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Legal Ethics
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December 17, 2024
Lewis Brisbois Wins $543K In Fees In Name TM Spat In Texas
Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP is entitled to $543,146.81 in fees after securing a $1.5 million judgment in a trademark lawsuit it prosecuted against the owners of a mediation business that took the BigLaw behemoth's name, a Texas federal judge said Tuesday.
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December 17, 2024
CORRECTED: Ineligible Calif. Securities Atty Accused Of Tax Crimes
A Southern California securities attorney currently ineligible to practice law has gone over five years without filing any personal federal income tax returns, the U.S. Department of Justice alleged in announcing a recently unsealed indictment against the lawyer on Tuesday.
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December 17, 2024
Tubi Says Keller Postman Kept Its Clients In The Dark
Most of the people named in now-dropped arbitration demands filed by Keller Postman LLC against streaming service Tubi didn't know what the claims were or even that the firm purported to represent them, Tubi has told a Washington, D.C., federal judge.
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December 17, 2024
PQA Wants Members' Identities Kept From VLSI, Public
Patent Quality Assurance LLC has disclosed its members to a Virginia federal court after initial resistance, but urged the judge to keep that information under seal, saying the company suing it would likely "harass and smear" its members.
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December 17, 2024
Mass. Judge Apologizes For Slamming Alito Over Flags
A Massachusetts federal judge has apologized for violating ethics rules when he publicly criticized U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito in the wake of reports that two flags used by Donald Trump supporters to protest the 2020 election were flown outside Alito's houses.
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December 17, 2024
Biden Enacts Law Setting Exception To Some USPTO Fines
President Joe Biden signed a bill into law Tuesday that gives the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office the ability to waive fines for patent applicants who falsely claim they are entitled to fee reductions, if the error was made in good faith.
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December 17, 2024
Judge To Expedite Doc Decision In Atty's Voting Machine Case
A Michigan state judge said prosecutors' case against an attorney accused of illegally accessing a voting machine needs to keep moving forward, vowing Tuesday to rule quickly on a request for grand jury transcripts the attorney claims show the jury was misled about the charges.
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December 17, 2024
The Biggest Georgia Legal Developments Of 2024
From navigating bombshell prosecutor romance allegations in the Georgia election interference case against President-elect Donald Trump and his co-defendants to vacating a $1.7 billion verdict against Ford Motor Co. in a fatal "Super Duty" rollover case, to seeing the state's longest-running criminal trial to a close, 2024 was a busy year for courts in the Peach State.
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December 17, 2024
Apple Fights Epic's Atty Privilege Challenge Win Over Docs
Apple has asked a California federal judge to overturn a magistrate judge and allow it to withhold documents in a discovery spat with Epic Games, arguing Monday the documents in the antitrust case aren't simply business analyses but rather, reflect "'legal advice on a business decision,' which is protected."
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December 17, 2024
Perkins Coie Hit With DQ Bid In Face Recognition IP Dispute
Perkins Coie LLP's representation of tech company Jumio Corp. in a patent suit is a "betrayal," facial recognition technology firm FaceTec Inc. said in a motion seeking to disqualify the law firm from the California case because it had previously represented FaceTec in many matters, including the patent currently in dispute.
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December 17, 2024
Ex-Reed Smith Atty Seeks To Appeal NJ Bias Damages Limit
A former Reed Smith LLP labor and employment lawyer has told the New Jersey Appellate Division that a lower court was wrong to conclude that a pay discrimination law does not apply retroactively, limiting her potential damages against the firm in a bias lawsuit.
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December 17, 2024
NYC Mayor Must Face Bribery Charge For Turkish Travel Perks
A Manhattan federal judge on Tuesday rejected New York City Mayor Eric Adams' request to dismiss the bribery charge from his indictment, finding that prosecutors clearly alleged a corrupt bargain with Turkish government agents to receive lavish travel perks.
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December 17, 2024
NC Legal Advice Law Challenge Meets Early Demise
A lawsuit by two paralegals and a nonprofit challenging North Carolina's ban on the unauthorized practice of law restricting who can offer legal advice has been cut short after a federal judge found the statute falls within a substantial state interest to protect its citizens.
