SCG LEGAL NEWSLETTER (May 2013)
SCG Legal Member Attorneys Gather in Dallas
More than 50 IP attorneys from SCG Legal member firms gathered in Dallas earlier this month to network and share information at the 135th annual meeting of the International Trademark Association, better known as INTA. The event was held at The Adolphus, continuing an SCG Legal tradition of holding networking events for member attorneys at conferences hosted by specialty bar associations. Attending the meeting was SCG Legal CEO Dave Poisson, who expressed his appreciation to those in attendance for stopping by to say hello and encouraged them to become more actively involved in SCG Legal activities at other times during the year, such as by volunteering to speak at SCG Legal's international and annual meetings, contributing to its blog and by becoming involved in its IP & Technology Practice Section.
Still Time to Register for
SCG Legal 2013 International Meeting
There's still time to register for this year's SCG Legal international meeting June 7 and 8 in Sao Paulo. The meeting will open with an address by the Honorable Ellen Gracie Northfleet, the first woman appointed to the Brazil Supreme Court and its first woman chief justice. The program will also feature sessions on the prognosis for Brazil's economic future, the legal outlook for companies doing business in Latin America, how compliance programs are changing the Latin American business landscape, the use of arbitration as a means of resolving international business disputes, and what chief legal officers in multinational companies are looking for in their outside international counsel. A limited number of rooms has been reserved for SCG Legal registrants at the InterContinental Sao Paulo, which is located in the heart of the city. To obtain the best available rate, please indicate your lodging preference on your registration form. For more information about this year's international meeting, please call us at (202) 659-6601.
Legal Industry Adds New Jobs
The legal sector added 2,100 new positions in April to mark its second straight month of job growth, according to seasonally adjusted preliminary data released this month by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The latest increase comes on the heels of initial BLS reports that showed the industry adding 2,000 jobs in March. However, this month's BLS report revised that figure upward to 3,500 legal services jobs added for the month. The back-to-back gains managed to offset a bumpy start to the year that saw 2,400 legal jobs lost in January and another 500 lost in February.
Wage-and-Hour Suits Continue Upward Trend
U. S. employers have seen an increase in the number of wage-and-hour lawsuits filed against them in federal court for the fifth year in a row, according to calculations by the Federal Judicial Center. Plaintiffs brought 7,764 suits between April 1, 2012, and March 31, 2013, an increase of approximately 10 percent since 2012.
Am Law 100 Firms Make Modest Financial Gains
Am Law 100 law firms overall had low single-digit year-over-year increases in all major metrics, American Lawyer magazine reported in its annual survey. Gross revenue was up 3.4 percent, average revenue per lawyer was up 2.6 percent, and average profits per partner were up 4.2 percent. "At the same time, we did not see any sort of retrenchment in terms of headcount," said American Lawyer editor-in-chief Robin Sparkman. "So that's also a fundamentally good sign."
DLA Settles Fee Suit After Release of Emails
DLA Piper's public feud with ex-client Adam Victor, who alleged the firm overbilled him, has been resolved, a month after the client released internal e-mails by DLA attorneys who discussed a "churn that bill, baby" approach to billing. Victor reached a settlement with the firm last month. Victor exposed the e-mails obtained in discovery in response to a lawsuit brought by DLA claiming Victor owed the firm $679,000 in legal fees. Victor claimed the e-mails, in which one attorney writes, "That bill shall know no limits," were evidence of overbilling. DLA, in a statement released after the e-mails became public, said the e-mails "were in fact an offensive and inexcusable effort at humor, but in no way reflect actual excessive billing."
SCG Legal Newsletter - April 2013
SCG Legal Newsletter - March 2013
SCG Legal Newsletter - February 2013
SCG Legal Newsletter - January 2013
SCG Legal Newsletter - December 2012
SCG Legal Newsletter - November 2012
SCG Legal Newsletter - October 2012
SCG Legal Newsletter - September 2012
SCGLegal Newsletter - August 2012
SCG Legal Newsletter - July 2012
SCG Legal Newsletter - June 2012
SCG Legal Newsletter - May 2012
SCG Legal Newsletter - April 2012
SCG Legal Newsletter - March 2012
SCG Legal Newsletter - February 2012
SCG Legal Newsletter - January 2012
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