In a legal profession populated by the risk-averse, litigators stand out as an intrepid lot. So it should come as little surprise that each year a handful of high-profile practitioners opt to leave the comforts of large, established law firms to strike out on their own.

There are lots of ways to reduce the threat of patent litigation: form licensing pools; sign deals with aggregators like Acacia and IV; join defensive alliances. Google's latest anti-litigation move is to bid high for 6,000 sought-after Nortel patents covering cell phone and Internet technology.

Try as they might to swat away claims that leading heavy truck transmission manufacturer Eaton Corporation conspired with truck makers to thwart competition, Eaton and its lawyers at Baker Botts and Morris Nichols, Arsht & Tunnel are still facing a three-pronged antitrust assault.

Even after United emerged from Chapter 11 in 2006, the value of its terminal space in Los Angeles remained an issue. The airline agreed with the bankruptcy and district court that the space was worth $33 million, but Kramer Levin persuaded the appeals court that its value is closer to $60 million. The ruling stands for the proposition that debtors have to pay fair market value for assets they retain.