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Legal Ethics
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November 19, 2024
GMU Asks Court To Toss Ex-Prof's Suit Over Title IX Probe
George Mason University asked a court to throw out the remainder of former professor Joshua Wright's lawsuit over its investigation of a Title IX retaliation claim against him related to allegations of sexual misconduct, saying Monday that the school had already dismissed the claim by the time he filed his amended complaint.
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November 19, 2024
Colo. Atty Suspended Over Online Comments About Ex-Client
A Colorado attorney with a growing disciplinary history has been handed an 18-month suspension over misconduct in dealing with a client-turned-adversary, with the state's presiding disciplinary judge finding the lawyer knowingly misrepresented service against the ex-client, spoke to her directly about the case and posted case information publicly online.
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November 19, 2024
Law Firm Wants Out Of Ex-Paralegal's OT, Disability Suit
An Allentown, Pennsylvania, law firm is asking a federal judge to dismiss a former paralegal's claim that the firm fired her due to her panic disorder, arguing that among other things, the paralegal failed to prove she has a legitimate disability recognized by law.
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November 19, 2024
DA Says Trump Sentencing Could Be Delayed Until 2029
Manhattan prosecutors on Tuesday suggested that President-elect Donald Trump's criminal sentencing could be delayed until after he serves out his next term, but urged a judge not to throw out his conviction over an alleged hush money scheme.
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November 18, 2024
Diddy Calls DOJ's Possession Of His Notes 'Outrageous'
Sean "Diddy" Combs said Monday that federal prosecutors are in possession of privileged attorney-client materials, including his own written notes, which they're "actively" using to detain him ahead of his trial, a move the hip-hop mogul called "outrageous government conduct."
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November 18, 2024
'You Stepped Over The Line': Judge Rips Quinn Emanuel Atty
A California federal judge told a Quinn Emanuel partner defending Natera Inc. at trial Monday in Guardant Health Inc.'s false advertising case that she'd be sanctioned over her questioning of a Natera expert about Guardant's alleged damages, saying, "You stepped over the line, and you did it several times."
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November 18, 2024
Fringe Benefits Co.'s Ex-Atty Can't 'Abandon' Them, DOL Says
The U.S. Department of Labor on Monday urged a Maryland federal court not to let a fringe benefits company's former attorney "abandon" the company ahead of a civil contempt hearing over $3.8 million in unpaid mismanaged funds meant for government contractor employees' benefits, citing potentially "severe" consequences for the company.
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November 18, 2024
SEC Says Calif. Atty, His Wife Stole $2.2M To Buy House
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday accused a Los Angeles-area attorney of scheming to control publicly traded penny stock companies and then stealing $2.2 million from one of those companies to buy a home with his wife, according to a complaint filed in California federal court.
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November 18, 2024
Menendez Calls Trial Evidence Flub 'Deeply Troubling'
Former U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez raised red flags Monday about "deeply troubling" recent revelations that Manhattan federal jurors accidentally received unredacted text messages before convicting him of bribery, slamming prosecutors for trying to brush aside the significance of this evidence.
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November 18, 2024
Diddy Accusers' Atty Buzbee Accused Of Extorting Celebs
An anonymous public figure lodged a suit in Los Angeles court Monday accusing personal injury lawyer Tony Buzbee of using false rape allegations to "shake down innocent celebrities, politicians and businesspeople" who have even the smallest ties to indicted hip-hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs.
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November 18, 2024
Mich. Atty Avoids Default For Now In Election Audit Pay Suit
A Michigan federal judge said Friday he would not enter a default judgment against an attorney and Donald Trump ally on claims she stiffed a voting machine inspection company, even though her inaction led to a default finding, ruling that the liability of her alleged financial backer still needs to be determined.
