The Legal Side of a Scientific Consulting Practice

Abstract

The professional existence of most academic scientists is remarkably free from any contact with the legal universe of lawyers, legal documents, courtrooms, or hearing rooms. Some brief interactions may be necessary for patent applications, for a rare appearance as an expert witness, or in equally rare disputes over perceived abuses of intellectual property (claims of copyright infringement, or plagiarism), but otherwise academic scientists are largely untroubled by legal matters in the pursuit of their career.