Author Archives: Library Relations

New Title! Commercial Legal Finance

PLI Press is proud to announce the publication of the new practice guide Commercial Legal Finance.

This book offers industry-specific guidance on the mechanics of litigation and arbitration finance in key jurisdictions and practice areas around the world.  It provides a wealth of applied use cases for law firms and corporations and addresses key questions concerned with legal finance structures, pricing, and ethical considerations. The book also gives a step-by-step overview of the process for obtaining legal finance and a helpful glossary of terms.

Notably, Commercial Legal Finance covers the following important topics:

  • The basics of commercial legal finance (see Chapter 1)
  • The role of the funder (see Chapter 2)
  • The mechanics and economics of funding (see Chapter 3)
  • The major ethical issues related to legal finance (see Chapter 4)
  • The financing of investor-state arbitration (see Chapter 5)
  • Key considerations for financing patent litigation and other intellectual property matters (see Chapter 6)    

In addition, the book devotes full chapters to the use of funding in the U.S. (Chapter 7), England and Wales (Chapter 8), Europe (Chapter 9), Asia (Chapter 10), and Australia (Chapter 11).

We are excited to share this new title with you!

PLUS Subscribers can access this title with their subscription.

Order a print copy today.

 Is your library interested in subscribing to PLI’s Standing Order Plan (SOP)? SOP subscribers automatically receive print copies of new titles to review upon release.  If you decide to keep the title, you will receive a discount up to 25% off the title and all future supplements. Call 877.900.5291 or email libraryrelations@pli.edu to learn more.

Free Legal Form of the Month

PLI PLUS offers unlimited electronic access to more than 4,500 downloadable, searchable, and editable legal forms ready for use in your practice. In an effort to highlight this unique content type, we’ve selected one form per month and made it available for anyone to download for free – no subscription required.

November’s free form:

Securities Purchase Agreement

More information about Legal Forms & Checklists:

  • Forms & Checklists Flyer – This flyer provides an overview of the forms & checklists on PLI PLUS and highlights a handful of popular examples.
  •  Popular PLUS Forms – This flyer provides a list of the top five most downloaded forms in prominent practice areas on PLI PLUS.

Send us an email at plus@pli.edu to learn more.

New Episode! The Practising Law Librarian Podcast

The Practising Law Librarian, part of the PLI Ever Current podcast, brings you conversations with — and for — the law librarian community.

Episode 8: Teachable Moments With Susan Ryan

Susan Ryan, librarian in the Washington, DC office of Seyfarth Shaw, says that “all librarians are teachers.” She shares how she developed the idea for a blog on marijuana law and discusses other learning resources she has developed on topics such as conducting cost-effective research and skills for new associates.

Treatise Update – Patent Litigation (Third Edition)

Patent Litigation (Third Edition) enhances every patent litigator’s ability to prevail at trial while helping to cut the costs and complexity of litigation. Written by leading patent litigators, the treatise provides guidance on various infringement actions and their respective burdens of proof.  It also offers pointers on conducting comprehensive pre-suit investigations; developing potent case themes; assembling strong litigation teams; developing smart budgets; maximizing the persuasive impact of documents, exhibits, and witnesses; and making savvy use of technology, jury consultants, and litigation support vendors.

Highlights of this release include updated discussion of the following topics:

  • Substantive Issues of a Patent Case: Defenses against patent validity, such as collateral estoppel and unadjudicated claims, applicant-admitted prior art, obviousness, and inadequately disclosed claims (see sections 1:3.3[B], 1:3.3[C], 1:3.3[F], and 1:3.3[H]) and, in the area of inequitable conduct before the PTO, the mitigation of nondisclosure of information through supplemental examination (see section 1:3.4[A][4]). 
  • Discovery and Privilege: Use of testimony from patent law experts (see section 4:4.4[C]).
  • Nondiscovery Motions and Court-Initiated Procedures: Markman proceedings and claim construction (see section 7:2). 
  • Witnesses Special to a Patent Case: Inventor testimony (see section 8:2.1[A]).
  • Damages and Attorney’s Fees: Consequences of the district court’s failure to address prejudgment interest (see section 9:10.1) and willfulness and enhanced damages (see section 9:11.1).
  • Trial: Rule 50(a) and Rule 50(b) motions (see sections 12:12.3 and 12:14); Rule 59 motions for a new trial and altering or amending the judgment (see new section 12:14.4); and Rule 60 proceedings for relief from judgment (see new section 12:14.5).

The Table of Authorities and Index have also been updated.

Order a print copy today. PLI PLUS subscribers can access this title through their subscription.

For additional recent developments in patent litigation, check out this recent PLI Chronicle article, PTAB’s Longhorn Decision Could Signal More USPTO OED Disciplinary Proceedings.

New Episode! The Practising Law Librarian Podcast

The Practising Law Librarian, part of the PLI Ever Current podcast, brings you conversations with — and for — the law librarian community.

Episode 7: Creativity and Collaboration with Scott Bailey

Scott Bailey, Director of Research & Knowledge Services at Eversheds Sutherland, shares how collaborating with a creative, open mind — and applying improv skills from his “theater kid” background — helps him and his team build value at their firm and beyond.

Treatise Update – Variable Annuities and Other Insurance Investment Products (Third Edition)

Variable Annuities and Other Insurance Investment Products offers accessible guidance to the federal and state regulation of variable annuities and insurance investment products. Readers will learn the professional duties and compliance responsibilities expected of issuers of insurance investment products. The book includes instructive examples around product design, approvals, administration and distribution, marketing, and inspections. The book further features conversations addressing special investment products, state insurance licensing requirements and suitability rules, index-linked variable annuities, registered index-linked annuities (RILA), and life settlements.

