The rise of legal operations as an occupation in corporations’ law departments has given rise to legal operations professionals in law firms, resulting in both groups creating synergies to further support better business acumen in their respective firms and law department hierarchies. This interview takes a look inside Barnes & Thornburg’s Legal Operations Department to view what law firms are doing to meet the needs of clients and their legal operations counterparts.Continue Reading Process & Pricing: Using Legal Ops to Improve Law Firm Relationships

Article by James A. Merklinger /  Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC)

There is no doubt that 2016 was a record-setting year in the history of the enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. The nearly $2.5 billion in settlements that companies paid to resolve FCPA cases dwarfs the previous year’s figure of $133 million. However, nearly absent from the books last year were incidents in the Middle East.
Continue Reading ACC and Dubai Join Forces on Anticorruption Program: Goal is to train in-house counsel active in the Middle East

Article by Beth S. Rose / Sills Cummis & Gross PC

Who would have thought that the question of where venue lies in a patent infringement action could generate so much buzz among lawyers? But it has. The U.S. Supreme Court’s May decision in TC Heartland v. Kraft Foods Group Brands held that, under the patent venue statute, a domestic corporation resides only in its state of incorporation.

This was a big deal. The implications for forum shopping could be huge. But don’t count plaintiffs out yet. They still have options. And some of them may create new problems for defendants.

But first, let’s review how we got here.Continue Reading Four Likely Implications from TC Heartland v. Kraft Foods: The Supreme Court’s decision on venue in patent litigation could shake things up

Article by John Filar Atwood / Wolters Kluwer Legal & Regulatory U.S.

 

U.S. Department of Justice officials have gone out of their way recently to emphasize that enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act is alive and well under the new administration. Perhaps in response to concerns that President Donald Trump is reportedly no fan of the FCPA, both Acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Blanco and Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Trevor McFadden said in recent public remarks that the DOJ continues to vigorously investigate and enforce FCPA violations. Worth noting in McFadden’s comments is that the prosecution of individuals remains a DOJ priority.
Continue Reading No Free Pass Under Trump: Individuals who think they can do what they want without having to worry about FCPA enforcement should think again

Interview with Steven Maslowski / Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP

Steven Maslowski, an IP litigator at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, handles cases on the cutting edge of life sciences. It’s a complicated place to be these days, as the courts are sorting through changes in the law and litigators are waiting for guidance from the Food and Drug Administration. And it’s all playing to the tune of something called “the patent dance.” The interview has been edited for style and length.
Continue Reading Changes in the Law Leave Life Sciences Litigators Dancing as Fast as They Can: Lawyers also await guidance from the FDA

By Mary O’Carroll, head of legal operations at Google

Many of you have asked me to post my closing remarks from the 2017 CLOC Institute that wrapped up last week. It was an incredible event and I am honored to be a part of the CLOC movement. #CLOC2017 

It is my great pleasure to say a few words to close out our time together. Where do I even begin? What can I say to do justice to what we’ve just experienced?  How about this for starters: we just completed the world’s largest legal operations event in history!

I experienced so many amazing moments over the last few days. One in particular stands out… It was the eve of the Institute and I was standing on a patio, overlooking the Bellagio fountains and the famous Las Vegas strip.  As I looked up, I saw the Bellagio marquee, one of the most well recognized and iconic billboards in the entire world. And on it was an image that read “Welcome CLOC.”  I had to stop and pinch myself.  Think about how far we have come!  This is an organization that didn’t even exist a year and a half ago!Continue Reading Mary O’Carroll’s Closing Remarks at the 2017 CLOC Institute