Early on Tuesday, global law firm Dentons announced a surprise de-merger from its mainland China branch, Dacheng Law Offices. Effective from this month, Dentons will no longer operate as a combined entity with Dacheng. In an email alert to its clients, Dentons attributed the split to “an evolving regulatory environment for Chinese law firms in…
In an ongoing discussion within the legal profession, it is being suggested that it may be time to cease the routine usage of the phrase ‘without merit’ in categorizing lawsuits. The matter has been brought to light in an opinion piece published over on Law.com. While it is common practice to dismiss a lawsuit by…
Two prominent U.S. law firms, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan and Fried Frank, have recently extended their remote work policies for their UK-based employees for the entire month of August. The decision highlights a continuing trend found mainly among U.S. companies, allowing staff greater flexibility during the summer months. Quinn Emanuel typically requires their employees…
In a recent development, Mishcon de Reya, a prominent law firm in London, experienced the departure of one of its partners who decided to join CMS, another reputed law firm operating out of the city. This event follows soon after Mishcon added two partners from Withers Hong Kong to its workforce back in June. Mishcon…
Global law firm CMS has witnessed a notable deceleration in its global revenue growth, according to a recent report. This news follows a period when the firm promoted a record number of partners across its global offices. This extensive growth initiative was part of a strategic effort to solidify the company’s footing in several international…
Global law firm Dentons is reportedly ending its association with Beijing Dacheng Law Offices. This notable split comes as a response to China’s newly implemented data privacy and cybersecurity regulations. Notably, this association previously brought thousands of lawyers under the Dentons banner, significantly expanding its global reach and areas of practice. The shake-up in this…
The intersection of privacy law and trade secret law has become a complex battleground in recent years as companies increasingly collect and use data about their customers. With this scenario, compliance with both laws evolves into a critical challenge for enterprises aiming to protect their intellectual property and the privacy of their customers, as pointed…
In the latest developments within the corporate law sphere, Connecticut-based tech consulting firm Gartner Inc. has requested a federal judge to discard counterclaims raised in a contentious lawsuit. These counterclaims were presented by The Hackett Group Inc., with the accusation that Gartner Inc. has been unlawfully seeking out trade secrets. This move from Gartner Inc….
In accord with a recent ruling, a New York federal judge throws his support to a near $16.6 million arbitrated award issued to Acorda Therapeutics Inc. Acorda Therapeutics, the American biotechnology company based in Ardsley, New York, has been in dispute with Ireland’s global biopharmaceutical company, Alkermes PLC, consequent to a bone of contention revolving…
In a recent development, the Seventh Circuit has given the green signal for Nulogy Corp. to pursue its lawsuit against Deloitte. Nulogy Corp., a software company, alleges that Deloitte misused its proprietary information in collaboration with Menasha Packaging Co. The Seventh Circuit’s decision revitalises the lawsuit that had been initially lodged by Nulogy Corp., injecting…
Tesla Inc., the renowned electric vehicle company, has been accused of patent infringement. According to a recent filing in a Texas federal court on August 7, 2023, Graphite Charging Co., claims Tesla used their patented technology to develop their charging stations, related applications, and autonomous control systems. Graphite Charging Co.’s patents specifically cover inventions for…
In recent news, IP Data Co., a patent owner, accused Canadian e-commerce firm Shopify of initiating a ‘smear campaign’ by urging it to disclose more about its funding. The tech company has referred to the Shopify’s move as nothing more than an attempt for publicity. The controversy rose to prominence when Shopify demanded more transparency…
In an ongoing scrutiny of events surrounding the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election, former U.S. President Donald Trump has reportedly contested what he deems an overly restrictive protective order proposed by federal prosecutors. According to details available from a Law360 report, the proposed order pertains to the handling of sensitive discovery materials in a case indicting…
In an unexpected development, Dentons, one of the world’s most expansive law firms, has decided to terminate its merger with Dacheng, its mainland China arm. According to the details shared by Dentons with its clients during partner communications, the firm intimated that it will be “modifying its relationship with Beijing Dacheng Law Offices”. Under the…
In a significant development, a Beverly Hills urologist, Dr. James Elist, is potentially looking at an approximate $46 million in damages. This comes after a California federal jury found a Houston-based urologist, along with other unidentified individuals, guilty of stealing Dr. Elist’s trade secrets pertaining to a cosmetic penile implant procedure. Legal professionals around the…
In a significant development emerging from the Colorado judiciary, former Chief Justice Nathan B. Coats has been censured by a special tribunal. The tribunal’s move was in response to Coats authorizing a $2.7 million no-bid contract for a former high-level judicial department employee. This decision came despite allegations of “serious misconduct” floating around the employee…
The American Psychological Association (APA) has begun to lobby for the elimination of mental health history enquiries during the licensing process for aspiring attorneys. The APA contends that prospective lawyers should not be obligated to provide disclosure about prior mental illness diagnoses or treatments. The APA’s move underscores growing concerns about the potential stigmatization of…
In a key legal dispute in North Carolina, a Federal Judge has ruled that a patent claim central to the case is invalid. The patent, originally issued for an automated “data processing network”, is owned by a prolific litigator. The litigator’s latest legal battle is against an online company that sells binders. Emerging from this…
In a noteworthy recent development, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) has ruled against Saint-Gobain Ceramics & Plastics Inc. The PTAB invalidated all claims of a patent owned by the company, which pertains to materials used in chemical manufacturing. This ruling was made after a challenge from Scientific Design Co. Inc. Although details surrounding…
In a response to the evolving demands of the legal services sector, Dechert LLP is permitting its current summer associates to defer their expected start dates by a full year. The law firm, which initially planned for the associates to start in the fall of 2024, is now offering these individuals the option to begin…
In an unfolding legal drama in New York state court, two “virtual restaurant” firms have lodged a countersuit against YouTube influencer MrBeast. The restaurateurs claim that the popular content creator, with whom they partnered to launch the MrBeast Burger joint, violated their contract. According to the plaintiffs, MrBeast effectively spoiled the burger business by making…
In a recent development, Hong Kong-based furniture manufacturer Man Wah Holdings Ltd. has been permanently prohibited from selling a cup-holder design by a federal magistrate judge, marking the conclusion of an intellectual property dispute. The jury found that the design in question infringed on a patent held by a yet unidentified company from Wisconsin, USA….
Last week, Stefanie Lambert Junttila, a Michigan attorney, was charged for allegedly being part of a scheme by Trump allies to gain unauthorized access to a voting machine after the 2020 election. The charges include undue possession of a voting machine; conspiracy to commit undue possession of a voting machine; conspiracy to commit unauthorized access…
In a significant development that could potentially impact 5G adoption and related IP policies, a Dallas-based intellectual property firm has lodged a lawsuit against Apple Inc. in a California federal court. The claims made by this company are two-fold: first, that Apple is infringing upon patents essential to the implementation of the 5G standard, and…
Ahead of a fast-approaching jury trial, point-of-sale and e-commerce organization Lightspeed has proposed a legal strategy aimed at preventing the potential utilization of past litigation victories by their opposition. Specifically, the Pennsylvania-based patent company is being asked not to reference a previous $13M verdict victory that took place in Texas federal court. According to Law360’s…