Page 5 - Delaware Lawyer - Summer 2020

EDITOR’S NOTE
Karen Pascale
law professor Margaret “Peg” Duncan offers us her uniquely qualified perspective on the case (“The Supreme Court’s Book- ing.com Decision”).
Many of us have turned to our music libraries and various streaming services to curate the perfect auditory accompani- ment to our season in quarantine. And for those of us who qualify as “baby boomers,” many of our best-loved recording artists from the 1960s and 1970s happen to be clients of return- ing author Peter Thall. So, it was nothing short of thrilling to learn how Thall has been able to utilize certain provisions in the Copyright Act to help some of his clients recapture the United States rights to their musical works, even if those rights had been transferred years earlier (“Terminating Copyrights: Recapturing the Family’s Literary Jewels”).
Finally, we could all take lessons in perseverance and grit in the face of life’s challenges from our esteemed Chief Magistrate Judge, Mary Pat Thynge. She is the focus of a very special “Of Counsel” feature, authored by our own Board of Editors’ Chair, Chuck Durante.
We are very appreciative of your attention to this issue of Delaware Lawyer, and hope you find it useful and entertaining in equal measure.
Karen Pascale
Greetings from the waning days of the summer of Covid-19. Since this magazine last went to print, life in these United States and around the world has changed dramatically. Those of us in the legal profession have been considered some of the more fortunate members of the labor force, since we are generally able to work remotely. But the disruptions to the court system, our clients and our families have been profound. The dimensions of those changes are still being revealed, and even the way you read this magazine and your perspective on its content is likely differ- ent than it would have been several months ago.
Are you reading these words on the printed page of a physi- cal magazine? Or are you looking at a screen? More and more frequently, we are all consuming our reading material electroni- cally. Judges are no different. Have you given any thought to the best ways to adjust your brief writing and other legal drafting for maximum clarity and persuasiveness to the screen-based audi- ence? If not, the time has surely arrived. Professors David Hricik and Karen Sneddon share some invaluable advice in “How to Write Motions and Briefs Competently in the Digital Age.”
Speaking of the judiciary, even the United States Supreme Court has had to make significant adjustments to its procedures during the pandemic. Most notably, its oral arguments were held via teleconference and broadcast live for the very first time. And the first such oral argument, on May 4, 2020, involved the online travel search engine Booking.com’s appeal of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s refusal to grant a trademark to the company. Veteran intellectual property litigator and current
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The Delaware Bar Foundation serves to improve the administration of justice in Delaware and to fund programs that enhance public respect for the law and foster knowledge of citizenship rights and responsibilities. Administering IOLTA for the Supreme Court of Delaware, the Foundation has provided over $28 million to fund legal services for those less fortunate. Despite this year’s unprecedented stay-at-home orders, resulting economic effects and canceled events,
the Foundation supported various programs including:
Administering www.DELegalHelpLink.org –
a website to guide those in need of civil legal services
Partnering with Howard High School of Technology to create job shadowing and diversity pipeline programs
to give real world legal experiences to over 100 attorneys
Publishing and providing Delaware Lawyer magazine free to members of the Delaware Bar
in Delaware public schools with lessons about the Constitution
Granting funding for student meals during this year’s High School Mock Trial Competition and a trial advocacy institute for Delaware public interest attorneys.
Administering grants for mortgage foreclosure legal assistance from Bank of America
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SUMMER 2020 DELAWARE LAWYER 3