Highlights of the new release include:

  • ERISA Issues: New discussion of Prohibited Transaction Exemption 2020-02 (“PTE 2020-02”) which allows investment advice fiduciaries to receive compensation that would otherwise be prohibited in connection with providing investment advice and engaging in certain principal transactions (see section 6:9).
  • Insurer Exchange Programs: Covers the SEC’s announcement of settled charges against an insurance-affiliated broker-dealer/principal underwriter for improper exchange offers related to the affiliated insurer’s variable annuities (see section 13:5).
  • Advertising: Reviews FINRA Rule 5123 (“Private Placements of Securities”), a separate FINRA Rule that sets forth filing requirements for private placements (see section 19:4.2[B][13]), and the performance inception date for variable annuity performance advertising (see section 19:5.1[A][1]).
  • Senior Investors: Discusses actions by federal and state securities and insurance regulators to enhance the supervisory obligations of financial institutions dealing with senior investors (see section 27:2.1).

In addition, the Table of Authorities and Index have been updated to incorporate the latest developments and regulatory changes.

Order a print copy today.

PLI PLUS subscribers can access this title through their subscription.

What’s New on PLI PLUS

We add content to PLI PLUS every month to ensure our subscribers have access to the most up-to-date and relevant secondary source legal documents. Renowned legal experts regularly update our acclaimed Treatises/Practice Guides, Course Handbooks, Answer Books, Transcripts, and Forms to reflect recent changes and developments in the law.

Click here to see what we added in October 2023!    

New Edition! Anti-Money Laundering Deskbook (Second Edition)

PLI Press is proud to announce the publication of the second edition of Anti-Money Laundering Deskbook.

This book is a comprehensive and accessible guide to the money laundering and anti-money laundering (“AML”) legal regimes and compliance requirements for U.S. financial institutions. Designed as a practical resource to serve a wide audience of professionals, the deskbook integrates real-world enforcement cases to illuminate complex concepts in a practical way and demonstrates how those cases have shaped AML policies and practices. It also provides insight into the intersection between the two legal regimes, offering a full view of the legal and regulatory landscape.

Some of the recent developments reflected in this new edition include:

  • Criminal money laundering laws: Explanation of the extraterritorial application of the criminal money laundering laws (see Section 2:3.4).
  • AML laws and regulations: Discussion of the AML Act and the expansion of U.S. AML laws and regulations (see Section 4:1.3).
  • AML compliance and enforcement: Coverage of new developments with respect to AML compliance in the digital assets industry and the role of state regulators in AML compliance and enforcement (see Section 4:2.5 and Chapter 8).
  • Money laundering risks: Identification and analysis of the money laundering risks of new financial technologies (see Chapter 12).

Order a print copy today.

PLI PLUS subscribers can access this title through their subscription.

Meet Our AALL 2023 Booth Raffle Winner: Jill Brooks

At the 2023 AALL Annual Conference in Boston this summer, PLI raffled off a pair of Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones. We are pleased to announce this year’s winner is Jill Brooks, Research Librarian at Robinson Bradshaw. Read on to learn about Jill’s path to librarianship, passion for community, and podcast recommendations.

Tell us a little about yourself. Why did you become a librarian?

I have been a librarian for twenty years and still love what I do. I’ve been a cataloguer, research librarian, competitive intelligence analyst, and library director. The librarian field is vast and diverse and there is always something new to learn and discover. Like most librarians I love to read. I also enjoy hiking, triathlons, and traveling.

Librarianship was a late career choice for me. I was a teacher working as a literacy specialist in the school system. This involved mentoring teachers and developing lesson plans. I realized that I was enjoying the researching of the lesson plans more and more. Burnout in the teaching profession is very high and I was reaching my limit.  Getting a MLIS seemed like the next best step on my career path. I did not plan to be a legal librarian but to become a media specialist in the school system. Unfortunately the school system wanted to place me back in the classroom instead of the library. There was an ad in the newspaper for a librarian and I got the position. While I miss the students and collaborating with the teachers, I don’t miss the paperwork and politics of the school system. Being a librarian has been rewarding and I am lucky that I found such a wonderful law firm in Robinson Bradshaw.

What do you like most about your job as the Research Librarian for Robinson Bradshaw & Hinson?

Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson, P.A. is a North Carolina law firm. As such they focus on the community where we live. For the most part our clients are corporations, non-profits, and residents of North Carolina. That being said, what I like most about working at Robinson Bradshaw is serving our community. Besides corporate work, our firm does a lot of pro bono work for secured housing focusing on displaced mothers and children. I also love the challenge of digging into a difficult request and brainstorming ideas with my team to find answers in unusual places. Robinson Bradshaw offers a challenging and rewarding place to work.

Which PLI product do you most frequently recommend to your colleagues?

PLI’s CLE Programs are the most frequently recommended resource. The ability for attorneys to obtain CLE credit so easily is a boon. The fact you can use the platform for research needs and resources is an added bonus. 

What did you think of this year’s AALL conference? What was the highlight for you?

This year’s conference was one of the best I have attended. Every session was spot on in delivering relevant content. I always preview the agenda and choose more than one session to attend at a conference in case the first choice session is not quite what is described. This was the first conference where I did not leave a session and have to use a second choice. 

The highlight of the conference was the opening keynote speaker Charles Vogl. He set the tone for AALL Boston: To build a community starts with you. You have to be willing to reach out and connect with your colleagues. This was a perfect lead in to the conference. I have taken his ideas and put them into practice—one of which is getting our local AALL group together for an in-person Boston recap.   

PLI recently launched PLI Ever Current: The Practising Law Librarian, a new podcast for – and about – the law librarian community. Are there any other podcasts that should be on our radar?

My podcast recommendation is 3 Geeks and A Law Blog. They have wonderful guests that provide insightful information. Their podcast on competitive intelligence was very informative.