McKool Smith principal Scott Hejny was quoted by Law360 for the article "3 COVID-19 Changes IP Attys Want to Keep & 1 That Must Go." The article discusses how the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Federal Circuit and other patent-heavy courts have adjusted some of their requirements with an increase of procedural hearing over the phone and by video. While many are happy, they don't want to forego in-person oral arguments and trials. Scott stated "it’s much harder to properly conduct a trial over video conference, especially when you’re talking about something as complex as patents. Our job as trial lawyers is to share a compelling story with the jury and to develop a personal rapport with both the jury and the judge as we advocate for our clients. I don’t think that same level of rapport can be achieved via video conference, which is a much more sterile environment.” Read the entire article here.
