Technology

Expert Analysis

• Why AFAs Are Key To The Future Of Legal Practice

  

  Alternative fee agreements can help align law firm and client interests, increase efficiency and eliminate corporate extortion, among other benefits. They are the best thing to happen to the practice of law in decades, says Kelly Eisenlohr-Moul at Dinsmore & Shohl LLP.

• Murky Parts Of The New USPTO Patent Eligibility Guidance

  

  While the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's 2019 revised patent subject matter eligibility guidance is a well-written document that relies on considerable case law to support its position, it has certain limitations, says Lawrence Ashery of Caesar Rivise PC.

• Series

  Judging A Book: Barron Reviews 'The Clamor Of Lawyers'

  

  Can lawyers lead a revolution? According to "The Clamor of Lawyers: The American Revolution and Crisis in the Legal Profession" — a slim but elegant volume by Peter Charles Hoffer and Williamjames Hull Hoffer — they can and they did, says First Circuit Judge David Barron.

• The Privacy Questions Raised By Blockchain

  

  It is important to establish a framework for understanding the privacy and security challenges of blockchain so that the industry can address them, says Steve Snyder of Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP.

• Automotive Tech In 2018: Legal Trends And Developments

  

  The legal landscape for the automotive sector continued its evolution in 2018 with the development of new technology becoming a focal point for litigation, patenting and regulation, say attorneys with WilmerHale.

• Why Apple Customers Lost A Suit Over Storage Capacity

  

  A California federal court recently dismissed a lawsuit filed by Apple customers over the advertised storage capacity of iPhones and iPads. The case illustrates the importance of accurate advertising about the technical specifications of products, but also the need for plaintiffs to draft their complaints with care, says Jeffrey Edelstein of Manatt Phelps & Phillips LLP.

• Handling Corporate Congressional Probes In The Trump Era

  

  President Donald Trump’s approach to crisis communications has changed the game enough to demand companies' consideration of a whole new set of options. John Hellerman of Hellerman Communications and Bill Pittard of KaiserDillon PLLC discuss whether corporations can successfully use similar tactics.

• Did High Court Overrule Fed. Circ. On Foreign Lost Profits?

  

  The Federal Circuit recently agreed to consider whether its decision in Power Integrations v. Fairchild was "implicitly overruled" by the U.S. Supreme Court's WesternGeco ruling. Andrew Michaels of the University of Houston Law Center examines how one may know when a circuit court precedent has been overruled by the Supreme Court.

• Opinion

  The Case For Lawyer-Directed Litigation Funding In NY: Part 2

  

  Lawyer-directed nonrecourse litigation funding is more likely to protect a lawyer's exercise of independent professional judgment than traditional means of litigation finance, and furthermore enables worthwhile cases that otherwise could not be funded, say Peter Jarvis and Trisha Thompson of Holland & Knight LLP.

• Cybersecurity's Developing Role In FCPA Compliance

  

  While much attention has been paid to recent revisions to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Corporate Enforcement Policy, other developments suggest that the U.S. Department of Justice may also be adapting FCPA enforcement principles to the area of cybersecurity, say attorneys with Ropes & Gray LLP.