Quantcast

In-House Counsel Special Section – December 2011

BY: admin
POSTED: December 9, 2011

Read the December 2011 edition of our quarterly In-House Counsel special section.


Breaking down patent reform, after visit from the USPTO (access required)

BY: Felicia J. Boyd
POSTED: December 8, 2011

Felicia J. Boyd

In November, Barnes & Thornburg hosted Teresa Stanek Rea, deputy director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), in Minneapolis to discuss the impact of the America Invents Act (AIA), the most significant reform of the U.S. patent system in nearly six decades.


Tweet surrender: Former employers can gain custody of your social media (access required)

BY: Dolan Media Newswires
POSTED: December 8, 2011

Here’s a word of caution for lawyers who use Twitter professionally: If you part ways with your firm, your ex-employer may get custody of your tweets.


Businesses brace for new ADA accommodation rules (access required)

BY: Kimberly Atkins
POSTED: December 8, 2011

The vast majority of publicly accessible properties — including hotels, stores, banks, movie theaters, doctors’ offices and barbershops — will be affected by new accessibility rules under the Americans With Disabilities Act governing public accommodations.


New technology could streamline e-discovery process (access required)

BY: Dolan Media Newswires
POSTED: December 8, 2011

Attorney Eric Maassen plans to use a lot fewer paper clips and Post-its in the near future.

The page markers once played a large role in distinguishing relevant information found in documents during case discovery, he said. But with the rise of e-discovery and new technology that requires fewer people poring over documents, Maassen, a partner at Foley & Lardner LLP in Milwaukee, soon might be able to give his eyes and office supplies a rest.


Understanding whistle-blower bounty rules is critical (access required)

BY: Erik W. Weibust
POSTED: December 8, 2011

After the widespread failures associated with the Bernard Madoff scandal, Congress hastily passed the Dodd-Frank Act and empowered the Securities and Exchange Commission to issue rules enforcing certain provisions, including the whistle-blower bounty provision.

In effect, Congress has deputized employees of publicly traded companies to police their employers’ conduct, offering handsome compensation to those who do so effectively.


Emerging ADA case law shows ‘lower bar’ for plaintiffs (access required)

BY: Laurie F. Rubin and Daniel S. Tarlow
POSTED: December 8, 2011

Almost two years have passed since Congress amended the Americans with Disabilities Act, lowering the criteria to establish disability status in response to cramped judicial interpretations of the ADA.


Midwestern companies comfortable saying ‘see you in court’ (access required)

BY: Barbara D'aquila
POSTED: December 8, 2011

Barbara D’Aquila

The 2011 Litigation Trends Survey reveals an interesting and ongoing trend: Companies headquartered in the Midwest continue to be more aggressive in filing lawsuits than companies headquartered anywhere else in the country


Lawyers: Compliance with data privacy laws may not be enough (access required)

BY: Christina Pazzanese
POSTED: October 3, 2011

A recent consumer protection action by Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley against a Boston area pub and restaurant chain victimized by credit card hackers provides a road map for what the liability landscape could look like in future data breach litigation.


National Labor Relations Board takes aim at social media (access required)

BY: Correy E. Stephenson
POSTED: October 3, 2011

Employers — including law firms — need to take a closer look at their social media policies and how they enforce those policies in light of recent actions taken by the National Labor Relations Board.


Next Page »

Minnesota Lawyer e-Brief

Legal news updates every Tuesday and Friday.
Email:

Follow us on social media



Dolan Media Copyright © 2012 MINNESOTA LAWYERS  |   Minnesota Lawyer, 730 South Second Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55402 (612)333-4244