TEXAS LAWYER CASE ALERT

February 8, 2012

TOP STORIES

EDTX Patent Suits

Patent suits filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas from Jan. 27 to Feb. 1 include cases Marcosolve Inc. filed against Facebook Inc., Hyatt Corp., Newegg Inc. and Yelp! Inc. for alleged infringement of a patent for a system and method for data management. In another case, Allergan Inc. filed a suit alleging infringement of a patent for "Enhanced Ophthalmic Solution."

All I Needed to Become Partner I Learned in Elementary School

This time fills senior associates with both hope and fear. Trust me. I've been there. Recently, in fact.

Koch Industries GC on Politics and the Keystone Pipeline

As House Republicans are pushing for a committee vote on a bill to move the Keystone XL pipeline project forward, opponents keep dragging Koch Industries Inc. into the controversy — even though it claims no interest in the bill. "It's political theater," complains Koch general counsel Mark Holden, as a vote on the bill was scheduled for Tuesday before the House Energy and Commerce committee.

Firm Alleges Defendants Misappropriated Trade Secrets

Shrader & Associates of Houston has filed a petition in Harris County state district court alleging a former office manager at the firm provided "confidential, proprietary, and privileged information" from the firm's computer server to a Houston lawyer and firm. The civil action follows a 2011 indictment of the former manager for felony theft for allegedly taking more than $200,000 from Shrader & Associates.

What Causes Lawyers to Over-Preserve?

It's hard to persuade attorneys to accept leaner, less costly preservation protocols. Irrational fear of sanctions and spotty familiarity with information technology have so conditioned lawyers to over-preserve that when advised there's no need to keep something, they reply, "Let's keep it anyway ? just to be safe."

Justice Department Puts Brakes on Lance Armstrong Investigation

In a big victory for the cycling star and his peloton of lawyers, the U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles announced that it has closed a two-year criminal probe into the seven-time Tour de France winner and members of his former U.S. Postal Service team without bringing charges against the targets.

Tracing the Effects of Oil and Gas Industry Political Donations

As news reports highlight the millions of dollars flowing from corporations and individuals into this year?s presidential election campaigns, money also continues to have an influence on members of Congress. Of 36 U.S. Senators who rank the oil and gas industry among their top 10 contributing industry groups, 31 sponsored or co-sponsored a bill earlier this week to try to push through the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline.