Category: News Feeds

Every
growth-stage
company
will
go
through
a
phase
of
rapid
patent
portfolio
growth
at
some
point.

Portfolio
growth
is
a
good
thing:
it
means
your
company
is
growing,
you’re
investing
in
R&D,
and
you’re
protecting
your
inventions.

But
there
is
also
risk
to
rapid
portfolio
growth,
something
we
call
“portfolio
inflation.”

In
this
eBook,
our
friends
at
Tradespace
break
down
the
phenomenon
of
patent
portfolio
inflation
and
explore
ways
to
keep
it
at
bay

Download
this
guide
and
learn:

• What
  portfolio
  inflation
  means
• Why
  it
  happens
  and
  its
  negative
  impacts
• 5
  tips
  to
  avoid
  portfolio
  inflation

For
the
fifth
year,
I’m
sharing
a
list
of
the
top
15
nonfiction
books
I’ve
read
during
the
preceding
12
months.
I’m
accelerating
the
list
a
little
this
time
on
the
assumption
that
it
might
be
helpful
to
have
as
the
holiday
shopping
season
approaches,
just
in
case
you
want
to
give
someone
knowledge
and
adventure
instead
of
a
pile
of
interchangeable
capitalistic
baubles.
Should
you

wish
to

view
previous

editions,
simply
follow
the

links
in
this
sentence.

This
time
around,
you
will
not
find
any
memoirs
or
anything
overtly
about
politics.
I
have
nothing
against
those
two
categories,
it’s
just
that
I
get
frustrated
when
I’m
searching
for
general
interest
nonfiction
books
and
keep
coming
upon
lists
full
of
memoirs,
and
I
think
we
can
all
use
a
break
from
politics.
So,
no
memoirs
or
political
books
this
time
around.

In
no
particular
order,
here
are
the
best
15
nonfiction
books
I’ve
read
during
the
past
year.
May
they
enrich
and
distract
you
in
the
coming
months.

Winterlust:
Finding
Beauty
in
the
Fiercest
Season
by
Bernd
Brunner
(affiliate
link)

Winter
is
coming.
Don’t
lose
your
head
over
it
though
—
the
coldest,
darkest
time
of
year
is
full
of
enjoyments,
many
of
which
you
will
find
within.

The
Falcon
Thief:
A
True
Tale
of
Adventure,
Treachery,
and
the
Hunt
for
the
Perfect
Bird
by
Joshua
Hammer
(affiliate
link)

Falcon
thievery:
it’s
a
thing.
Immerse
yourself
in
a
strange
little
subculture
and
get
to
know
the
oddly
specific
kleptomaniac
at
its
heart.

The
Feud:
The
Hatfields
&
McCoys,
The
True
Story
by
Dean
King
(affiliate
link)

It
seems
there
should
be
something
to
be
learned
from
America’s
greatest
family
feud.
Maybe
all
there
is
to
learn
is
that
we
never
learn.

Lindbergh
by
A.
Scott
Berg
(affiliate
link)

We
certainly
didn’t
learn
anything
from
Charles
Lindbergh’s
involvement
in
the
original
America
First
movement.
Lindbergh
was
a
complicated
figure,
certainly
an
aviator
extraordinaire,
though
also
so
much
more.
You’ll
get
the
whole
thrilling
story,
with
one
big
exception:
Lindbergh
had
children
with
three
secret
German
mistresses,
but
since
this
part
of
the
tale
was
not
known
until
after
Berg’s
book
was
published,
its
absence
remains
a
notable
flaw
in
the
otherwise
definitive
Charles
Lindbergh
biography.

The
Heartbeat
of
the
Wild:
Dispatches
From
Landscapes
of
Wonder,
Peril,
and
Hope
by
David
Quammen
(affiliate
link)

I
happened
to
be
in
a
bookshop
in
Bozeman,
and
had
to
pick
up
the
latest
from
its
most
notable
chronicler
of
nature.
Couldn’t
be
happier
that
I
did.
If
you
have
ever
enjoyed
a
National
Geographic
story,
add
this
one
to
your
list.

John
Colter:
His
Years
in
the
Rockies
by
Burton
Harris
(affiliate
link)

I
was
in
Montana
(and
beyond)
several
times
during
the
last
year.
On
one
trip,
I
headed
down
into
Yellowstone,
and
brought
this
book
along
so
as
to
read
about
the
first
white
man
to
explore
the
area
that
became
the
park.
Unlike
many
revered
figures
of
the
western
frontier,
Colter
was
not
much
of
a
self-promoter,
which
helps
make
his
life
story
a
unique
treat.

Over
the
Edge:
Death
in
Grand
Canyon
by
Michael
Ghiglieri
and
Thomas
Myers

A
number
of
books
have
been
written
discussing
deaths
that
have
occurred
throughout
several
different
national
parks,
but
none
of
them
are
quite
as
brick-like
as
this
one.
Although
it
will
take
some
time
to
get
through,
it
is
worth
it,
especially
if
you
are
going
to
be
anywhere
near
the
Grand
Canyon.

Brave
the
Wild
River:
The
Untold
Story
of
Two
Women
Who
Mapped
the
Botany
of
the
Grand
Canyon
by
Melissa
Sevigny
(affiliate
link)

While
you’re
at
it,
check
out
the
story
of
the
first
two
women
to
travel
down
the
Colorado
River
through
the
Grand
Canyon.
It
is
a
wild
ride,
and
a
triumph
of
science.

Parisians:
An
Adventure
History
of
Paris
by
Graham
Robb
(affiliate
link)

Ah,
Paris.
I’d
recommend
good
company
and
a
good
bottle
of
wine
on
the
terrace
of
that
little
cafe
at
the
Louvre
(after
dark,
of
course).
Should
mental
travel
fit
more
within
your
budget
and
schedule
at
the
moment,
this
history
will
help.

Fluke:
Chance,
Chaos,
and
Why
Everything
We
Do
Matters
by
Brian
Klaas
(affiliate
link)

You
will
rethink
a
lot
of
things.
That’s
good,
right?

Against
Empathy:
The
Case
for
Rational
Compassion
by
Paul
Bloom
(affiliate
link)

I’m
sick
of
hearing
that
empathy
is
the
solution
to
all
of
our
problems.
Perhaps
you
too
are
ready
to
read
of
a
better
way.
Also
interesting
is
the
fact
that
this
book
came
out
in
2016,
which
means
we
now
know
a
lot
more
about
how
some
of
the
examples
actually
turned
out.
For
instance,
effective
altruism
gets
a
couple
mentions
—
but
Sam
Bankman-Fried
was
still
a
trader
at
Jane
Street
Capital
back
then,
many
years
away
from
giving
the
entire
movement
a
big
black
eye.

The
Trials
of
Madame
Restell:
Nineteenth-Century
America’s
Most
Infamous
Female
Physician
and
the
Campaign
to
Make
Abortion
a
Crime
by
Nicholas
Syrett
(affiliate
link)

Few
had
any
empathy
for
poor
Madame
Restell,
who
was
relentlessly
hounded
by
the
authorities
and
the
media
after
a
bunch
of
crusty
white
dudes
decided
to
criminalize
providing
healthcare
to
women.
It’s
a
deep
dive
into
the
historical
origins
of
the
modern
debate
over
reproductive
rights,
and,
unfortunately,
a
look
into
what
we
might
be
going
back
to
in
the
wake
of

Dobbs.

Barrel-Aged
Stout
and
Selling
Out:
Goose
Island,
Anheuser-Busch,
and
How
Craft
Beer
Became
Big
Business
by
Josh
Noel
(affiliate
link)

Anyone
who
loves
beer
must
read
this
book.
Even
if
a
brew
or
two
(or
10
or
17)
is
not
for
you,
you
will
fly
through
these
pages
if
you
have
an
interest
in
business
in
general
or
if
you
are
wondering
why
anything
produced
by
the
faceless
behemoths
of
capitalism
inevitably
becomes
a
soulless
commodity.

The
Wide
Wide
Sea:
Imperial
Ambition,
First
Contact
and
the
Fateful
Final
Voyage
of
Captain
James
Cook
by
Hampton
Sides
(affiliate
link)

Captain
Cook:
finally
an
explorer
who
(mostly)
respected
the
new
people
and
different
cultures
he
encountered!
I
mean,
nobody’s
perfect,
but
Cook
was
much
more
enlightened
than
most
of
his
contemporaries,
and
I
think
you’ll
agree
when
you
finish
that
whatever
score
there
was
to
settle
was
settled.
Besides,
you
can’t
read
anything
written
by
Hampton
Sides
and
not
have
a
good
time.

