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Greg Kinear plays Mr. Kearns.

The survey noted that the median company in the United States spends $4.3 million of every billion dollars of revenue on legal services.  Globally, the nmber is $3.9 billion.

The article can be accessed at http://ip.law360.com/articles/71079

The WSJ Law blog made this observation regarding what has happened at Heller Ehrman:

"So what has happened to Heller, which has long ranked as one of the top firms in San Francisco and one of the top litigation shops in the country? For starters, the firm had many huge litigation matters settle in rapid succession last year, including its representation of Ernst & Young in securities fraud suits against AOL and Cendant. About one-fourth of its litigation business settled last year–a huge blow given that litigation makes up about 60% of the firm’s revenue, according to a Heller attorney. And that revenue has been hard to make up in a soft litigation market."  WSJ Law Blog, Sept. 15, 2008.

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Lehman Brothers, one of the oldest financial institutions on Wall Street filed for Chapter 11.  Lehman Brothers has a patent portfolio of 175 issed patents and pending applications

"HP said employees at EDS, which is based in Plano, Texas, would account for “nearly all” the planned job cuts.

It said nearly half the job reductions would be in the US, with most of the cuts coming from EDS’s legal, IT support and human resources teams and other business units made redundant by the HP takeover. "

Four patent attorneys and agents have listed their location as being Galveston.  These people include Mark Cooper, William Glenn, Douglas Miller and Elizabeth Sporon.  Eleven patent attorneys and agents name Freeport as their address.  All of these people work for Dow Chemical.  They include Jennifer Adamson, Ray Ashburg, Dan Farrell, Kevin Hansbrun, James Hopper, Lars O. Husebo, Stephen Krupp, James Sellers, Duane Ulmer, Steven Costello, and Bronwyn Welvaert. 

Our thoughts and prayers are with you all today. 

Firm                                           No. Patent Attorneys/Agents                           No. Women           % Women

Arnold & Porter                        21                                                                           10                           47.6

Covington & Burlington         25                                                                             6                            24

Debevoise & Plimpton            0                                                                               0                          0

Dorsey Whitney                      59                                                                             11                         18.6

Gibson Dunn                          21                                                                              7                          33.3

Kirkland Ellis                       101                                                                             25                         24.7

Mintz Levin                             46                                                                              14                         30.4

Perkins Coie                         72                                                                              18                          25

WilmerHale                          69                                                                               21                         30.4

43.2% of the patent attorneys and agents moving from an organization to an unaffiliated status were women.  50% of this group of women moved from a law firm to an unaffiliated status and 50% of this group of women moved from a corporation to an unaffiliated status.  Of the patent attorneys and agents moving to an unaffiliated status from a corporation, 40% were women and 60% were men.  Of the patent attorneys and agents moving to an unaffiliated status from a law firm, 47% were women and 53% were men. 

These percentages are much higher than the percentage of women in the patent bar, which varies from about 19% to 20%.  Patent Buddy will have a second report available to all registrants very soon.  This report will include charts showing patent attorneys and agents moving to an unaffiliated status, their gender and whether they moved from a law firm or a corporation over the months of April-August. 

