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In
This Issue |
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1. Effort?
Results. That's what we're talkin'
about.
2. Did You Know?
Buffalo billing.
3. Techniques for Expediting
Litigation. The 4th installment.
4. We've Moved (Up!) in Dallas.
Come see us.
5. The Susman Godfrey
Forum. For in-house counsel.
6. Hot Lunch. A
tutorial on patent
litigation. | |
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Did You Know?
Bill the Buffalo -- a soft, friendly, and
stress-reducing bison -- entitles his recipient to half
an hour of otherwise billable time. Email me if
you'd like a free Bill. |
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We've
Moved (Up!) in Dallas.
On the eve of our 20th year in
Dallas, Susman Godfrey L.L.P. has ascended the stairwell
of Bank of America Plaza to the 51st
floor. The new offices,
which will accomodate a decade of growth,
feature ubiquitous glass walls, a slanting corridor, and
conference rooms bearing the names of Capri,
Tasmania, and other islands around the world. We
also exposed the huge concrete pillars that hold the
building up.
Please let us know if you'd like a
tour. We'd love to see you. Just call
Donna Sue Miller at 214-754-1921 to make an
appointment. |
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Hot Lunch.
Patent litigation can pose enormous
risks not only to the infringer but also to
the patent holder. The high cost of litigation,
the abundance of potential pitfalls, and the
catastrophic consequences of losing make patent cases
especially hard to evaluate.
Houston partners Max Tribble and
Joe Grinstein put together a tutorial on patent
litigation. They used a version of it in a case we
settled for over $200 million. You
can see the tutorial by clicking here
.
You can reach Max or
Joe at 713-651-9366. |
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Effort?
Results.
 The hourly fee -- which Sharan
Goolsby of Alcatel North America says started
as a way to gauge the value of legal services -- rewards
lawyers for trying to get good results
instead of actually getting them. (Ms.
Goolsby manages litigation for Alcatel North America in
the U.S. and Canda.) A key idea behind Notes
on Complex Commercial Litigation is that better
aligning interests of lawyers with clients requires
compensating lawyers for favorable outcomes and
therefore giving them an incentive to make optimal
(rather than maximum) effort. This notion should
pervade our monthly offering of news, tips, and
resources.
We will appreciate your thoughts about whether we're
achieving our goal. You can always email me
at bbarnett@susmangodfrey.com.
Barry
Barnett, Editor |
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Techniques for Expediting
and Streamlining Commercial Litigation
 Last month, we considered trial team
procedures as a means of expediting and streamlining
commercial litigation. In this issue -- courtesy
of a chapter from the new ABA and West treatise on
Business and Commercial Litigation in Federal
Courts (2d ed. Robert L. Haig, editor) -- we
examine handling discovery, discovery disputes, and
trial preparation to enhance cost-effectiveness.
This link will take you to the 4th
installment from the chapter on Techniques for
Expediting and Streamlining Litigation. |
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The Susman Godfrey
Forum
the first ever
S
u s m a n G o d f r e
y
Forum
A
forum so valuable
you couldn’t pay us to do
it.
As a result of
our last annual retreat, the Dallas office of
Susman Godfrey began a Forum to enable in-house
lawyers and Susman Godfrey partners
to exchange their views on the
hottest topics in complex commercial litigation.
On September 29,
2005, lawyers representing companies across North
Texas participated in the first Susman Godfrey Forum at
the Crescent Club in Dallas. Interactive
discussions covered mock trials, the hiring and
management of outside lawyers, electronic discovery and
spoliation, liability insurance for directors and
officers, and the selection and use of expert
witnesses. Companies that sent representatives
included Alcatel, Belo, Occidental Chemical, ORIX
Capital Markets, and Texas Instruments.
Participants described the Forum as
"unique", "first class",
"sassy", "dead on", "covering
excellent topics with real day-to-day
application", and "by far superior to the
rest."
Because
of the enthusiastic reception, we plan to make the
Forum an annual event. But we'll have to limit
attendance to preserve the Forum's
intimacy.
If you would like to join next
year's Forum, let us know by sending an email to our
office manager, Nancy Galante, at ngalante@susmangodfrey.com. |
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