Annals
of
the
Former
World
by
John
McPhee
(affiliate
link)

I’ll
admit,
when
my
buddy
Isak
handed
me
this
book
and
recommended
that
I
read
it
I
was
daunted
both
by
its
size
and
by
the
word
“Geology”
stamped
on
its
spine.
Oh,
how
wrong
I
was.
Who
knew
the
deep
history
of
the
continent,
and
the
scientists
who
study
it,
could
be
so
compelling?
Do
not
be
scared
off
by
the
category
or
the
length.
Neglect
your
spouse
and
children
for
a
few
weeks
and
read
this
book
—
the
family
will
ultimately
be
better
for
it.

Arm
yourself
with
knowledge,
maybe
share
some
of
it
with
someone
you
love,
and
get
reading
in
2025
and
beyond.

---

Jonathan
Wolf
is
a
civil
litigator
and
author
of Your
Debt-Free
JD


(affiliate
link).
He
has
taught
legal
writing,
written
for
a
wide
variety
of
publications,
and
made
it
both
his
business
and
his
pleasure
to
be
financially
and
scientifically
literate.
Any
views
he
expresses
are
probably
pure
gold,
but
are
nonetheless
solely
his
own
and
should
not
be
attributed
to
any
organization
with
which
he
is
affiliated.
He
wouldn’t
want
to
share
the
credit
anyway.
He
can
be
reached
at [email protected].

Several
telehealth
advocates
are
coming
out
in
support
of
the
Drug
Enforcement
Administration’s
(DEA)

third
extension
of
Covid-19
telehealth
flexibilities
for
the
prescribing
of
controlled
substances.
However,
they
argue
that
more
work
needs
to
be
done
to
make
these
flexibilities
permanent.

The
flexibilities,
introduced
in
2020,
permit
providers
to
prescribe
some
controlled
substances
virtually
without
first
requiring
an
in-person
visit.
These
flexibilities
were
set
to
expire
at
the
end
of
the
year,
but
will
now
expire
at
the
end
of
2025
with
the
third
extension
announced
last
week.
The
issue
has
been
closely
followed
by
many
experts,
as
seen
by
the

38,000
comments
the
DEA
received
in
2023
in
response
to
a
set
of
proposed
telemedicine
rules
that
would
have

rolled
back
some
of
the
flexibilities
allowed
during
the
pandemic.

For
one
telehealth
advocate,
the
extension
was
a
“tremendous
relief,”
noting
that
the
flexibilities
have
greatly
improved
access
for
underserved
communities.

“It
is
with
a
real
sense
of
gratitude
that
the
Drug
Enforcement
Administration
and
the
Biden
administration
decided
to
continue
this
flexibility
that’s
now
been
in
place
for
almost
half
a
decade
so
that
we
can
continue
to
take
the
time
to
get
the
permanent
framework
right.
…
It
was
going
to
be
calamitous
if
we
were
going
to
allow
for
this
flexibility
to
expire
December
31
this
year,”
said
Kyle
Zebley,
senior
vice
president
of
public
policy
at
the

American
Telemedicine
Association,
in
an
interview.
“Continuity
of
care
would
be
severed
for
hundreds
of
thousands,
if
not
more,
patients.”

Zebley
noted
that
it
is
important
to
prevent
abuse
of
the
flexibilities
and
called
for
a
special
registration
process
that
allows
medical
professionals
to
register
with
the
agency
in
order
to
virtually
prescribe
controlled
substances.
Congress

mandated
the
DEA
to
create
this
process
back
in
2008,
but
the
agency
has
yet
to
do
so.
However,
he
added
that
instances
of
inappropriate
prescribing
“is
minuscule
compared
to
the
level
of
access
that’s
been
achieved.”

Another
telehealth
expert
—
Stephanie
Strong,
founder
and
CEO
of

Boulder
Care
—
echoed
Zebley’s
comments.
Boulder
Care
offers
virtual
addiction
care,
including
the
prescribing
of
buprenorphine,
which
treats
opioid
use
disorder
and
is
included
in
the
telehealth
flexibilities.

