Try our Advanced Search for more refined results
Legal Ethics
-
August 16, 2024
2 BigLaw Firms Nix Bankruptcy Judge Romance Suit, For Now
A Texas federal judge Friday tossed an investor's racketeering lawsuit alleging a conspiracy involving Kirkland & Ellis LLP, Jackson Walker LLP, a disgraced Texas bankruptcy judge and his secret romance with a former Jackson Walker partner, dismissing the suit without prejudice while voicing her distaste for its allegations of judicial misconduct.
-
August 16, 2024
Feds Get Boost From Dem Reps In 5th Circ. PWFA Fight
The federal government's Fifth Circuit challenge to a court order blocking it from enforcing a law to protect pregnant workers in Texas got support on Friday from four Democratic lawmakers who argued the lower court ruling, if upheld, would undercut Congress' authority to set its own rules of operation.
-
August 16, 2024
Atty Gets 32 Months In Prison For Bribing Chicago Alderman
An Illinois federal judge on Friday sentenced an immigration attorney and real estate developer convicted of bribing former Chicago Alderman Ed Burke to two years and eight months in prison, maintaining prison time is warranted because the lawyer initiated the bribe and tried to hide it from federal agents and the grand jury.
-
August 16, 2024
Texas Injury Firm's Ex-Associate Must Face Poaching Suit
A Texas state appeals court refused to dismiss a suit accusing a former associate of Daspit Law Firm PLLC of improperly poaching clients following his firing in 2022, saying his conduct isn't covered by state statute protecting citizens from retaliatory lawsuits.
-
August 16, 2024
Fla. Atty Gets Second Look At Sanctions Ruling Over Mistrial
A Florida attorney and his law firm, Garrison Yount Forte & Mulcahy LLC, will get the sanctions against them reconsidered by a state trial court after a three-judge panel for Florida's Fifth District Court of Appeal found they were denied a necessary hearing prior to receiving the penalties after the attorney's actions led to a mistrial in a personal injury case.
-
August 16, 2024
Gunster Aims To Erase Data Breach Suit In Florida
Gunster Yoakley & Stewart PA has asked a Florida federal court to toss a proposed class action related to a data breach in 2022, arguing that the former client failed to state actual damages sustained by the potential class due to the cybersecurity incident.
-
August 16, 2024
V&E Can Advise Wood Pellet Co. Enviva In Ch. 11, Court Says
Months after a Virginia bankruptcy court blocked Vinson & Elkins LLP from representing Enviva in the wood pellet maker's Chapter 11 case due to a possible conflict of interest, the court has reversed course, permitting the law firm to serve as special counsel after it pledged to narrow the scope of its work.
-
August 16, 2024
Former Texas Judge Sanctioned Over Atty Romance Interview
Former bankruptcy judge David R. Jones was sanctioned Friday for an "off the record" interview with Jackson Walker LLP, in which he asked the firm not to take his deposition during a federal investigation into Jones' secret romantic relationship with a former Jackson Walker partner.
-
August 16, 2024
Ford Says $1.7B Loss Blocks Punitives In Rollover Suit
Ford Motor Co. is asking a Georgia federal court to throw out a bid for punitive damages from the children of a couple who died in a rollover crash, saying punitive damages in a prior $1.7 billion loss in a similar suit bars the claim.
-
August 16, 2024
Pashman Stein Must Face NJ Atty's Malpractice Claims
A New Jersey state court has rejected Pashman Stein Walder Hayden PC's bid to dismiss a malpractice counterclaim lodged against it by an attorney and former client, who the firm has argued painted an "outright deceptive narrative" to avoid paying nearly $100,000 in legal fees.
-
August 16, 2024
Ortho Center Seeks Lit Funding Details After Scuttled Verdict
A Minnesota-based orthopedic center wants a former patient to disclose information regarding his litigation financing agreement with Bench Walk Advisors following a $110 million malpractice verdict, which a judge later decided was "astronomical" and largely scrapped.
-
August 16, 2024
Atty Who Reported Client Can't Get SEC Award, DC Circ. Says
The D.C. Circuit was not moved by an attorney's attempt to claim a potential multimillion-dollar award for reporting his client to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, saying the attorney could not have reasonably believed that blowing the whistle on the $44 million fraud was in his client's best interest.
