After getting $700 billion worth of help from Congress, Wall Street got a little more assistance last week, this time from the Second Circuit. The appellate court overturned a ruling that permitted an investment advisor's suit against scores of Wall Street advisors to move forward, finding that the advisor--which sued on behalf of clients who lost money in the meltdown of Adelphia Communications--lacked constitutional standing.

ParkerVision Inc. and its anxious investors got some good news on Thursday, when a jury determined that tech giant Qualcomm Inc. infringed the company's patents for converting wireless signals. Now it's up to McKool Smith to persuade jurors to award the full $500 million in damages that ParkerVision is seeking.

It's looking pretty gloomy out there for securities class action lawyers. Two federal judges have now found that even U.S. investors who bought shares of foreign companies on foreign exchanges can't bring claims.

We figured jurors would be racing to complete their civic duty after a three-month securities trial. But the plaintiffs say the longer they're out, the better the chance they'll come back with a billion-dollar award.

The bankruptcy trustees for the funds run by disgraced execs Ralph Cioffi and Matthew Tannin sued the funds' auditor for negligence and aiding and abetting. Judge Alvin Hellerstein tossed everything but one negligence count--and raised doubts about the trustees' damages theory.

The Dodd-Frank Act called for the Security and Exchange Commission's budget to double over five years. With the agency still begging Congress for money, some of the most prominent securities lawyer in private practice have stepped up to support their sometimes adversary.