This week’s collection of blog posts is highlighted by ZMO Law’s reflective commentary on Derek Chauvin’s conviction and the trial as a whole. Harris Bricken’s leading cannabis attorney Hilary Bricken also dives into some highlights in honor of 4/20 and two other This Week in Legal Blogging guests appear alongside her. Read on for insights on firm profitability software, new data privacy legislation, and patent and trademark developments.
Top 10
Derek Chauvin’s knee is still on your neck
In the wake of Derek Chauvin’s conviction, Zachary Margulis-Ohnuma authors a thoughtful post on where we as a society go next, and what this decision really means. “While no one should celebrate a criminal conviction, the remedy of civil liability can create help ease the pain of a family who has lost a loved one to police violence,” he writes on ZMO Law Blog about only the sixth officer convicted of murder for on-the-job conduct since 2005.
Happy 4/20! Why this one’s different from all the rest
The cannabis industry’s cultural holiday comes with more celebrations than usual this year. Hilary Bricken of Harris Bricken highlights the changes this year that have resulted in an optimistic look for the industry and cannabis’s continued legalization. She discusses the SAFE Banking Act, MORE Act, and the legislative support of statewide cannabis legalization on Canna Law Blog.
Can judges rely on information that is outside of the record?
“If a court is going beyond the record in a prejudicial way—that can, and where appropriate—should be challenged,” Eric Solotoff of Fox Rothschild writes on NJ Family Legal Blog. He illustrates a recent case where a trial judge used information outside of the testimonial record to make his decision. The Appellate Division ultimately reversed, pointing to the original judge’s misuse of information and credibility in doing so.
Full speed ahead: Post-pandemic trends in M&A
M&A activity in Canada specifically has demonstrated significant growth in the first quarter of 2021. Brandon Schupp of Norton Rose Fulbright explores some trends that may be behind this surge. He organizes his post into different sections according to the different trends—including cross-border activity and the recovery of private equity. To learn more about the other trends, check out Deal Law Wire.
The money’s there but out of reach for the minority LLC member
Peter Mahler‘s feature on This Week in Legal Blogging is testament to his blogging skills, but if that alone didn’t convince you, his post this week is a perfect example of blogging done right. Peter references other thought-leaders in the area, bringing their insights into discussion with his own, and separates this detailed post into a number of digestible sections. For the full thing, head to New York Business Divorce blog.
Resourcing and investing in firm profitability software
Intapp‘s Valerie Brunt authors an informative post dissecting key findings from the inaugural Legal Pricing and Project Management Survey. She references several Intapp professionals who analyzed the survey and separates her post into several sections—touching on assessing resources, building a culture of transparency with cloud-based law firm software, and collaboratively creating profitability modeling—on the blog Horizon.
10 things lawyers should stop doing
You can’t find more hours in the day, but you can decide how you spend them. Jay Harrington lists ten things lawyers should stop doing in order to better their time management. This includes putting an end to leaving the door open to requests, reacting instead of planning, working with difficult clients, and more. “The downside of focusing on efficiency rather than effectiveness is that, even if you squeeze more time out of your day, you’re merely cracking the window open for more nonessential work to flow your way,” he writes on Harrington Communications Blog.
USPTO fast-tracks appeals for FDA approved COVID-19 patents
A concise and informative article, this post by Anjali Teigen at Rothwell Figg looks at the recent decision by the United States Patent and Trademark Office which will allow the fast-tracking of of products or processes subject to an applicable FDA approval for COVID-19 use. Typically, this process takes around 13 months, but now applicants can qualify for the COVID-19 Prioritized Examination Pilot Program. Anjali lists the conditions applicants must meet on the PTAB Law Blog.
Florida House passes consumer data privacy legislation
Recent This Week in Legal Blogging guest David Stauss of Husch Blackwell authors this post on the House’s passing of a consumer data privacy bill. He begins the post with a bolded section summarizing the main point of the article—a great section for readers who may be short on time. He details the difference between the House’s version of the bill and the Senate’s version on the blog Byte Back.