-
August 16, 2024
Jury Says Lin Wood Must Pay $750K In Defamation Case Fees
A day after returning a $3.75 million verdict against retired Atlanta defamation attorney Lin Wood in the defamation case brought against him by three of his former law partners, a Georgia federal jury on Friday said he must also pay $750,000 toward their attorney fees and costs.
-
August 16, 2024
Colo. Judge Orders Attys To Leave Assumptions At The Door
A Colorado trial judge is one of the first in the country to require parties to use gender-neutral terms until a person has identified their pronouns. Drawing on his experiences putting on a straight "costume" as a young, gay attorney, he says the aim is to make the courtroom a welcoming space for all involved.
-
August 16, 2024
NC Legislation To Watch In 2024: A Midyear Report
College "prop bets" are on the line, and a public face mask requirement could be torpedoed — at least in some situations — under two proposals being considered by the North Carolina General Assembly.
-
August 16, 2024
NC Litigation Highlights Of 2024: A Midyear Report
Several-high profile cases in North Carolina came to a close in the first half of the year, from a second bribery conviction against an insurance magnate beset by legal woes, to the anticlimactic withdrawal of a state Supreme Court justice's much-watched free speech suit. Here, Law360 looks at those and other notable rulings so far in North Carolina.
-
August 15, 2024
Amicus Beef: Judiciary Kicks Off Heated Transparency Debate
The federal judiciary's main policy panel Thursday floated a major overhaul of mandatory financial disclosures in appellate amicus briefs, a move that's being fueled by perceptions of shadowy "judicial lobbying" and already coming under siege by big business.
-
August 15, 2024
Tom Girardi Has Dementia, USC Neurologist Tells Calif. Jury
A University of Southern California neurology professor testified Thursday in Tom Girardi's California federal criminal trial that she diagnosed him with mild-to-moderate dementia months after his law firm collapsed, although the lawyer insisted at the time that his memory was fine and that he was still busily working at his firm.
-
August 15, 2024
Colo. Atty Sues Bank, Opposing Counsel Over Hack Attack
A Colorado attorney and conservative radio personality is suing Wells Fargo and opposing counsel in a divorce proceeding over their alleged role in a hacking incident that apparently caused him to wire $375,000 for a client's divorce settlement to Hong Kong.
-
August 15, 2024
Bloom Firm Settles False Claims Act Suit Over Virus PPP Loan
Civil rights attorney Lisa Bloom, her Calabasas, California-based firm and her husband have agreed to pay a combined $274,000 to settle a rival law firm's False Claims Act suit alleging they provided false information to obtain a federal Paycheck Protection Program loan during the COVID-19 pandemic.
-
August 15, 2024
Conn. Library Avoids Legal Threat Suit, But Must Face Another
A Connecticut federal judge overseeing two lawsuits brought by former library employees has thrown out one alleging that the plaintiff's public comments during a city budget meeting led to improper legal threats from her employer, while keeping another, similar case alive.
-
August 15, 2024
Collin County Gets Win In Ken Paxton Prosecution Fee Fight
A Texas appeals court handed Collin County a victory Thursday in a long-running fight over how much special prosecutors should get paid for the criminal case against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, ordering the trial court to vacate its past orders awarding attorney fees to the prosecutors.
-
August 15, 2024
Lin Wood Must Pay Ex-Partners $3.75M, Ga. Jurors Say
A Georgia federal jury said Thursday that controversial ex-attorney Lin Wood must pay $3.75 million to his three former law partners and cover their attorney fees and costs, with the exact amount of those fees to be determined Friday morning.
-
August 15, 2024
SEC Defendants Fight Ex-Latham Atty For Whistleblower Docs
A credit reporting agency at the center of a $73 million U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission lawsuit is seeking to force a retired Latham & Watkins LLP partner to hand over his discussions with a pair of SEC whistleblowers, arguing that the attorney's work for the tipsters isn't privileged.
-
August 15, 2024
Developer Loses Attempt To Get Damages From Carlton Fields
A Miami developer suing the Carlton Fields law firm for $10 million can't recover damages arising from an underlying finding of civil theft against him, a Florida state judge ruled Thursday.
Expert Analysis
-
Breaking Down High Court's New Code Of Conduct
The U.S. Supreme Court recently adopted its first-ever code of conduct, and counsel will need to work closely with clients in navigating its provisions, from gift-giving to recusal bids, say Phillip Gordon and Mateo Forero at Holtzman Vogel.
