Legal Ethics

  • January 16, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Calls Newman's Constitutional Challenge 'Meritless'

    The Federal Circuit Judicial Council urged the D.C. Circuit on Thursday to reject U.S. Circuit Judge Pauline Newman's argument that the suspension her colleagues have imposed on her for refusing to participate in an investigation into her fitness to serve on the bench is unconstitutional.

  • January 16, 2025

    Trump AG Nominee Pam Bondi's Net Worth Tops $12M

    President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general, Pam Bondi, has a net worth of over $12 million and holds stock in Trump's media company, according to financial disclosures shared with Law360. 

  • January 16, 2025

    Baltimore Court Clerk Can Proceed With Bulk Of Bias Suit

    A Maryland federal judge refused Thursday to toss the bulk of a lawsuit from a Black judiciary clerk, finding she put forward enough details to support her allegations that a circuit court acted out of bias when it suspended her without pay and barred her from earning overtime.

  • January 16, 2025

    Leon Black Rape Case Halted As Wigdor Faces Sanctions Bid

    A Manhattan federal judge froze discovery Thursday in a sexual assault case against ex-Apollo Global Management CEO Leon Black to allow him to file a sanctions motion against the Jane Doe plaintiff and Wigdor LLP, pointing to sealed documents.

  • January 16, 2025

    Madigan Racketeering Case Will Go To Jury

    The Illinois federal judge overseeing a criminal racketeering trial against former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and his longtime friend and political ally made certain Thursday that the jury will deliberate and decide the case, rejecting severance and acquittal requests on the last day of evidence.

  • January 16, 2025

    Ex-Atty's Audit Rightly Tied To State Farm Fight, Panel Rules

    State Farm and two clients were properly ushered into a case examining a disbarred attorney's trust accounts, a Connecticut appeals court ruled Thursday, shutting down the ex-lawyer's demand for $52,100 in purported attorney fees by upholding a judge's decision linking settlement payout, audit and ethics feuds under one docket.

  • January 16, 2025

    Fulton DA Willis Fights Subpoenas In Trump Case Probe

    Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis this week outlined her objections to subpoenas issued by a Georgia state Senate committee investigating her prosecution of President-elect Donald Trump, arguing they are overbroad, intended to embarrass her and "defunct" due to the swearing in of a new general assembly.

  • January 16, 2025

    Cousins Of Wife Killed By Ex-BigLaw Atty Seek Deal Funds

    The cousins of a Georgia woman killed by her husband, former Fisher Phillips partner Claud "Tex" McIver, urged a state court to block McIver's designees from receiving proceeds from a settlement of an underlying wrongful death suit, arguing that they "are implicitly her next of kin" and should receive the proceeds.

  • January 16, 2025

    Calif. Law Firm Settles 2 Suits Alleging Debt Relief Fraud

    A debt relief law firm in California reached settlements Thursday in two separate lawsuits that accused the firm of charging its clients for worthless services, a little more than two weeks after the cases were brought in federal courts.

  • January 16, 2025

    Ex-Law Student Asks 11th Circ. To Revive Suit Against Judge

    A former law student asked the Eleventh Circuit on Thursday to revive his lawsuit accusing U.S. District Judge Federico Moreno and three government attorneys of conspiring to ruin his job prospects and reputation, arguing that they are not immune from suit because they acted outside the scope of their employment.

  • January 16, 2025

    SCOTUSblog Publisher Tom Goldstein Indicted In Tax Case

    Tom Goldstein, a publisher of SCOTUSblog and one of the most experienced U.S. Supreme Court lawyers in the country, was indicted Thursday in Maryland federal court on charges he schemed to evade paying taxes for years and used funds from his boutique law firm to cover gambling debts. 

  • January 16, 2025

    'Complete Lack Of Respect' For Privilege DQs NH Prosecutor

    A New Hampshire judge has disqualified the lead prosecutor and a financial expert in the state attorney general's criminal case against a casino owner, finding that they had negligently viewed material protected under attorney-client privilege.

  • January 16, 2025

    Defense Fights Privilege Waiver In $250M COVID Fraud Case

    A Minnesota nonprofit director accused of orchestrating a $250 million fraud scheme using funds from a COVID-19 federal food program has told a federal judge that prosecutors are wrong to argue that her lawyer's testimony at her impending trial will waive her attorney-client privilege, since the lawyer would be discussing facts, not advice.

