Despite the current state of the economy, the market for purchasing patents continues to increase, according to an article in the Recorder, the Bay Area’s legal newspaper. The reason for this, the article reports, has more to do with defending against lawsuits rather than innovating.
The CDO Newswire
Currently browsing the General category.
How Silicon Valley Is Likely To Be Affected By Current Economic Conditions
In case you missed it in this past Sunday’s SF Chronicle, here is a link to an interesting article about how the economic downturn is likely to impact emerging technologies (Clean Tech, biolfules, etc), which make up a larger part of the Silicon Valley’s business sector.
In Today’s Law Firm News: Both “Dark Days” and “Sunny Forecasts”
Law.com links to two stories today: one is about how the Lehman bankruptcy and the sale of Merrill Lynch is likely to affect Biglaw corporate practices. A managing partner of a major NY firm is quoted as saying: “It’s a question of whether you’re fortuitous enough to be representing a financial institution that survives or whether you represent one that’s not going to be around much longer.” The article also points out that the plaintiffs’ bar will also likely be negatively affected.
The second story reports on one bright spot in the legal job market: the growth of in-house Clean Tech opportunities.
The Value Of A Joint Degree
From time to time, we are asked whether pursuing a joint degree will enhance a student’s marketability. The answer, of course, depends on the particular degree and who the potential employer is.
A partner at a large NY law firm recently provided his take on this subject in a piece appearing in the Legal Times.
Sobering Article on the State of the Legal Market
The head of Citibank’s Law Firm Group, which has analyzed trends in the legal industry over the last eight years, has written an excellent, but sobering article about current market dynamics across the industry (large, mid-size and small private firms).
Among other things, he concludes that law firms, which have gotten used to seeing +10% revenue growth over the past eight years, will likely experience no growth in profits this year or even a dip of as much as 10%. (This is a downward revision from Citibank’s projections of just six months ago). At the same time, expenses (nearly a quarter of which consist of associate compensation) have and are likely to remain high. Read the whole thing here.