“We
anticipated
this
extension,
and
celebrate
the
win
as
an
important
step
forward.
Still,
this
measure
is
only
temporary:
the
DEA
and
HHS
continue
to
make
rules
that
kick
the
can
down
the
road,”
Strong
said.
“Our
country
needs
strong
leadership
and
a
vision
for
modernizing
the
healthcare
system,
which
necessarily
includes
making
telehealth
a
permanent
option
for
millions
of
Americans
who
rely
on
it.”

Strong
added
that
she
wants
to
see
the

TREATS
Act
gain
momentum
in
2025,
which
would
make
telehealth
flexibilities
permanent
for
those
with
opioid
use
disorder.

There
is
also
hope
that
the
Trump
administration
will
introduce
a
permanent
solution
to
the
virtual
prescribing
of
controlled
substances,
according
to
Eric
Triana,
chief
compliance
officer
at

Talkiatry.
The
company
offers
virtual
psychiatry
services.

“After
nearly
five
years,
the
benefits
of
telemedicine
services
including
prescribing
without
ever
having
an
in-person
medical
visit
has
proven
to
be
vital
for
patients
in
every
state,
both
rural
and
urban,
due
to
shortages
of
mental
health
providers,”
Triana
stated.
“I
anticipate
that
the
new
administration
will
prioritize
finalizing
a
permanent
rule
with
reasonable
common-sense
safeguards
to
assist
DEA
investigators
in
detecting
diversion
without
interfering
with
patient
access
to
telemedicine
behavioral
health
services
when
provided
through
synchronous
audio
and
video.”

Zebley
is
also
hopeful
that
the
Trump
administration
will
create
a
more
permanent
telehealth
framework
before
the
new
extension
expires,
particularly
considering
the
previous
Trump
administration
first
introduced
the
flexibilities.
That
said,
rulemaking
takes
time
and
it’s
possible
another
extension
may
be
needed,
he
said.

Photo
credit:
Sorbetto,
Getty
Images

Cravath
announced
its

bonus
scale
last
night
—
a
full
Milbank
match
for
both

year-end
and

special
bonuses
—
and
Biglaw
firms
are
finally
weighing
in
with
their
own
compensation
updates.

We’ve
now
confirmed
that
Paul
Hastings
—
which
reported
$1,814,993,000
in
gross
revenue
and
profits
per
equity
partner
of
$5,395,000
in
2023
according
to
the
most
recent
Am
Law
100
—
has
chosen
to
use
the
Milbank
scale
for
its
year-end
bonuses:

• Class
  of
  2024
  –
  $15,000
• Class
  of
  2023
  –
  $20,000
• Class
  of
  2022
  –
  $30,000
• Class
  of
  2021
  –
  $57,500
• Class
  of
  2020
  –
  $75,000
• Class
  of
  2019
  –
  $90,000
• Class
  of
  2018
  –
  $105,000
• Class
  of
  2017+
  –
  $115,000

Paul
Hastings
is
also
matching
the
Milbank
special
bonus
scale,
and
this
is
what
they
will
look
like
at
the
firm:

• Class
  of
  2024
  –
  $6,000
• Class
  of
  2023
  –
  $6,000
• Class
  of
  2022
  –
  $10,000
• Class
  of
  2021
  –
  $15,000
• Class
  of
  2020
  –
  $20,500
• Class
  of
  2019
  –
  $25,000
• Class
  of
  2018
  –
  $25,000
• Class
  of
  2017+
  –
  $25,000

That
said,
here’s
what
the
complete
2024
bonus
scale
looks
like
at
the
firm:

• Class
  of
  2024:
  $21,000
• Class
  of
  2023:
  $26,000
• Class
  of
  2022:
  $40,000
• Class
  of
  2021:
  $72,500
• Class
  of
  2020:
  $95,000
• Class
  of
  2019:
  $115,000
• Class
  of
  2018:
  $130,000
• Class
  of
  2017+:
  $140,000

Congratulations
to
everyone
at
Paul
Hastings!

(Flip
to
the
next
page
to
read
the
full
memo
from
the
firm.)