  • January 16, 2025

    Paxton Seeks To Nix Ethics Case After Deputy Beats Suit

    Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton asked the Texas Supreme Court to toss an ethics case against him over a lawsuit challenging 2020 election results, saying the matter fails on the same separation of powers grounds that the court recently cited in nixing a similar case against his first assistant.

  • January 16, 2025

    1st Circ. Vacates Most Of Atty's Marijuana Bribe Conviction

    The First Circuit vacated a pair of fraud convictions for a Massachusetts attorney charged in a marijuana bribery scheme, finding that sending an iMessage through an Apple cellphone is not enough to satisfy the wire fraud element requiring interstate communication.

  • January 16, 2025

    Giuliani Settles NY Asset Turnover Case After Trial No-Show

    Rudy Giuliani on Thursday settled claims that he must turn over assets to fund a $148 million judgment for defaming two Georgia poll workers, after his failure to show up in court delayed the start of a scheduled bench trial.

  • January 15, 2025

    Colo. Panel Mulls If Atty Violations Can Nix Gov't Immunity

    A Colorado appellate panel on Wednesday pressed a utility regulator staffer who accused state lawyers of smearing her at work, questioning whether nixing the lawyers' governmental immunity based on alleged professional misconduct would go too far.

  • January 15, 2025

    Davis Wright Atty Says Firm Is Trying To Push Him Out

    An attorney employed by Davis Wright has launched a pro se employment discrimination lawsuit in Washington state court, accusing the firm of trying to "strong-arm" him into leaving after he reported what he described as misconduct by a partner and banishing him from its Seattle office when he threatened legal action.

  • January 15, 2025

    Boeing Vexes Judge In 737 Max Records Flap With Airline

    The Boeing Co. can't use a now-defunct South African airline's loss of records to dodge a suit over fallout from a 737 Max airplane deal, a Washington federal judge has said, chiding the aerospace giant for offering thin circumstantial evidence of intent without any "smoking gun."

  • January 15, 2025

    9th Circ. Won't Review Nixed Deductions For Disbarred Atty

    The Ninth Circuit on Wednesday rejected a disbarred California attorney's requests to review its December decision to uphold a U.S. Tax Court ruling denying his bid to take business deductions for the cost of challenging his disbarment and a court's declaration that he is a "vexatious litigant."

  • January 15, 2025

    Judge OKs More Fees In Calif. Debt Relief Firm's Bankruptcy

    A California bankruptcy judge has tentatively approved an additional $2.1 million in professional fees in the bankruptcy case of a troubled debt relief firm, despite the amount of professional fees already exceeding the amount paid out to creditors so far.

  • January 15, 2025

    NJ Prosecutors Can Shield Certain Docs In Atty Bribe Cases

    New Jersey prosecutors won't have to turn over certain documents related to investigations involving potential crimes committed by a tax attorney who was a cooperating witness in a bribery case against three former public officials, a state appeals panel has ruled.

  • January 15, 2025

    Attys Must Show They Obeyed Candor Rule In Shell Discovery

    A Delaware federal court has ordered attorneys from Heyman Enerio Gattuso & Hirzel LLP, Wachtel Lipton Rosen & Katz, and White & Case LLP to show why they should not be found in violation of professional conduct rules over their handling of discovery requests while defending corporate clients amid a Shell Chemical LP antitrust proceeding in the Netherlands.

  • January 15, 2025

    McElroy Deutsch Can Go After Ex-Exec's $1M Home

    A former business development director for McElroy Deutsch Mulvaney & Carpenter LLP, whose husband pled guilty to stealing millions of dollars from the law firm, where they were both employed, cannot duck her onetime employer's legal claim on her $1 million house, a New Jersey state court judge has ruled.

  • January 15, 2025

    Trump's AG Pick Tries To Assure Congress On Independence

    President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general attempted to assuage uneasiness from Democrats on Wednesday, saying the U.S. Department of Justice will be free of politics and will not go after perceived enemies.

Expert Analysis

  • Money, Money, Money: Limiting White Collar Wealth Evidence

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    As courts increasingly recognize that allowing unfettered evidence of wealth could prejudice a jury against a defendant, white collar defense counsel should consider several avenues for excluding visual evidence of a lavish lifestyle at trial, says Jonathan Porter at Husch Blackwell.

