Synopses & Reviews
Forced out of his high-powered Manhattan law firm and stuck in a dead-end solo practice, Michael Seeley, the tough-but-wounded hero of Errors and Omissions, cannot say no when his estranged brother, Leonard, head of research at upstart biotech Vaxtek, Inc., flies in from California to beg him to take over the company's lawsuit for patent infringement of its pathbreaking AIDS vaccine after the sudden death of the lead trial lawyer. The financial and moral stakes of the case are staggering, and Seeley suspects that murder cannot be ruled out as a hardball litigation tactic of big-pharma adversary St. Gall Laboratories.
As Seeley travels between San Francisco and Silicon Valley to prepare for trial, dark facts surface concerning the vaccine's discovery by Vaxtek scientist Alan Steinhardt and its alleged theft by St. Gall researcher Lily Warren. Ethical quandaries deepen into mortal danger as the trial, under the stern prodding of federal judge Ellen Farnsworth, rushes to its unexpected end. A timely and fascinating look at how the law operates at its most arcane yet financially consequential, A Patent Lie is further evidence that Paul Goldstein is an emerging master of the legal thriller.
Synopsis
In this gripping tale, Paul Goldstein, author of Errors and Omissions, proves himself a master of the legal thriller.
Tough but wounded, intellectual property litigator Michael Seeley has set up shop in his native Buffalo after being forced from his high-powered Manhattan firm. Business is slow until one day Seeley's estranged brother asks him to represent his small pharmaceutical company in a suit against a giant Swiss biotech firm over a groundbreaking AIDS vaccine. But before long he will realize there is much more at stake than he imagined--as certain partnerships come to light, and financial gains become clear, Seeley's own life may be in grave danger.
Synopsis
A gripping inside look at high-stakes lawyering, A Patent Lie is further evidence that Paul Goldstein is an emerging master of the legal thriller.After being forced from his high-powered Manhattan law firm, Michael Seeley—the tough-but-wounded hero of Errors and Omissions—has set up shop in his native Buffalo. Partly out of need, partly out of pride, Seeley takes on a case for his estranged brother, whose small biotech firm is suing a Swiss pharmaceutical giant over a controversial new AIDS vaccine. Seeley heads out to Silicon Valley to lead the case, but soon realizes there is much more at stake than he was first led to believe. As certain partnerships come to light, and financial gains become staggeringly clear, Seeley's own life may be in grave danger.
About the Author
Paul Goldstein is the Lillick Professor of Law at Stanford Law School and is widely recognized as one of the countrys leading authorities on intellectual property law. He is regularly included in The Best Lawyers in America and testifies before congressional committees and international government meetings on intellectual property issues. A Patent Lie is the sequel to his first novel, Errors and Omissions. A New York native, he now lives outside San Francisco.