🚀 go-pugleaf

> For those of you who say "it can't happen" - talk to a PI attorney.  The 
> boom in big-money settlements and jury awards has tapered off.  With so 
> many cheap attorneys around, companies prefer to litigate than settle.  
> And juries, fed with luirid stories about million-dollar cups of coffee, 
> are taking a jaundiced eye to plaintiff's claims of pain and suffering.

Actually, in the Southeast, we are seeing an interesting trend.  A number
of PI attorneys are noticing that their former profession is an anagram
for another one: IP attorney.  We are seeing a sharp in increase in
contingency IP litigation, particularly in the architectural copyright
arena and patent areas.

A number of leading IP eleventh circuit opinions in the copyright and
trade secret arena, including the Bateman case, are being driven by this
sort of litigation.  The recent _Tronzo_ verdict in the Southern District
of Florida further encourages those with stars in their eyes looking for 
"the big kill."

While the number of lawyers is up indeed, we in the southeast are still 
seeing a substantial increase in demand for IP work.

-- 
just another view,
Andy Greenberg (werdna@gate.net)