http://patentdocs.typepad.com/

7,291,698    Zweig, SE, Synthetic substrates for high performance enzymatic assays
7,288,368    Zweig, SE, Membrane receptor reagent and assay
7,174,238    Zweig, SE, Mobile robot with web server and digital radio links
7,166,208    Zweig, SE, Apoenzyme reactivation electrochemical detection method and assay
7,102,526    Zweig SE, Electronic time-temperature indicator and logger
7,096,090    Zweig SE, Mobile robotic router with web server and digital radio links
7,072,035    Zweig SE, Meyer BG, Downey TG; 2006: Verification device for optical clinical assay systems assigned to Beckman-Coulter, Inc.
6,987,307    Zweig SE, Dual Glucose-Hydroxybutyrate Analytical Sensors
6,950,028    Zweig SE, Electronic Time-Temperature Indicator
6,790,632    Zweig SE, Membrane receptor reagent and assay
6,658,325    Zweig SE, Mobile robot with web server and digital radio links
6,629,057    Zweig, SE, Downey TD, Spink B, Meyer, BG: Comprehensive verification systems and methods for analyzer read clinical systems.
6,575,900    Zweig SE, Downey TG:  Meter with integrated database and    simplified telemedicine capability.  Assigned to Beckman-Coulter, Inc.
D435020     Zweig SE, Downey TD, McGinty AK, Chamness SO, Jacobs JB: Electronic control module assigned to Avocet Medical, Inc.
6,061,128     Zweig SE, Meyer BG, Downey TG: Verification device for optical clinical assay systems assigned to Avocet Medical, Inc.
5,968,836     Matzinger, DP, Zweig SE, Yeung YS: Fluid conducting test strip with transport medium assigned to LifeScan, Inc.
5,580,744     Zweig SE: Test article and method for performing blood coagulation assays assigned to Avocet Medical, Inc.
5,554,531     Zweig SE: Device for performing timed assay by electrical resistance change assigned to Avocet Medical, Inc.
5,418,143     Zweig SE: Test article and method for performing blood coagulation assays assigned to Avocet Medical, Inc.
5,418,141     Zweig SE, Sharma S., Meyer BG: Test articles for performing dry reagent prothrombin time assays assigned to Avocet Medical, Inc.
5,344,754     Zweig SE: Assay timed by electrical resistance change and test strip assigned to Avocet Medical, Inc.
4,689,240     Zweig SE:  Method for forming volume independent test device, assigned to Miles Laboratories, Inc.
4,647,430      Zweig SE:  Volume independent test device, assigned to Miles Laboratories, Inc.

Some of Dr. Zweig's additional accomplishments include being an SBIR award winner;  founder and CTO of VC backed medical diagnostics and instrumentation company with products receiving FDA approval;  author of 20+ papers; and extensive experience in medical devices, software, and electronics.

Dr. Stephen Zweig is a highly accomplished and esteemed member of the patent bar and Patent Buddy is honored to salute him.

Many high kudos to Dr. Zweig!

"2,896 patent complaints in 2007, up a 2.3% bit from 2006 (2,830), with 250 filed in the Eastern District of Texas. 2004 was the bumper crop, at 3,075. 408 patent suits celebrated 3 years on the docket in 2007, up from 353 in 2006. 34 USPTO BPAI decisions pending appeal before the CAFC, down from 51 the previous year. The reversal rates on appeal ran less than 20% in 2007, both from district court and BPAI, quite a dip from earlier times."

Patent Docs also has an interesting discussion at http://www.patentdocs.us/ .

Patent Buddy is aware of many more patent attorney inventors who have not initiated suit but who have one or more patents in their personal portfolios.  These attorneys work in firms such as St. Clair, Micron, Schwegman Lundberg, and many more.

If you are a patent attorney or patent agent inventor, drop a line with Patent Buddy Support.  We will showcase your accomplishment in Career News.

With the downturn in the general legal economy, big law firms are opening offices in Silicon Valley in attempts to mine whatever gold they can.  New entrants to the Silicon Valley marketplace since February include Kirkland & Ellis, Sheppard Mullen, Thelen Reid, Alston & Bird, Akin Gump, and Hauer Feld.  Reed Smith is opening an office this fall. 

Can patent law continue to hold out in a steadily deteriorating economy?  Only time will tell. 

Patent Buddy has found a couple of intrepid U.S. registered patent attorneys and agents practicing in Tanzania and Iran, respectively. 

Patent Buddy has also found several U.S. registered patent attorneys and agents living la buena vida in Puerto Rico, 5, the Virgin Islands, 1, and the Bahamas, 1.

Patent attorneys and agents who have registered with Patent Buddy may have seen the signs of this mass departure.