details he provided, there really wasn’t a lot to do pre-suit, my next steps would be to get the medical records to confirm what happened, file the complaint, and then get to work. Being a lawyer, he unsurprisingly wanted to know the whole process “from start to finish,” so we spent a while on the phone talking about short form complaints, plaintiff’s fact...
Senator Schumer Recommends App for Nationwide Storm Warnings
June 16, 2013
U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer is proposing a national application for smartphones, tablets and the Internet which would quickly...
June 16, 2013
U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer is proposing a national application for smartphones, tablets and the Internet which would quickly...
