The CAP·impact Podcast interviewed Texas A&M University School of Law Professor Saurabh Vishnubhakat about his involvement with the refinement of the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) patent review process within the U.S. Patent Office. 

Click here to listen to the podcast interview.

Vishnubhakat is an expert in intellectual property, patent law, civil procedure, administrative law and and economics. 

Texas A&M University School of Law professor, William Byrnes, is the only United States academic scholar selected by the scientific committee of International Congress to present at the “International Tax Cooperation” Congress 2019: Digital Economy, Transfer Pricing and Litigation in Tax Matters held this week in Barcelona, Spain. Byrnes will present to tax administrators and academics from over 50 countries. 

Professor Peter K. Yu of Texas A&M University School of Law delivered a plenary address at the 9th Asia-Pacific Innovation Conference (APIC) at the Delhi School of Economics in New Delhi, India. Launched at the University of Melbourne and rotating around the Asia-Pacific region, this annual event is one of the premier conferences on innovation in the region. This event was organized by Professor Sunil Kanwar of the Delhi School of Economics. 

Current Texas A&M University School of Law students enrolled in the Immigrant Rights Clinic won an appeal to reopen the case of a client from Somalia who fears being tortured there by Al-Shabaab and the government as a Christianity convert. The case was reopened based on the condition changes in Somalia.  

TAMU Law students, Miranda Leach, Ruth Correa and Caitlin Revanna, were enrolled in the clinic's courses last spring and prepared the motion to reopen the case. This fall, Clarissa Dauphin, Denise Rosales and Wesley Salazar prepared a habeas petition and complaint for the same client.

Texas A&M University School of Law Professor William Byrnes is the only academic invited to join the Cambridge Forums' transfer pricing workshop in Frankfurt, Germany.  The workshop is an invitation-only event, limited to 20 leaders who will spend three days together to "develop meaningful relationships" with hiring partners of several global law firms and directors of multinational tax departments.

The Cambridge Forums website says, "The Forum is not for everybody.  Those nominated for invitation have demonstrated their excellence in this field and can confidently share their knowledge and experiences while being open to learning from their peers."  

Byrnes is a leading expert in anti-money laundering and risk management, financial planning and wealth management, international taxation and taxation. He is also recognized as a pioneer and leader for distance, legal education. Recently, he participated in a faculty series, "Exploring Pedagogy and Online Legal Education," held at the University of Memphis School of Law. 

TAMU Law's senior lecturer and director of the low income tax clinic, Bob Probasco, is the principal drafter for comments submitted to the U.S. Tax Court by the Tax Section of the State Bar. He and current law clinic students are advocating for change to the Tax Court’s Rules of Practice and Procedure, to provide for entries of limited appearance by pro bono volunteers. Probasco says this change would allow clinics to provide even more help to taxpayers.

The ABA (American Bar Association) Section of Taxation: Pro Bono and Tax Clinics Committee submitted similar comments in October. The State Bar Tax Section agrees with the TAMU Law clinic’s goal but, wrote separately, to suggest an alternative process that might be more effective. Probasco says the Court has already begun looking at the issue and hopefully will benefit from the law clinic’s input.

Texas A&M University School of Law's new Agriculture Law Society presented its research findings to Mark McPherson, a lawyer working on behalf of the Sandbranch community, as part of the members’ pro bono efforts. 

The 40-page local, state and federal research project, which covers issues associated with produce, egg production and distribution, was compiled by four teams of law students with faculty supervision. The document will be used in discussions with local, state and federal government authorities on important matters, including agriculture. 

Late October, Texas A&M University School of Law Associate Professor Brian N. Larson moderated the capstone panel titled, "The Next Chapter," at the annual Education Symposium co-sponsored by the Dallas Bar Association and SMU's Caruth Institute for Children’s Rights.