Sports

Expert Analysis

• Q&A

  Back To School: Stanford's Jeff Fisher Talks Supreme Court

  

  In this series featuring law school luminaries, Stanford Law School professor Jeffrey Fisher discusses his motivation for teaching, arguing before the U.S. Supreme Court and what the court might look like if Judge Brett Kavanaugh is confirmed.

• Trends In Hashtags As Trademarks

  

  Can hashtags be “locked down” the way that clients want? And is trademarking them worth it? Recent cases and direction from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office are starting to outline the registrability and enforceability of hashtag trademarks, says Marc Misthal of Gottlieb Rackman & Reisman PC.

• Tips For Tech Cos. Developing Event Sponsorship Deals

  

  IBM recently partnered with the U.S. Open to offer tennis fans a digital experience. This type of deal offers numerous benefits, but companies seeking to leverage their innovative technology in exchange for sponsorship packages should be aware of certain legal issues, say Leon Medzhibovsky and Airina Rodrigues of DLA Piper.

• Calif.'s New Rules For Lawyers Move Closer To ABA Model

  

  The first comprehensive overhaul of California's Rules of Professional Conduct in nearly 30 years becomes operational on Nov. 1. Some of the new rules mirror the model language used by the American Bar Association, but many continue to reflect California’s unique approach to certain ethical questions, says Mark Loeterman of Signature Resolution LLC.

• Know The Limits To Atty Public Statements During A Trial

  

  The balancing act between protecting attorneys’ speech rights and ensuring unbiased adjudications was highlighted recently in two cases — when Michael Cohen applied for a restraining order against Stephanie Clifford's attorney, and when Johnson & Johnson questioned whether a Missouri talc verdict was tainted by public statements from the plaintiffs' counsel, says Matthew Giardina of Manning Gross & Massenburg LLP.

• In Calif., Questions Remain On Law Firm Conflict Waivers

  

  In Sheppard Mullin v. J-M Manufacturing Co., the California Supreme Court ruled last month that a law firm's failure to disclose a known conflict with another current client did not categorically disentitle the firm from recovering fees. But the court didn’t provide hoped-for guidance on how to write an enforceable advance conflict waiver, says Richard Rosensweig of Goulston & Storrs PC.

• Q&A

  A Chat With Faegre Client Development Chief Melanie Green

  

  In this monthly series, Amanda Brady of Major Lindsey & Africa interviews management from top law firms about the increasingly competitive business environment. Here we feature Melanie Green, chief client development officer at Faegre Baker Daniels LLP.

• Design Patent Confusion In Fed. Circ. Maatita Ruling

  

  The Federal Circuit's decision last month in Maatita effectively eliminates the design patent requirement that drawings must enable a person of skill in the art to make and use the invention. The court failed to properly apply statutory standards, leading to an improper result, say Robert Anders of A Design Consultancy and Christopher Rourk of Jackson Walker LLP.

• Opinion

  Court Doubles Down On Incorrect Right Of Publicity Ruling

  

  A California federal court's refusal last week to reconsider Davis v. Electronic Arts magnifies the manifest errors in its recent decision by ignoring the blatantly obvious identifiability of the former NFL players, says Ronald Katz of GCA Law Partners LLP.

• Q&A

  Back To School: Widener's Rod Smolla Talks Free Speech

  

  In this new series featuring law school luminaries, Widener University Delaware Law School dean Rodney Smolla discusses teaching philosophies, his interest in First Amendment law, and arguing before the U.S. Supreme Court in Virginia v. Black.