A week after the public learned of Qualcomm's bombshell admission that it withheld potentially thousands of important documents in a high-stakes patent trial against Broadcom, many in the intellectual property community are still buzzing about the gaffe. The case is even more striking because the attorney who has publicly apologized for Qualcomm's error has a strong reputation in his field, as does his firm. Yet several attorneys say it's still too early to assign blame for the error.
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Another Guilty Plea Expected in Abramoff Probe
Italia Federici, head of a conservative-leaning advocacy group, is expected to plead guilty to two felony charges as part of the ongoing federal investigation into the activities of former lobbyist Jack Abramoff, according to a document filed in federal court Wednesday. Federici is charged with obstructing Senate proceedings for obscuring the extent of her relationship with Abramoff and J. Steven Griles, former deputy secretary of the Interior Department. Griles pleaded guilty to the same charge in March.
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Robins Kaplan to Close D.C. Office
Minneapolis-based litigation shop Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi has announced it is closing its Washington, D.C., office on Aug. 15. The office, which opened in 1986 with a group of three lawyers, has a headcount of about 30 attorneys. Nationally known for taking high-risk cases on contingency, Robins Kaplan suffered a blow last week when four D.C. partners announced their departure for Arent Fox.
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Top 10 Examples of Workplace Wackiness
Gerald Skoning, a senior partner at Chicago's Seyfarth Shaw, writes that despite the prolonged national agony over the war in Iraq, there was reason to smile in 2006. He presents a survey of the top 10 bizarre employment law situations from last year, which provides a potpourri of workplace wackiness. The high achievers include one case where an employer received damages from a former employee who did no work for months while pretending his son had cancer.
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