Monday, October 27, 2014

A Modern Day Bonnie and Clyde

Lawyers sometimes are simply crooks. Just like any other crook they take advantage of opportunities to steal from others. Our crooked lawyer in this case worked as a patent lawyer for a big company on the companies patents. He was an employee of the company working full time for just that one client, his employer.

A patent lawyer can and should do research both before and after applying for a patent of other patents that are related. For example research into other patents to see if what their client wants to patent is truly something new. One enterprising crook who is of course a lawyer (well at this point he and his wife are alleged crooks as the case has not gone to trial) with his wife created a fake patent research company. Our lawyer behaving badly sent invoices from his fake patent research firm to his employer, who of course made the payments. The charges were on average between $30,000 and $40,000 per month. This went on for years allowing them to buy those extra toys like summer homes, boats etc. The total alleged stolen was $5,000,000.

In response to -
http://ipethicslaw.com/a-modern-day-bonnie-and-clyde-former-ip-general-counsel-and-his-spouse-accused-of-racketeering-theft-in-alleged-5-million-patent-search-billing-scheme/

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Low Cost Divorces

If you have no children and limited assets, try the Court Services Center, located in court houses throughout the state. The people there work to shepherd the litigants representing themselves through the system as they get divorced. I have done these for under $1,000. Which can be split.

For those who do have some money and or children but are able to talk to and compromise with their spouse I have been able to get a number of couples divorced using mediation. Both Husband and Wife hire me, not as their legal counsel, but as someone they can both use in coming to a conclusion on a deal and preparing the paperwork. If requested I can even go to court on the day of the divorce. I have done these for under $1,500. Which can be split.

For those who can’t deal with their spouse, mediation can often be the solution as well. Sometimes I can get the parties to see that spending lots of money on lawyers is not the answer. Rich or poor it is a negative way to go. Especially where there are children the parents need to find a way to work things out.

Monday, October 13, 2014

We Sue Doctors. We Sue Hospitals.

A man travels to Africa, comes home to the US, ends up in a hospital with a fever. Yes, of course we believe he should be checked for Ebola. Is the failure to do so malpractice? Seems pretty obvious to me that it is, but the real question is what is the standard of care in a hospital setting. It is not what I think but what other similarly situated medical care providers would say is normally done. That is the standard – medical professionals must provide reasonable care when compared to what other professionals do. It does not have to be the best, it just has to be reasonable.

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Should Melissa Rivers sue Joan River's doctors for Medical Malpractice?

Well they are still talking about it. Should Joan Rivers daughter (really Joan's estate) sue River's doctors for Medical Malpractice? No surprise, but I say yes if it is clear negligence with clear damages.

My bottom line is that if a professional commits malpractice then their insurance company should pay reasonable (real) damages. Malpractice is simply negligence. We are not surprised when reasonable real damages are paid by the driver's insurance company after a car accident. If a driver screws up and someone is damaged, then insurance pays. If a doctor screws up, then insurance should pay.

We sue professionals for real damages caused by negligence. We sue lawyers. We sue accountants. We sue dentists. We sue hospitals. We sue doctors. We sue nursing homes. And we are proud of the work we do in demanding compensation for victims of professions malpractice.