Top Intellectual Property Disputes Part 2

June 12th, 2013 | Posted by cilliano in Education | Law | Lawyer | Legal Assistance | Marino Legal - (0 Comments)

ny continuing legal educationFollowing on from last week’s Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code vs. Baigent and Leigh and Holy Blood, Holy Grail, here’s the next installment in our top IP disputes featuring a serious alpha female face-off:

Most of you reading this will likely be familiar with the blonde bombshell Barbara Millicent Roberts, maybe not by her full title, but surely with her world renowned moniker, Barbie. The Barbie doll was a product created by Mattel Inc., a company for which designer Carter Bryant once worked while he was also engaging in consultancy work for MGA Entertainment Inc.

The result of Bryant’s work for MGA was the now highly popular Bratz doll. A few years after MGA began selling Bratz dolls, Mattel sued both designer Bryant and MGA claiming Bryant’s work with MGA while still an employee at Mattel was an instance of copyright infringement.

Not surprisingly, since Bryant was an employee of Mattel, and listed on their payroll at the time of consulting with MGA and designing the Bratz doll, the courts sided with Mattel, justifying the claim that the Bratz name and design were Mattel trade secrets. MGA was ordered to pay $100 million in damages.

Learn more about these kinds of cases by enrolling in one of our New York CLE courses dedicated specifically to the intricacies of intellectual property, and designed to easily allow you to accrue New York continuing legal education credits.

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Unpaid Internships, Helping or Hurting?

May 29th, 2013 | Posted by cilliano in Education | Law | Lawyer | Marino Legal - (0 Comments)

new york cleUnpaid internships have been a hot topic of discussion over the past few years. Often seen as a good way to gain experience with large and well-established companies, organizations and firms, unpaid internships have become a debated topic. While unpaid internships do provide possibilities of attaining future employment or college credit, the unpaid or unrewarded internship model is not always seen as fair or legal.

In the legal world, law students have taken unpaid internships to work on pro bono cases. This provides a larger labor pool for firms and organizations that work with pro bono cases and offers students a chance to work with these types of cases in a real-life setting.

According to this article, the American Bar Association President Laurel Bellows recently urged the US Department of Labor to clear up uncertainties around unpaid internships and pro bono case work under the minimum wage provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Like NY continuing legal education courses and online CLE, these internships provide valuable learning experiences that could help develop law students and lawyers. At the same time, these internship opportunities may not be allowed under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

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No C’s Please, We’re Law Students

May 29th, 2013 | Posted by cilliano in Education | Law | Lawyer | Marino Legal - (0 Comments)

new york cleWhen it comes to grades, especially those earned in law school, your opinion of yourself, your work ethic, and your mental performance can be greatly influenced by whether you receive an A, a B, or a C.

Indeed, one law school professor believes a student’s receiving a C could lead to a student being injured psychologically since many students perceive C’s as signs of outright failure. Professor Joshua Silverstein of the University of Arkansas argues that not only are C’s potentially harmful, C’s are also awarded inconsistently from institution to institution.

This particular opinion piece from Above the Law claims such an argument is simply dignifying complaints from students that legal education institutions are grading harshly or somehow unfairly, where there is, supposedly, little backbone to such claims.

What’s your opinion on this topic? Does handing out C’s put students at a risk of suffering from low self-esteem or negative self-criticism? Or, on the other hand, should law schools continue to grade students’ papers, using C’s where appropriate, in order to teach students a lesson or two about the many harsh realities of the highly competitive world of legal professionals?

If you can’t make up your mind maybe some refresher NY continuing legal education courses, or even online CLE courses, could help in sharpening your judgment skills!

 

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Best Practice Tips for Lawyers

May 22nd, 2013 | Posted by cilliano in Education | Law | Lawyer | Marino Legal - (0 Comments)

New York CLEAs lawyers, we represent one of the integral pillars of society. Playing such an important role in the upholding of our social fabric means always appearing and being professional. Here are some best practice tips for lawyers intent on being the best that they can be:

Set your cell phone to vibrate: If you have a cell phone on you during client meetings, then always remember to set it to vibrate so that your ringtone doesn’t blare throughout the room, interrupting the discussion, and having you appear rude to your clients or co-workers. Apologize profusely if this does happen.

