The National Law Journal

September 22, 2003 | National Law Journal

When it renders its opinion in Pfizer Inc. v. Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Ltd., the Federal Circuit will consider, for the first time, the scope of patent rights available during a patent's term extension. The decision will define how closely generic manufacturers will be able to compete with brand-names during the patent term extension.

By Philippe Bennett, Thomas J. Parker and Amy S. ManningSpecial to The National Law Journal

14 minute read

February 13, 2006 | National Law Journal

A qualified personal residence trust (QPRT) has become a mainstay of estate planning, but it can pose complex income, gift and estate tax issues if a grantor's marriage is dissolved and that possibility had not been taken into account when the QPRT was established.

By John J. ButtitaSpecial to The National Law Journal

13 minute read

October 23, 2003 | National Law Journal

Hollywood fired the latest salvo in the war against digital piracy last month. On Sept. 17, Paramount Pictures and Twentieth Century Fox filed a complaint in a New York federal court against four companies that distribute software capable of copying DVDs.

By David M. Klein Special to The National Law Journal

10 minute read

April 20, 2009 | National Law Journal

With increasing frequency, a single operational or financial issue can balloon into multifront litigation. In such circumstances, regulatory, civil and, in some cases, criminal, proceedings may commence and unfold in parallel. There can be no single blueprint for navigating such "parallel proceedings," but there are some issues that are common to nearly all of them.

By Christopher G. Green, Peter L. Welsh and Andrew G. Devore / Special to The National Law Journal

12 minute read

April 10, 2007 | National Law Journal

Teaching the practical application of the law is the responsibility of law schools, not the state bar association, says Susan Cartier-Liebel, a Connecticut solo practitioner and adjunct professor at Quinnipiac University School of Law.

By Susan Cartier-Liebel/Special to The National Law Journal

4 minute read

June 16, 2008 | National Law Journal

Great cases, like hard cases, make bad law, to paraphrase Oliver Wendell Holmes, because those cases involve some accident of immediate overwhelming interest which appeals to the feelings and distorts the judgment. And so one of the greatest recent cases of such distortion of well-established law was the tragic one of Terri Schiavo, a disabled woman clinging to life in Florida medical facilities and courtrooms.

By Priscilla Norwood Harris / Special to The National Law Journal

5 minute read

September 01, 2003 | National Law Journal

A Michigan murder with a 3-1/2-year-old girl as the sole alleged witness is part of a growing phenomenon: the use of very young children as witnesses in criminal proceedings.

By Tresa BaldasSpecial to The National Law Journal

9 minute read

June 04, 2007 | National Law Journal

Spitzer v. Grasso should not be read as somehow emasculating an attorney general's fundamental authority with respect to nonprofit organizations in general and charitable corporations in particular. The power and oversight authority of the AG remains fundamentally intact with respect to nonprofits.

By Michael W. Peregrine Ralph E. DeJong / Special to The National Law Journal

5 minute read

July 07, 2008 | National Law Journal

There are striking similarities between the roles of a film director and the chief of operations of a complex intellectual property case. A film director controls all aspects of making a film and guides the technical crew and actors to achieve the director's vision. The COO of the complex IP case directs all aspects of the making and, ultimately, the presentation of the case and guides the legal team to achieve the "mission" of the case. The COO, however, doesn't have the luxury of reshooting a scene if a witness botches a line.

By David Henry Dolkas / Special to The National Law Journal

11 minute read

March 28, 2005 | National Law Journal

Skillful lawyering by Daniel M. Wall and two colleagues who dubbed themselves "the three-headed monster" cleared the path for Oracle to acquire rival PeopleSoft Inc. in what ultimately became a $10.3 billion deal. For crafting a defense effective enough to persuade a federal judge and the best of the government's antitrust lawyers, the Oracle case is The National Law Journal's choice for top defense win of 2004.

By June D. Bell Special to The National Law Journal

8 minute read