  • How Associates Can Build A Professional Image

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    As hybrid work arrangements become the norm in the legal industry, early-career attorneys must be proactive in building and maintaining a professional presence in both physical and digital settings, ensuring that their image aligns with their long-term career goals, say Lana Manganiello at Equinox Strategy Partners and Estelle Winsett at Estelle Winsett Professional Image Consulting.

  • Firms Must Rethink How They Train New Lawyers In AI Age

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    As law firms begin to use generative artificial intelligence to complete lower-level legal tasks, they’ll need to consider new ways to train summer associates and early-career attorneys, keeping in mind the five stages of skill acquisition, says Liisa Thomas at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: Always Be Closing

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    When a lawyer presents their case with the right propulsive structure throughout trial, there is little need for further argument after the close of evidence — and in fact, rehashing it all may test jurors’ patience — so attorneys should consider other strategies for closing arguments, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • Series

    Playing Chess Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    There are many ways that chess skills translate directly into lawyer skills, but for me, the bigger career lessons go beyond the direct parallels — playing chess has shown me the value of seeing gradual improvement in and focusing deep concentration on a nonwork endeavor, says attorney Steven Fink.

  • Litigation Inspiration: Attys Can Be Heroic Like Olympians

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    Although litigation won’t earn anyone an Olympic medal in Paris this summer, it can be worthy of the same lasting honor if attorneys exercise focused restraint — seeking both their clients’ interests and those of the court — instead of merely pursuing every advantage short of sanctionable conduct, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • Lean Into The 'Great Restoration' To Retain Legal Talent

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    As the “great resignation,” in which employees voluntarily left their jobs in droves, has largely dissipated, legal employers should now work toward the idea of a “great restoration,” adopting strategies to effectively hire, onboard and retain top legal talent, says Molly McGrath at Hiring & Empowering Solutions.

  • Series

    Fishing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Atop the list of ways fishing makes me a better lawyer is the relief it offers from the chronic stress of a demanding caseload, but it has also improved my listening skills and patience, and has served as an exceptional setting for building earnest relationships, says Steven DeGeorge​​​​​​​ at Robinson Bradshaw.

  • A Healthier Legal Industry Starts With Emotional Intelligence

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    The legal profession has long been plagued by high rates of mental health issues, in part due to attorneys’ early training and broader societal stereotypes — but developing one’s emotional intelligence is one way to foster positive change, collectively and individually, says attorney Esperanza Franco.

  • To Make Your Legal Writing Clear, Emulate A Master Chef

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    To deliver clear and effective written advocacy, lawyers should follow the model of a fine dining chef — seasoning a foundation of pure facts with punchy descriptors, spicing it up with analogies, refining the recipe and trimming the fat — thus catering to a sophisticated audience of decision-makers, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • Circuit Judge Writes An Opinion, AI Helps: What Now?

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    Last week's Eleventh Circuit opinion in Snell v. United Specialty Insurance, notable for a concurrence outlining the use of artificial intelligence to evaluate a term's common meaning, is hopefully the first step toward developing a coherent basis for the judiciary's generative AI use, says David Zaslowsky at Baker McKenzie.

  • Perspectives

    Trauma-Informed Legal Approaches For Pro Bono Attorneys

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    As National Trauma Awareness Month ends, pro bono attorneys should nevertheless continue to acknowledge the mental and physical effects of trauma, allowing them to better represent clients, and protect themselves from compassion fatigue and burnout, say Katherine Cronin at Stinson and Katharine Manning at Blackbird.

  • Opinion

    NY Should Pass Litigation Funding Bill To Protect Plaintiffs

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    New York state should embrace the regulatory framework proposed in the Consumer Litigation Funding Act, which would suppress the unregulated predatory lenders that currently prey on vulnerable litigants but preserve a funding option that helps personal injury plaintiffs stand up to deep-pocketed corporate defendants, says Alan Ripka at Alan Ripka & Associates.

  • Series

    Playing Music Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My deep and passionate involvement in playing, writing and producing music equipped me with skills — like creativity, improvisation and problem-solving — that contribute to the success of my legal career, says attorney Kenneth Greene.

  • How Attys Can Avoid Pitfalls When Withdrawing From A Case

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    The Trump campaign's recent scuffle over its bid to replace its counsel in a pregnancy retaliation suit offers a chance to remind attorneys that many troubles inherent in withdrawing from a case can be mitigated or entirely avoided by communicating with clients openly and frequently, says Christopher Konneker at Orsinger Nelson.

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