Always cover lunch or coffee: If you invite a current or prospective client out for lunch or coffee, you should never fail to pick up the tab. If your guest insists they pay their share, then graciously let them do so.

Carry business cards: While it may seem old-fashioned in this day and age, business cards still rule when marketing your services in person. Keep these in a business card holder, and distribute them only to those who request them.

Hone your conversation skills: Be mindful of what you say in public; stick to neutral topics of conversation, and always have a couple of current conversation topics to bring up if the conversation lulls.

Fulfill your CLE requirements: Whether you do it through online CLE or weekend-long lecture courses, ensure you satisfy your NY continuing legal education requirements.

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On Law Day

May 1st, 2013 | Posted by cilliano in Law | Lawyer | Marino Legal - (0 Comments)

new york cleWhile to some of you today is simply the first day of May, others are celebrating Law Day, an observance which encourages the people of the U.S. to reflect on the role of the law in the initial formation of the country, as well as its continued importance as a cohesive agent in society.

Sounds great, right? Well, this is actually more of a contentious issue than it may first seem. While most will agree law is an essential element in upholding the structure of a functional society, Law Day is considered by many to be a cloaked attack on leftist beliefs and values.

Law Day was initially introduced by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1958, in an attempt to dissuade citizens from celebrating May Day, a day of remembrance to commemorate workers the world over who were killed or oppressed in their struggle for better wages or working conditions.

With that said, Law Day is often celebrated nowadays less in terms of what it opposes, as what it supports – that is, the crucial significance of the law in protecting human rights and ensuring justice is delivered.

Why not celebrate Law Day by signing up for the most convenient way of satisfying your CLE requirements? We offer a wide range of ‘bridge the gap‘ courses as well as online CLE courses.

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The Top 6 Reasons for New York CLE

April 24th, 2013 | Posted by cilliano in Education | Law | Lawyer | Marino Legal - (0 Comments)

online cleWhile New York continuing legal education requires the expense of a certain amount of time and money, both the hours and dollars invested are certainly not going to go to waste. Here are the six top reasons for fulfilling your New York CLE requirements:

  • A person with a higher education and career level has a higher earning capacity
  • A person with a higher education and advanced certification will be selected for employment over those who do not have these qualifications
  • Those who continually learn new things in their chosen practice are much more valuable employees, and are therefore more likely to enjoy job security at their workplace
  • Those who continually learn tend to have a higher level of responsibility and greater degree of job satisfaction
  • An employee who does not consistently learn will in time lose their skills, find that their knowledge is outdated, and will eventually fall back in their career
  • A person who actively makes the commitment to continually learn remains competitive in a tough job market; this is especially important in today’s economic climate

If you were in any doubt before, these reasons should make the importance of CLE plain to see. Professionals who do not actively engage in consistent learning, will eventually lose out to those who do. Don’t get left behind, find more info on a variety of CLE courses and packages, including ‘bridge the gap‘ weekends, at MarinoLegalCLE.com.

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The Top 5 Law Schools of 2012

April 17th, 2013 | Posted by cilliano in Education | Law | Lawyer | Marino Legal - (0 Comments)

online cleContinuing on from last week’s compilation of top job-hunting tips for newly admitted attorneys, we thought it might be useful to take a broader look at the link between education and employment. This week, we bring you the top law schools to attend when it comes to landing a job.

During the past couple of years, the American Bar Association (ABA) has dramatically increased its efforts to glean information from law schools on the topic of job placement. The ABA’s findings break down the types of jobs graduates have secured, and whether they are full-time, long-term or short-term positions.

Here are the top 5 law schools when it comes to graduates securing full-time, long-term employment:

  • The University of Chicago Law School saw 94.9% of its 215 2012 graduates in bar passage jobs
  • Following close behind was the University of Virginia Law School; of its 364 graduates, 344 secured bar passage jobs
  • The University of Pennsylvania Law School nigh on tied with Virginia, with 94.4% of its 270 2012 graduates achieving full-time, long-term jobs that require bar passage
  • Rounding out the top 5 and following very close behind were Columbia Law School (at no. 4) with 93.4% of its graduates securing full-time, long-term jobs and Stanford Law School at no. 5 with a rate of 91.2%

If you’ve managed to secure a full-time, long-term position – congratulations! Ensure you keep up to date with NY continuing legal education by either gaining credits through online CLE or partaking in a convenient ‘bridge the gap‘ CLE weekend.