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December 17, 2024
Pa. Supreme Court Says Judge's Side Job Sinks Tax Rulings
A Pennsylvania state judge who held a side job on a Philadelphia tax appeals board had nullified rulings he made on a local hospital's tax cases, the state's Supreme Court said Tuesday, reasoning that holding both jobs was a "constitutionally impermissible conflict of duties."
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December 17, 2024
Colo. Atty Accused Of Poaching Seeks State Justices' Take
It's time for Colorado's Supreme Court to weigh whether law firms may prohibit attorneys from soliciting co-workers to depart their firm together, a lawyer accused of soliciting BigLaw firms to poach her department from a Denver personal injury firm argued Monday, asserting the case is a matter of first impression.
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December 17, 2024
Ex-Tenn. Law Firm Manager Accused Of $1.2M Embezzlement
A Tennessee federal grand jury indicted the former office manager of a Memphis law firm on charges she embezzled more than $1.2 million from the firm to buy luxury goods and travel for herself and her relatives.
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December 16, 2024
Circuit-By-Circuit Guide To 2024's Most Memorable Moments
One judge said a litigant's position would cause "an effing nightmare," and another decried the legal community's silence amid "illegitimate aspersions." Public officials literally trashed one court's opinion, and fateful rulings dealt with controversial politicians, social media and decades of environmental policy. Those were just a few appellate highlights in 2024, a year teeming with memorable moments both substantive and sensational.
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December 16, 2024
Menendez Prosecutors Say 'Chat Chains' Were Admitted In Error
Federal prosecutors in the government's case against former Sen. Bob Menendez on Monday notified the New York federal court of another evidentiary blunder, this time saying they mistakenly admitted "long chat chains" that included "small portions of material" that should've been excluded.
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December 16, 2024
Medical Facility Or Prison? Judge Mulls Tom Girardi's Fate
A California federal judge on Monday ordered federal prosecutors and Tom Girardi's defense counsel to make their case on whether the 85-year-old disbarred attorney should get lifetime confinement to a medical facility instead of prison for embezzling millions of dollars from clients, given his age and declining mental health.
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December 16, 2024
Alaska Plea Nixed Due To Ex-Judge's Sexts With Prosecutor
A visiting judge agreed Monday to overturn an Alaska guilty plea that was negotiated by a federal prosecutor who sent nude photographs to former U.S. District Judge Joshua Kindred, the latest fallout from the disgraced jurist's sexual misconduct scandal.
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December 16, 2024
NY Judge Denies Trump's 1st Immunity Dismissal Motion
The New York state judge overseeing President-elect Donald Trump's hush money case denied the first of his immunity-based dismissal motions on Monday, finding that the trial evidence in the criminal case was not tainted by "official acts" evidence from his first term in office.
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December 16, 2024
Boeing Says Records Loss Should Get 737 Max Suit Tossed
The Boeing Co. is asking a Washington federal court to throw out a suit from a defunct African airline over fallout from a 737 Max airplane deal, saying that the plaintiff airline's loss of records was intentional and warrants sanctions.
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December 16, 2024
Jay-Z Flags 'Glaring Inconsistencies' In Buzbee Rape Claims
Counsel for Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter told a New York federal judge Friday that new media reports reveal "glaring inconsistencies" in an anonymous woman's rape allegations against the rapper and fellow music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs, suggesting that her attorney Tony Buzbee deserves sanctions for failing to vet the claims.
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December 16, 2024
Blindsided Developer Says $112K Legal Bill Should Be $25K
A real estate developer fighting a $112,000 legal bill from Conrad & Scherer LLP testified in a Florida state court Monday that he hired the firm for its banking regulation expertise but not for trial work in a lawsuit over a luxury house in Colorado.
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December 16, 2024
Atty Seeks To Escape Hurricane Ad Suit Against Texas Firm
A Houston-area lawyer is asking a Texas federal court to let him out of a proposed class action involving allegedly deceptive advertising targeting hurricane victims, saying discovery has closed, and the plaintiff has come up empty-handed in finding proof that he "solicited" her in violation of Lone Star State barratry laws.
Expert Analysis
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Maximizing Law Firm Profitability In Uncertain Times
As threats of an economic downturn loom, firms can boost profits by embracing the power of bottom-line management and creating an ecosystem where strategic financial oversight and robust timekeeping practices meet evolved client relations, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Strategic Consulting.
