Bringing Mediation In-House Is Cost-Effective in More Ways Than One

Layoffs, reduced expenses, elimination of out-of-state CLE, removal of "perks" like free office coffee and water: Invariably, cost reductions feel like a punishment. Sometimes limited resources can inspire corporate legal departments to think creatively and invest in programs that save money, effectively utilize in-house counsel and improve customer service.

10 Steps to Hiring New Outside Counsel

The most effective way for a general counsel to reduce the costs of outside counsel may be to change law firms, says Rees W. Morrison. Not discounted billing rates or convergence; not electronic billing rules or bill review — simply retain different law firms that look reasonably able to deliver comparable or better quality at lower cost. The dramatic step of moving significant amounts of work to new or not recently used firms can save your budget, but it confronts the incumbents' advantage.

Employment Risks to Consider in a Challenging Economy

Companies operating in these challenging economic times might have to navigate a number of pressing issues in order to weather the storm. Before making hasty employment-related decisions, companies would be wise to analyze the legal ramifications of such decisions, especially when it comes to reductions in force. Here are five legal risks that an employer should consider before reducing its work force.

Claims of 'Greenwashing' on the Rise

The so-called green movement has sprouted a fresh crop of lawsuits: greenwashing claims, in which companies are getting sued for making bogus eco-friendly statements about their products. Consumer plaintiffs and environmental groups have caught on, lawyers warn.

Handicapping Bilski at the Supreme Court

When the Federal Circuit issued the landmark Bilski decision, some folks were ready to call it the death of (most) business method patents, or even software patents—that view was a bit premature, because the law was still unsettled. Now, with the nation's top court now looking to take up the Bilski case, it's really unsettled.

Cafeteria Plan: GC Creates Recipe for Success With School Lunch Business

Kimberly M. Carlisle is the general counsel of a Dallas-based food service company called The Paper Plate Inc., which provides hot, nutritious lunches to more than 12,000 public school students. For the past 11 years, she has managed all the legal work behind the 70-employee company, which is on track to reach $10 million in revenue this year. She and her mother founded the business.

Is Patent Infringement Litigation Up or Down?

Filings by so-called patent trolls appear to be holding steady, which means they're actually rising as a percentage of all infringement cases as filings by non-trolls dip. Yet lawyers for two firms that have historically handled lots of plaintiffs contingency-fee work for patent-holding companies say that as rocket dockets have slowed and appellate rulings have swung in favor of defendants, they're increasingly reluctant to take on contingency-fee patent work.

Workforce Reductions Can Endanger Legal Holds

Due to the economy, many corporate legal and risk management departments — when not coping with their own layoffs — are focusing on issues relating to workforce reductions. Restructured companies are redistributing workloads and collecting documents, computers, PDAs and electronic files from departing employees.

In these difficult economic times, John E. Ansbach's company is facing a major challenge: managing its success. Ansbach is the general counsel of EFA Data Processing, a Frisco-based business process outsourcing organization for the debt settlement industry.

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