Under the law, noncompete agreements will be unenforceable for Washington-based workers and businesses starting on the effective date. Employers will be barred from entering into new agreements and must notify current and former workers in writing by Oct. 1, 2027, that existing noncompete clauses are void.
Shelton rejects the romanticized notion of invention as unconstrained creativity. He explains that he is not a fan of "blue sky" brainstorming sessions detached from operational constraints. In his view, unconstrained ideation often produces shallow ideas that collapse under real-world scrutiny. Instead, he deliberately over-constrains the problem. Technical constraints. Regulatory constraints. Cost constraints. Operational bottlenecks. Competitive barriers. Existing prior art. All of it goes into the box.
For patents to be born strong, and the public to have confidence that they are, we must ensure strict adherence to USPTO's ethical standards and avoid (real or apparent) conflicts of interest.
For the past several months, many of the most pressing questions I have been hearing from clients have come from GEO: What is it, should I be worried about it, how can I make sure my law firm is actually visible in all these AI answers? Here's what your law firm needs to know to stay relevant as the search landscape evolves.
Independently and immediately, a flood of people reached the same conclusion: This had to be a mistake. It was the summer of 2017, and as word spread that Mamoon Hamid was joining venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins, some people wondered if it was a joke, or "fake news." And they didn't hold back. "I got calls from friends in the venture business, other GPs [general partners], asking: 'Are you sure this is happening? Is this real?'" Hamid recounts.
Perkins Coie Implements Data-Driven Forecasting When working together, two Litera solutions - Foundation Scoping (formerly known as Clocktimizer) and Foundation - can offer critical insights into pricing trends so that firms can increase revenue and profitability while also improving client service. Before GenAI was a household term, there was Foundation Scoping, which uses natural language processing to identify, categorize and analyze timecard data, providing useful insights for scoping and matter management.
Harrity & Harrity is looking for experienced patent attorneys and agents who want a smarter way to practice law. Our practice is built around streamlined workflows, custom AI and automation tools, and a data-driven approach that keeps the focus where it belongs: on quality, strategy, and client service-not busywork or billable-hour math. You'll work on high-value patent portfolios for top-tier technology companies while enjoying true flexibility, strong support, and meaningful autonomy.
"While not the basis of today's decision, I note that inter partes review may be discretionarily denied on the basis that a petitioner is a sovereign." - USPTO Director John Squires U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Director John Squires on January 15 issued a Director Review decision, which he then designated as informative on January 16, in favor of Micron Technologies, vacating two Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) decisions granting institution of inter partes review (IPR) for Yangtze Memory Technologies.
A Virtuous Cycle If a legal tech solution has a high degree of adaptability, customers can start small and gradually secure buy-in and expansion. Initial wins create a virtuous cycle, where success leads to growth, and this growth leads to more success. A Cleary Gottlieb team that includes members of its Knowledge Management and Business Development groups has implemented such a cycle at that firm.
With so many options out there, it's easy to feel overwhelmed and confused about where to begin. To help you make sense of it all, "Adventures in Legal Tech" welcomed Jess Birkin, a solo attorney who gets a heck of a lot done in her unique practice niche by leveraging AI and business planning. Goals Versus Themes It's been a decade of upheaval. For lawyers, this reality complicates setting specific goals, because they are likely to be upended by outside events.
The Office de-designated Proppant Express Invests., LLC v. Oren Techs., LLC, IPR2017-01917, Paper 86 (PTAB Feb. 13, 2019); and Adello Biologics LLC v. Amgen Inc., PGR2019-00001, Paper 11 (PTAB Feb. 14, 2019). According to a USPTO email sent Tuesday, both decisions conflict with the decision in Corning Optical Communications RF, LLC v. PPC Broadband Inc., IPR2014-00440, Paper 68 (PTAB Aug. 18, 2015) (precedential).
A long-time client has asked Kinney to help identify a private equity/finance attorney to join as a partner in the firm's lucrative group. No book required. The client is a top Am Law firm.
A year or so ago, most legal departments were still testing. AI pilots. Workflow trials. Small process experiments. Everyone was learning cautiously. The stakes were relatively low, and the work was labeled "innovation," which made imperfection forgivable. Then something shifted. Those same pilots became part of day-to-day delivery, and the business started relying on them. Sometimes intentionally, because early results looked good.
At Above the Law, we know that in the legal world, information isn't just power; it's a competitive advantage. But with the sheer volume of news breaking every hour, the most important insights can sometimes get buried under a mountain of generic search results. Google has introduced a way for you to change that. With their Preferred Sources feature, you can take the steering wheel from the algorithm and tell Google exactly which voices you trust.
The Thomson Reuters Institute and Georgetown Law's Center on Ethics and the Legal Profession released their annual State of the U.S. Legal Market report today, and the good news is that law firms are absolutely crushing it. Profits are up. Rates are up. Demand surged in 2025 at levels the industry hasn't seen in more than a decade. The Am Law 100 is printing money, midsize firms are having a moment, and everyone is congratulating themselves for their "resilience."
