Competition

5 Ways Law Firms Can Improve Their Job Interviews

When evaluating potential new hires, law firms should utilize structured interviews in order to create a consistent rating system that accurately and effectively assesses candidates' skills and competencies, says Jennifer Henderson of Major Lindsey.

A Rare Antitrust Deferred Prosecution Agreement From DOJ

The significant question raised by Heritage Pharmaceuticals' deferred prosecution agreement — the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division's first DPA with a company other than a bank — is whether it signals a broader openness to such agreements by the division, say Peter Huston and Alex Bourelly at Baker Botts.

Series

Why I Became A Lawyer: A Fateful Phone Call

When I was growing up, my mother was always the more mild-mannered parent. But during a trans-Atlantic phone call in 1991, when I told her I wanted to go to culinary school instead of law school, she started yelling — at a volume I had never heard from her, says Jason Brookner of Gray Reed.

Law Firms Can Do Better With Their Mentoring Programs

There are a few practical, proactive steps law firms can take to create a mentoring program that pays dividends — instead of creating a mediocre program that both parties see as an obligation, says Kate Sheikh of Major Lindsey & Africa.

Opinion

The Misguided Criticism Of Printing Industry Merger

Quad/Graphics' proposed acquisition of LSC Communications is an example of printers taking action to stay alive and compete in today's media industry, and antitrust concerns appear to be both misplaced and ironic, says Derek Dahlgren of Rothwell Figg.

The Latest Developments In Criminal Cases Against Execs

This spring, there was some noteworthy news in white collar government investigations impacting executives, including the first successful prosecution in the opioid bribery scheme and the first criminal charges for failure to report under the Consumer Product Safety Act, say attorneys at Miller & Chevalier.

'Rocket Docket' Justifies Its Name For 11th Straight Year

The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia “rocket docket” is still the fastest federal civil trial court in the country despite some recent trends causing its median time to trial to grow to 13.2 months, says Robert Tata of Hunton.

Opinion

Delrahim’s Antitrust Approach To FRAND Still Problematic

While a recent speech thankfully walks back some of Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim’s more extreme statements about the role of antitrust in policing commitments to license patents on fair, reasonable and nondiscriminatory terms, it still fails to appreciate the positive role that competition law can play in ensuring compliance, says Thomas Cotter of the University of Minnesota Law School.

Measuring The Value Of A Law Firm's Social Media Efforts

Most legal marketers struggle to show the return on investment of their social media efforts, but establishing and answering several key questions can help demonstrate exactly how social media programs contribute to a law firm's bottom line, say Guy Alvarez of Good2bSocial and communications consultant Tom Orewyler.

What To Expect From An Appeal Of FTC V. Qualcomm

Any appeal of a California federal judge's ruling in Federal Trade Commission v. Qualcomm will likely raise a number of interesting legal issues at the intersection of antitrust and fair licensing of standard-essential patents, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

Despite Amarin, ITC May Be Right Prescription For Pharma

While the Federal Circuit recently concluded that Amarin Pharma’s Lanham Act claims at the U.S. International Trade Commission were precluded by the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, this is a narrow exception to the ITC's broad jurisdiction, say Kecia Reynolds and Alton Hare of Pillsbury.

Cooperating With Competitors In The Wake Of Qualcomm

It is well-understood that joint business ventures between rivals can bring antitrust risk. But a California federal judge's recent Qualcomm decision underscores the importance of examining the opposite angle — whether refusing to do deals with rivals will trigger antitrust liability, say Amy Gallegos and Julia Kim Hirata at Jenner & Block.

The Uncertain Future Of Gov't Investigations Post-Deutsche

A New York federal judge's recent decision in the Deutsche Bank Libor-rigging case U.S. v. Connolly threatens to upend decades of established cooperation practice in government investigations, a fact to which the opinion makes only a passing reference, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

Class Action Insights From Justices' App Store Opinion

The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Apple v. Pepper exponentially increases the settlement value of antitrust class actions brought by buyers of products on software platforms, and offers an early glimpse into the antitrust approach of Justice Brett Kavanaugh, say Leiv Blad and Rachel Maimin at Lowenstein Sandler.

The Role Of Risk Aversion In Reverse-Payment Agreements

Contrary to the proposition that brand-name companies’ risk aversion is the chief reason for reverse payments, economic research shows that it is the risk aversion of the generic company that can facilitate partial settlement agreements with reverse payments, says Wenqing Li of Epsilon Economics.