-
Opinion
Legal Profession Gender Parity Requires Equal Parental Leave
To truly foster equity in the legal profession and to promote attorney retention, workplaces need to better support all parents, regardless of gender — starting by offering equal and robust parental leave to both birthing and non-birthing parents, says Ali Spindler at Irwin Fritchie.
-
Series
Writing Thriller Novels Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Authoring several thriller novels has enriched my work by providing a fresh perspective on my privacy practice, expanding my knowledge, and keeping me alert to the next wave of issues in an increasingly complex space — a reminder to all lawyers that extracurricular activities can help sharpen professional instincts, says Reece Hirsch at Morgan Lewis.
-
What Lawyers Must Know About Calif. State Bar's AI Guidance
Initial recommendations from the State Bar of California regarding use of generative artificial intelligence by lawyers have the potential to become a useful set of guidelines in the industry, covering confidentiality, supervision and training, communications, discrimination and more, say attorneys at Debevoise.
-
Industry Must Elevate Native American Women Attys' Stories
The American Bar Association's recent research study into Native American women attorneys' experiences in the legal industry reveals the glacial pace of progress, and should inform efforts to amplify Native voices in the field, says Mary Smith, president of the ABA.
-
Understanding Discovery Obligations In Era Of Generative AI
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Attorneys and businesses must adapt to the unique discovery challenges presented by generative artificial intelligence, such as chatbot content and prompts, while upholding the principles of fairness, transparency and compliance with legal obligations in federal civil litigation, say attorneys at King & Spalding.
-
Asserting 'Presence-Of-Counsel' Defense In Securities Trials
As illustrated by the fraud trial of FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, defense attorneys in securities trials might consider arguing that counsel had some involvement in the conduct at issue — if the more formal advice-of-counsel defense is unavailable and circumstances allow for a privilege waiver, say Joseph Dever and Matthew Elkin at Cozen O'Connor.
-
Key Takeaways From DOJ's Recent FARA Advisory Opinions
The U.S. Department of Justice recently published several redacted advisory opinions on the Foreign Agents Registration Act, clarifying its current thinking on when a person or entity is required to register as a foreign agent under the statute, and when they may qualify for an exemption, says Tessa Capeloto at Wiley Rein.
-
The Case For Post-Bar Clerk Training Programs At Law Firms
In today's competitive legal hiring market, an intentionally designed training program for law school graduates awaiting bar admission can be an effective way of creating a pipeline of qualified candidates, says Brent Daub at Gilson Daub.
-
Attorneys Have An Ethical Duty To Protect The Judiciary
The tenor of public disagreement and debate has become increasingly hostile against judges, and though the legislative branch is trying to ameliorate this safety gap, lawyers have a moral imperative and professional requirement to stand with judges in defusing attacks against them and their rulings, says Deborah Winokur at Cozen O'Connor.
-
AI Can Help Lawyers Overcome The Programming Barrier
Legal professionals without programming expertise can use generative artificial intelligence to harness the power of automation and other technology solutions to streamline their work, without the steep learning curve traditionally associated with coding, says George Zalepa at Greenberg Traurig.
-
Preparing Law Students For A New, AI-Assisted Legal World
As artificial intelligence rapidly transforms the legal landscape, law schools must integrate technology and curricula that address AI’s innate challenges — from ethics to data security — to help students stay ahead of the curve, say Daniel Garrie at Law & Forensics, Ryan Abbott at JAMS and Karen Silverman at Cantellus Group.
-
General Counsel Need Data Literacy To Keep Up With AI
With the rise of accessible and powerful generative artificial intelligence solutions, it is imperative for general counsel to understand the use and application of data for myriad important activities, from evaluating the e-discovery process to monitoring compliance analytics and more, says Colin Levy at Malbek.
-
Navigating Discovery Of Generative AI Information
As generative artificial intelligence tools become increasingly ubiquitous, companies must make sure to preserve generative AI data when there is reasonable expectation of litigation, and to include transcripts in litigation hold notices, as they may be relevant to discovery requests, say Nick Peterson and Corey Hauser at Wiley.
-
Finding Focus: Strategies For Attorneys With ADHD
Given the prevalence of ADHD among attorneys, it is imperative that the legal community gain a better understanding of how ADHD affects well-being, and that resources and strategies exist for attorneys with this disability to manage their symptoms and achieve success, say Casey Dixon at Dixon Life Coaching and Krista Larson at Stinson.