Remember
everyone,
we
depend
on
your
tips
to
stay
on
top
of
compensation
updates,
so
when
your
firm
announces
or
matches,
please
text
us
(646-820-8477)
or email
us (subject
line:
“[Firm
Name]
Bonus/Matches”).
Please
include
the
memo
if
available.
You
can
take
a
photo
of
the
memo
and
send
it
via
text
or
email
if
you
don’t
want
to
forward
the
original
PDF
or
Word
file.

And
if
you’d
like
to
sign
up
for
ATL’s
Bonus
Alerts
(which
is
the
alert
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---

Staci
Zaretsky is
a
senior
editor
at
Above
the
Law,
where
she’s
worked
since
2011.
She’d
love
to
hear
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so
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Threads
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---

---

*
With
the
Trump
sentencing
delayed,
prosecutors
are
gearing
up
for
the
inevitable
request
that
state
crimes
should
be
legal
if
the
convict
wins
a
national
election.
Alas,
this
precedent
will
arrive
too
late
for
Charles
Manson.
[

NY
Law
Journal]

*
Weil
being
dealt
double
whammy
with
a
pair
of
practice
leaders
expected
to
depart.
[American
Lawyer]

*
Matt
Gaetz
appointment
shines
new
light
on
warnings
from
the
Founders
[Daily
Report]

*
New
record
for
the
youngest
person
to
pass
California
bar
exam,
topping
her
own
brother’s
previous
record.
[ABA
Journal]

*
Employers
considering
reversing
raises
now
that
Trump
is
expected
to
nix
overtime
rules.
[Bloomberg
Law
News]

*
Lawyer
in
Megan
Thee
Stallion
case
begs
judge
not
to
impose
sanctions
over
missed
in-person
court
date.
[Legal
Affairs
and
Trials]

*
Penn
State’s
plan
to
merge
its
law
schools
receives
ABA
approval.
[Penn
Live]

It
was
just
over
a
week
ago
that

Milbank
got
the
associate
bonuses
rolling,
now
Cravath
has
entered
the
chat.
For
all
the
initiative
Milbank
has
shown
on
the
associate
compensation
front
—
this
year
in
addition
to
being
the
first
to
announce
year-end
bonuses,
they
were
alone
in
Biglaw

handing
out
summer
special
bonuses
—
the
market
still
waits
to
see
what
Cravath
does
before
falling
in
line.
And
tonight
we
have
the
answer.

Cravath
has
revealed
the
following
bonus
scale
—
of
both
the
end-of-year
and
special
variety.
The
combination
of
those
two
bonuses
match
the
numbers
Milbank
gave
out.

The
bonuses
will
be
paid
in
the
New
York
and
D.C.
offices
on
December
13th;
London
associates
will
get
them
on
December
16th.
And,
as
noted
in
their
memo,
Cravath
bonuses
are
given
without
specific
billable
hours
requirements.
Nice.

Now
that
Cravath
hath
spoken,
we
can
expect
the
biggest
and
most
profitable
Biglaw
firms
to
follow
suit.

So
is
your
firm
matching
*both*
the
year-end
and
special
bonuses?
Let
Above
the
Law
know!
We
depend
on
your
tips
to
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on
top
of
important
bonus
updates,
so
when
your
firm
matches
(or
if
they
fail
to
do
so),
please
text
us
(646-820-8477)
or

email
us (subject
line:
“[Firm
Name]
Matches”).
Please
include
the
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You
can
take
a
photo
of
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memo
and
send
it
via
text
or
email
if
you
don’t
want
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forward
the
original
PDF
or
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file.

And
if
you’d
like
to
sign
up
for
ATL’s
Bonus
Alerts
(which
is
the
alert
list
we
also
use
for
salary
announcements),
please
scroll
down
and
enter
your
email
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in
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below
this
post.
If
you
previously
signed
up
for
the
bonus
alerts,
you
don’t
need
to
do
anything.
You’ll
receive
an
email
notification
within
minutes
of
each
bonus
announcement
that
we
publish.
Thanks
for
all
of
your
help!

Read
the
full
memo
below.

Compensation
Memo
(1)

---

Kathryn
Rubino
is
a
Senior
Editor
at
Above
the
Law,
host
of

The
Jabot
podcast,
and
co-host
of

Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer.
AtL
tipsters
are
the
best,
so
please
connect
with
her.
Feel
free
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her
with
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questions,
or
comments
and
follow
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on
Twitter

@Kathryn1 or
Mastodon

@[email protected].

---

---

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