A recent ITC decision on behalf of Tessera amounts to a big win for Irell & Manella and their cocounsel at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, Goodwin Procter, and Miller & Chevalier. The ruling confirmed the validity of Tessera's patents on miniaturized ball grid array semiconductor packages, which are used in portable electronic devices.

The Fulton County Daily Report scours federal court records to compile its annual database of billing rates. The not-so-shocking news: Firms raised their rates in 2008, with the top hourly rate last year $15 more than it was in 2007. You also won't be surprised to hear that annual billing rate increases are now considered to be a thing of the past. Plus: Who's in the $1,000-an-hour club? We've got nine names.

Corporate Counsel magazine's annual survey of general counsel, out this week, tells a familiar story: A nearly unchanged roster of corporations hired (mostly) the same giant firms, and they made the same demands about alternative billing and reduced fees. But this year, there's a twist--clients actually seem to mean it. Plus: Who represents the Fortune 100?