Source: Law.com

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Job-hunting Tips for Newly Admitted Attorneys

April 10th, 2013 | Posted by cilliano in Education | Law | Lawyer | Legal Assistance | Marino Legal - (0 Comments)

online cleThough the economic recession began its downward spiral in 2008, we are still feeling its far-reaching effects here in NYC, and further afield. If you chose law school as a ‘safe bet’ i.e. a means of gaining an education in a profession conventionally considered much more employable than, say, liberal arts, you may now be sorely disappointed as a newly admitted attorney with depressingly few prospects.

With that said, there are still plenty of opportunities for newly qualified legal professionals eager to get their foot in the door; you simply need to know where to look:

  • Certain areas of law are currently flourishing due to the aftermath of the economic crisis; bankruptcy litigation,  civil litigation and employment litigation are all hot topics.
  • Legal roles pertaining to the areas of science and technology are growing in number with the demand for lawyers specializing in intellectual property law increasing exponentially
  • It’s also essential to fulfill all NY continuing legal education requirements so as to ensure your status as a legal professional is valid. This is easily done with one of our ‘bridge the gap’ courses, which offers a convenient way in which to gain New York CLE credits
  • Pro bono work is also another way in which to gain valuable experience as a lawyer, while also making a positive contribution to society

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Connecticut Not So Keen on CLE

April 3rd, 2013 | Posted by cilliano in Education | Law | Lawyer | Marino Legal - (0 Comments)

online cleDespite the general consensus that continuing legal education is beneficial for the legal system and those operating within it, certain US states still refuse to get on board. Of the total fifty US states, a majority of forty-six currently require that all attorneys, newly admitted and veterans alike, partake in CLE. The state of Connecticut, however, refuses to acknowledge the potential benefit of CLE, citing several reasons for its decision not to adopt Mandatory (or Minimum) Continuing Legal Education Rules (MCLE).

Law.com reports that some of the main reasons for the Connecticut Bar Judicial Branch’s refusal to adopt MCLE were:

Financial burden: Judicial Branch members argued that the introduction of CLE would be too expensive, even though credit can be obtained for teaching or publishing articles in legal publications, thereby reducing the cost incurred by having to enroll for several courses, as well as in spite of the fact that legal professionals constitute a high earning group.

Potential swindling: Another reservation Branch members have is that a certain demographic of CLE participants will cheat, but as Law.com points out, swindlers will be swindlers and there will always be a certain percentage of the population hell bent on personal gain and perfidy.

Of course, whatever about the small minority refusing to accept the benefits of CLE, the state of New York requires all attorneys partake in New York CLE. Whether you are in search of ‘bridge the gap’ courses, or are a veteran intent on gaining your credits through online CLE, learn more about NY continuing legal education by contacting us here at Marino Legal.

 

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The History of CLE

March 25th, 2013 | Posted by cilliano in Education | Law | Lawyer | Marino Legal - (0 Comments)

new york cleMarino Legal NY continuing legal education courses may be thoroughly contemporary, but did you know the history of continuing legal education in America dates all the way back to the nineteenth century?

The idea of CLE in its modern form did not emerge, however, until the post-World War II period when such courses became exceptionally important for attorneys who returned from serving during the war and undertook ‘refresher’ courses, designed to re-acquaint them with the legal practice and to inform them of legal developments which had taken place while they were absent.

By 1947, the concept of CLE had gained enough attention to prompt the partnering of the American Bar Association and the American Law Institute in order to organize a systematic development, and expansion, of CLE across the nation.

This partnership was known as ALI-ABA and succeeded in making significant progress in terms of popularizing the opinion that continuing legal education was essential for legal practitioners. Arguably the most important developments made by ALI-ABA were hammered out during the conferences known as Arden House I, II and III, held in 1958, 1963, and 1987, respectively. These milestone conferences developed a framework for CLE in each state, for attorneys at every stage of their professional career.

Learn more about securing the best possible New York CLE in this day and age – call Marino Legal at 212-249-3779!

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