ABA Tax Section Offers Teleconference & Webcast Today on Can Patents Restrict Our Advice To Our Clients?

The ABA Tax Section offers a teleconference and webcast today on Can Patents Restrict Our Advice To Our Clients? from 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. EST:

Patents involving legal products and methods have the potential to reshape how we practice law. Today, tax, probate, and real property lawyers need to consider doing patent searches before offering advice to clients, in order to protect clients from possible liability for patent infringement, and to protect themselves from malpractice.

“Business method patents,” the fastest growing area of applications to the Patent and Trademark Office (PTO), include patents for tax strategies and real estate transactions. Examples include patents for tax-deferred real estate exchanges; hedging liabilities associated with a deferred compensation plan; funding grantor retained annuity trusts with nonqualified stock options; and other wealth-transfer techniques.

Please join the distinguished panel as it discusses criteria for issuing and challenging business method patents that have a potential impact on legal practice and the practical and policy issues they raise. The program will also address ethical issues raised by the patenting of tax strategies.

Faculty:

• Christine Albright (Winston & Strawn, Chicago)
• Ellen P. Aprill (Loyola-L.A.)
• Richard S. Gruner (Whittier)
• Michael B. Lang (Chapman)