New England Biz Law Update

The U. S. Patent and Trademark Office recently announced sweeping procedural changes that, if enacted, will significantly change the practice of patent law and require an increase in resources in-house counsel allocates to such matters. The new package of rules ...

In the context of enforcing non-competition agreements and other restrictive employment covenants, Massachusetts courts have struggled with the question: “whose goodwill is it, anyway?” The results have not always proven consistent.

Well, it has finally happened. A senior manager in your company just dropped by your office to explain to you a “troubling” situation that came to her attention recently. After providing some sketchy details about a “significant” contract and a ...

Over the last decade, the explosion of electronic communication and the corresponding developments in the law have significantly increased the burdens on counsel to ensure their client is meeting the new expectations of discovery. In 2003, in Zubulake v. UBS ...

Companies need to get the right kind of insurance to avoid liability related to hiring temporary "leased" employees.

The Northeast Chapter held its third annual Law Student Ethics Awards dinner on April 12 in the intimate setting of the Union Club in Boston. The Chapter created the awards program to recognize and encourage the ethical practice of law ...

At a time when company lawyers are under enormous pressure to hold the line on legal bills, both inside and outside lawyers are feeling intense heat from management to deliver better, more efficient service to corporate clients. But a number of in-house legal departments and their outside counsel are deploying tools to address these issues and some inroads are being made.

Last fall, the Department of Justice announced its renewed commitment to enforcing the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. And they meant it.

Both the defense bar and plaintiffs’ lawyers are claiming victory in the wake of the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that a punitive damages award in a tobacco case was unconstitutional.

One day last fall, 30-year-old Scott Rodrigues arrived for work at the Massachusetts lawn and garden company that had hired him several weeks earlier, only to hear some bad news. The results of a drug test required for employment showed ...