RSHC in the news

Jake Kahn, RSHC partner and committee co-chair, will moderate the “Enforcement Update” panel at the Futures & Derivatives Law Committee’s 2017 CLE seminar on Friday, June 9, at the Chicago Bar Association.

On May 30, 2017, the Supreme Court struck another in a series of blows to patent owners this term and significantly broadened the doctrine of patent “exhaustion,” which bars a patentee from asserting patent rights over an article after an authorized sale of the article. The decision reversed longstanding Federal Circuit precedent permitting patent infringement actions if (1) a sale was subject to clearly communicated, lawful restrictions on post-sale use or resale; or (2) a sale was made overseas. The Supreme Court voided these safe harbors, finding them to be sales that exhausted patent rights, reasoning “patent exhaustion is uniform and automatic.” Slip Op. at 13. The Supreme Court’s decision not only has immediate ramifications for patent licensing and enforcement actions, but also is likely to have a cascading effect on worldwide supply chains, pricing and product availability in some countries.

On May 22, 2017, the Supreme Court overturned decades of Federal Circuit precedent, holding that the patent venue statute was not broadened by the later-amended general venue statute. This holding will have significant dampening effect on cases brought in certain jurisdictions, such as E.D. Texas and other venues considered patent-friendly. Moreover, venues like the District of Delaware may experience a swell of patent cases as patentees seek to avoid jurisdictions where a defendant has a place of business.

The May 2017 Illinois State Bar Association Bench & Bar newsletter featured an article on Illinois Rule of Evidence 502 by RSHC attorneys Eli Litoff, Kelly Warner and Ed Casmere.

Patricia Brown Holmes, RSHC Partner, will be the guest speaker at the May 15 CCBA & BWLA Newly Admitted Attorney Reception at the M Lounge in Chicago. She will speak about the importance of civility, honor and mentoring in the profession. All newly licensed lawyers are invited to attend.

RSHC partner, Ron Safer, shared his thoughts with Chicago Lawyer about the vital importance of new billing models, technology efficiencies, and achieving goals that respect and respond to the client’s definition of success.

RSHC partner, Valarie Hays, will be a featured panelist at the 10th Annual DOJ & SEC Enforcement 2017 Update taking place at the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel Chicago on May 18. Speakers will include Dave Glockner (Regional Director SEC); Jason Yonan (Securities & Commodities Fraud Section, U.S.A Office, ND Ill.); and James Godley (FBI Agent - Head White Collar Crime Task Force).

On Wednesday, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and other cities weighed in against the President’s updated immigration ban for six predominantly Muslim countries, arguing to the Fourth Circuit that lifting the injunction on the ban would hurt city economies across the country.

On Wednesday, April 12, the Federal Circuit affirmed a victory for our client Allscripts Healthcare Solutions in a patent infringement case brought in the Eastern District of Texas. Allscripts, a leader in the medical records software and solutions industry, was accused of infringing U.S. Patent No. 7,640,271 which claimed a “portal”-type system for patient access to electronic medical records. The case was brought by a non-practicing entity, Preservation Wellness.

Patricia Brown Holmes and Leslie D. Davis, RSHC partners, co-authored the cover story for the Best Lawyers “Women in the Law” Spring Business Edition 2017. While lateral transitions are generally beneficial for both the attorney and the new law firm, firms are now charged with finding more effective ways to quickly integrate lateral attorneys, particularly as those attorneys become more diverse. In order to remain competitive, law firms must work to address the barriers that have inhibited the successful integration of diverse lateral attorneys.

On April 4, 2017, the Seventh Circuit issued a monumental opinion (Hively v. Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana), holding that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. It is the first [and only] federal circuit court decision of its kind; and comes only one week after the Second Circuit ruled that sexual orientation is not a protected category under Title VII..

Law Bulletin Seminars, a division of Law Bulletin Publishing Company, will host its 10th Annual Chicago White Collar Crime & Corporate Governance Conference, “Implications of a Trump Administration,” at the Swissotel Chicago on April 19. RSHC Partner, Dave Resnicoff, will Chair the anti-corruption panel, including Emmanuel Ayuk (Global Compliance & Counsel), Jeff Cramer (Berkeley Research Group), Meghan Hansen (Latham & Watkins), and Nick Berg (Ropes & Gray).

RSHC Partners, Patricia Brown Holmes and Ron Safer, will be presenting at the March 30 – April 1, 2017 Black Women’s Law Association (BWLA) National Summit entitled, “Legacy: Celebrating Our History and Charting Our Future.”

On March 27, 2017, the Supreme Court heard arguments regarding an issue that has long plagued defendants in patent cases: are the venue rules applied by the Federal Circuit at odds with the patent statute and Supreme Court precedent? TC Heartland LLC v. Kraft Foods Group Brands, LLC, No.16-341.

SCA Hygiene Products v. First Quality Baby Products, Case No. 15-927 (March 21, 2017)