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Alleged $636M Deal Error Highlights Ethics Considerations
Adelman v. Proskauer, a malpractice suit that allegedly arose from a cut-and-paste error resulting in potential damages of $636 million, presents an intriguing juxtaposition of facts and legal issues — and practical ethical considerations for transactions attorneys, says Richard Leisner at Trenam Law.
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5th Circ. Ruling Reminds Attys That CBP Can Search Devices
The Fifth Circuit’s recent Malik v. Department of Homeland Security decision adds to the chorus of federal courts holding that border agents don’t need a warrant to search travelers’ electronic devices, so attorneys should consider certain special precautions to secure privileged information when reentering the U.S., says Jennifer Freel at Jackson Walker.
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Alleged $636M Deal Error Shows Value Of Old-School Methods
Though Proskauer Rose has now settled claims involving a copy-paste error in deal documents that could have resulted in $636 million in damages, the debacle reminds attorneys that classic revision methods using paper copies can help avoid drafting errors and actually save time in the long run, says Richard Leisner at Trenam.
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Twitter Sanction Highlights Privacy Law's Complexity
The D.C. Circuit's recent decision to uphold a sanction against X Corp., formerly known as Twitter, for failing to produce account records in response to a subpoena highlights the importance of understanding the Stored Communications Act, particularly when deciding to produce or not produce data, says Cary Aronovitz at Holland & Knight.
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Avoiding The Ethical Pitfalls Of Crowdfunded Legal Fees
The crowdfunding of legal fees has become increasingly common, providing a new way for people to afford legal services, but attorneys who accept crowdsourced funds must remember several key ethical obligations to mitigate their risks, say Hilary Gerzhoy and Julienne Pasichow at HWG.
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What Large Language Models Mean For Document Review
Courts often subject parties using technology assisted review to greater scrutiny than parties conducting linear, manual document review, so parties using large language models for document review should expect even more attention, along with a corresponding need for quality control and validation, say attorneys at Sidley.
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Series
Participating In Living History Makes Me A Better Lawyer
My role as a baron in a living history group, and my work as volunteer corporate counsel for a book series fan association, has provided me several opportunities to practice in unexpected areas of law — opening doors to experiences that have nurtured invaluable personal and professional skills, says Matthew Parker at the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.
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Opinion
Private Equity Owners Can Remedy Law Firms' Agency Issues
Nonlawyer, private-equity ownership of law firms can benefit shareholders and others vulnerable to governance issues such as disparate interests, and can in turn help resolve agency problems, says Michael Di Gennaro at The Law Practice Exchange.
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How To Protect Atty-Client Privilege While Using Generative AI
When using generative artificial intelligence tools, attorneys should consider several safeguards to avoid breaches or complications in attorney-client privilege, say Antonious Sadek and Christopher Campbell at DLA Piper.
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How New Lawyers Can Leverage Feedback For Growth
Embracing constructive criticism as a tool for success can help new lawyers accelerate their professional growth and law firms build a culture of continuous improvement, says Katie Aldrich at Fringe Professional Development.
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Twitter Legal Fees Suit Offers Crash Course In Billing Ethics
X Corp.'s suit alleging that Wachtell grossly inflated its fees in the final days of Elon Musk’s Twitter acquisition provides a case study in how firms should protect their reputations by hewing to ethical billing practices and the high standards for professional conduct that govern attorney-client relationships, says Lourdes Fuentes at Karta Legal.
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ABA's Money-Laundering Resolution Is A Balancing Act
While the American Bar Association’s recently passed resolution recognizes a lawyer's duty to discontinue representation that could facilitate money laundering and other fraudulent activity, it preserves, at least for now, the delicate balance of judicial, state-based regulation of the legal profession and the sanctity of the attorney-client relationship, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.
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Law Firm Professional Development Steps To Thrive In AI Era
As generative artificial intelligence tools rapidly evolve, professional development leaders are instrumental in preparing law firms for the paradigm shifts ahead, and should consider three strategies to help empower legal talent with the skills required to succeed in an increasingly complex technological landscape, say Steve Gluckman and Anusia Gillespie at SkillBurst Interactive.
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Nev. Insurance Law May Mean Turmoil In Liability Market
Nevada's new law prohibiting insurers from issuing or renewing defense-within-limits liability policies in the state could cause professional liability insurers to withdraw certain products or prohibitively increase premiums — and while an emergency regulation allows for exceptions, the situation remains fluid, says Joshua Leach at Atheria Law.