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In September, we blogged about the ongoing legal battle between VirnetX, a patent holding company (or patent troll, depending on your point of view), and Apple. VirnetX claimed a patent on the process of establishing a secure tunnel between two computers on the Internet. Apple uses something like this technology in FaceTime, though the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a jury verdict in VirnetX’s favor on some of the infringement claims....

Ever wonder why so many patent cases get filed in the Federal Eastern District Court of Texas? It might be that wild wild west Texas mindset, or it might be the fact that over 70 percent of patent holders win their cases in that judicial district. While you might think that reputable companies like Raytheon might rise above the troll-ish act of venue shopping, you should never underestimate the desire of corporations to save money and to get a leg up in litigation....

The ACLU is weighing in on the fate of Jason Wayne Pleau, saying that the federal prosecutors are exercising “governmental vengeance.” Steve Brown, Director of the Rhode Island ACLU, has stated that there is no legitimate rationale for the government’s interference in the Pleau matter, reports WPRO News. The ACLU’s comments come one day after federal prosecutors said that they plan to seek the death penalty in Pleau’s case. The case, which involves a 2010 murder, has been at the forefront of the death penalty debate in New England....

A quick way for an eager young attorney to start off with a book of business is to buy a law practice. You may already know that doctors and clients frequently sell their practices to other doctors and dentists. But did you know that lawyers are increasingly selling and buying their practices too? While this may have seemed unethical several years ago, the practice is becoming more common and accepted, writes Solo Contendere....

A federal appeals court rejected a filmmaker’s complaint that North Carolina pirated his footage of Blackbeard’s sunken ship. In Allen v. Cooper, the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals said the state was immune from liability for using the film of Queen Anne’s Revenge. It ran aground in 1718 near Beaufort, North Carolina, where the plaintiff’s crew filmed the underwater wreckage. The state used some images of the pirate ship for tourism and educational purposes, a fair use under copyright law....

If you’re reading this piece about a first client meeting, you probably are a new lawyer or soon-to-be one. After all, an experienced lawyer would not likely read this because it would not be his or her first rodeo. But in the off-chance that you’re a seasoned attorney looking for a few pointers or just killing time, let me at least entertain you. This is a story about a memorable first client meeting, about twenty years ago....

Judge Andre Davis took senior status barely two months ago, yet there’s already a nominee for his seat, the only vacancy in the Fourth Circuit. Compare that expediency with the nine years it took to fill the seat last time. Who’s the nominee? Meet Georgetown Law visiting professor and former O’Melveny & Myers appellate attorney Pamela Harris. Her nomination for the Maryland-assigned seat was announced late Thursday by the White House and drew immediate praise from local politicians....

Acritas’ list of the strongest law firm brands is here! At the top, for the fourth year in a row, is Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, known to its friends as just plain old “Skadden.” The competition for law firms is heating up as each one tries to muscle the other ones out for the same money coming from the same clients. Even if you’re not in the same level of classification as a Skadden, this list still has some valuable insight....

The rankings are in. Those U. S. News and World Report numeric lists we love, hate and love to hate have now extended their reach to ranking the “Nation’s Best Law Firms.” In partnership with Best Lawyers, U.S. News is now not only going to enumerate for law students which schools are the “best,” but which firms they should thinking about signing onto after graduating. In the top 10% of their class, of course....

When news of a secret online drug marketplace broke last year, many people were left wondering: What is a Bitcoin? At the marketplace, Silk Road, drug dealers and drug users reportedly hooked up and exchanged illegal drugs for real currency through an online medium of Bitcoins, reports ARS Technica. The Bitcoins are an artificial currency that only existed in the digital world. However, drug dealers and money launderers reportedly were able to turn this digital currency into real dough....

Bar Leader, an extension of the ABA, conducted a survey on millennial and Generation Y lawyers. It found that 75 percent of Generation Y lawyers felt that their law school failed to provide them with much practical training or information on how to actually practice law. Learning From Other Lawyers Brian Warens, whose wife Nora works for the ABA in the Bar Services Division, said that “interacting with other practicing lawyers has been the key to my learning....

Schrodinger’s Cat is probably the most famous thought experiment in the history of, well, thought experiments. It poses that – after being placed in a sealed box with a flask of poison and a radioactive source – the cat will be alive and dead at the same time. Theoretical physicists love this stuff, but Futurama makes it much more fun. It basically sets up the moment when reality collapses into one possibility or another....

I have one question for Apple after yesterday’s presentation: How in the heck did you forget to mention Apple SIM? How? It allows you to hop data networks when you don’t have coverage, or when one carrier is offering a cheaper price, or when you travel to the UK. It is, in essence, a cross-carrier SIM card that supports AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile in the United States and EE in the United Kingdom, with hopefully more networks to come....

When it comes to recruiting new attorneys, it can be hard for small practices and boutique firms to compete with for top talent – but it’s not impossible. After all, there’s a reason you don’t work for a major firm. Because those jobs are awful. Instead of being another overpaid drone working ten hours every day on a brief no one will see, you decided to set out for something different....

One thing is for sure about technology: it will become outdated. It usually happens just as you think you understand the “old” technology. If I were a conspiracy theorist, I would say “they” plan it that way – like automakers plan cars to fall apart exactly one day after the warranties expire. Addison Cameron-Huff, who blogs as a “tech lawyer, Torotonian, entrepreneur and programmer,” tries to keep current with lawyerly technologies....

Getting a grip on potential real estate issues is one of the less fun roles of an in-house counsel. But it can’t be stressed enough how important to it is to check the lease from time to time. Leasing woes typically begin with a tenant’s “out of sight, out of mind” approach. So, get off your ergonomic chair, remove the lease from your drawer, dust it off, look it over, and maybe breathe new life into it....

Staying productive is key when it comes to getting new business and impressing existing clients. But when you don’t have a lot of work on your list, how do you fill up that time as a solo attorney? It’s not as if you’re working for a firm where the billable hour is king. In a solo practice your clients likely don’t want to see the hours racking up as you rack your brain for other work to do for their legal matters....

In an action alleging that defendant-city’s denial of a permit for plaintiff to construct a low-income housing project was motivated by racial animus and that it had a discriminatory impact on racial minorities, summary judgment for defendant is affirmed where: 1) there was no evidence that the resolutions passed by the city council constituted departures from the city’s normal policy and procedure; 2) the city’s interpretation of its own ordinance was not unreasonable; and 3) plaintiffs failed to raise a fact question as to whether the city’s actions caused a significant discriminatory effect....

FindLaw columnist Eric Sinrod writes regularly in this section on legal developments surrounding technology and the internet. Businesses, governments, and individuals rightly are concerned about potentially becoming victims of Cyber crimes and attacks. However, should there also be worry that the blame for such crimes and attacks could be directed to the innocent who had no intent and took no affirmative action in furtherance of evil deeds? Maybe. Let’s explore a hypothetical....

The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals recently ruled that a district court abused its discretion in issuing a permanent injunction barring litigation in a matter resolved through a class action settlement agreement. Karon and Chip Edleson, on behalf of themselves and a national class, filed a complaint against American Home Shield, an insurance company, in a California court, alleging that American Home Shield had wrongfully denied claims, and had failed to supervise its third-party contractors....