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November 18, 2024
LA Atty Again Accused Of Bilking Inmates With False Hope
A Los Angeles attorney accused of raking in thousands of dollars by giving inmates and their families intentionally misleading information about their chances for resentencing after convictions for violent crimes has been hit with more charges by the State Bar of California, this time an 18-count disciplinary notice that follows an earlier 18-count notice filed in August.
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November 18, 2024
Ozy Media CEO Turns To 2nd Circ. Over Judge's Investments
The "atypical" conflict and threat to public confidence in the judiciary created by a New York federal judge's financial investments warrant the Second Circuit stepping in to undo former Ozy Media CEO Carlos Watson's fraud and identity theft convictions sooner rather than later, Watson told the appellate court on Monday.
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November 18, 2024
NJ Justices To Consider Sanctions Against Town For Suing Attys
The New Jersey Supreme Court has decided to weigh in on whether state law provides municipalities with immunity from sanctions for frivolous litigation, as it takes up a long-running affordable housing case in Englewood Cliffs.
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November 18, 2024
State Bar Can't Set Limits To Atty Speech, Fla. Justices Told
A Georgia-based attorney doubled down on his First Amendment argument against the Florida Bar's attempt to have him suspended for disparaging an opponent in a 2018 state attorney race, arguing that freedom of speech protections aren't whittled down when someone becomes a lawyer.
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November 18, 2024
Blank Rome Attys Ask To Split Lawyer Retaliation Case
A trio of Blank Rome LLP attorneys have asked a federal judge in Pennsylvania to bifurcate a lawsuit against them from another attorney alleging they facilitated a client's retaliation against her for switching to plaintiffs work, asking the judge to split punitive damages into a separate case.
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November 18, 2024
Georgia Judge Blocked From Obtaining Memos In Ethics Case
The Georgia Judicial Qualifications Commission has determined that a state judge facing ethics charges cannot obtain two memos pertaining to her case, finding they are not discoverable under both the commission's rules and prior cases.
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November 18, 2024
5th Circ. Says Texas County Wrong To Close Court Hearings
A Fifth Circuit panel has upheld a trial court's ruling that a Texas county improperly blocked the press and public from attending criminal pretrial proceedings known as magistrate hearings, finding that the practice violates the First Amendment and harms the two news outlets and an advocacy group that brought the lawsuit.
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November 18, 2024
Calif. Bar Asks State High Court To Wipe Some Discipline Files
Amid an effort to reform attorney regulation, the trustees of California's state bar have asked the state high court to approve a proposed rule change that would expunge older discipline files that don't involve disbarment.
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November 15, 2024
Murdaugh's Ex-Banker Wins New Trial Over Juror Removal
A bank executive who helped disgraced lawyer Alex Murdaugh steal client money deserves a new trial because a juror was inappropriately removed during deliberations, the Fourth Circuit has ruled in an issue of first impression.
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November 15, 2024
Texas Court OKs Peloton Atty's Suit Against Ex-Coworker
A Texas appeals court won't toss a defamation suit accusing a former Peloton employee of falsely claiming to company executives and New Jersey police that she was bullied by her workplace acquaintance, an in-house attorney, after finding she can't avail herself of a state statute protecting citizens from retaliatory lawsuits.
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November 15, 2024
Giuliani Gets New Atty As Poll Workers Seek To Collect $148M
Two days after Rudy Giuliani's lawyers asked a federal judge to allow them to withdraw from representing him in a pair of cases from former Georgia poll workers seeking to collect a $148 million defamation award against him, the embattled former mayor of New York found himself new representation.
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November 15, 2024
Atty-Brother Feud Belongs In State Court, Mich. Judge Finds
A Michigan federal judge won't weigh in on a spat between an attorney and his former cannabis business partner brother, who is accused of shorting him $18 million as part of a buyout agreement, saying the dispute should stay in state court.
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November 15, 2024
Venezuelan Lawyer Relied On Ex-Dentons Atty In $54M Swap
A Venezuelan lawyer suing Dentons over a failed $54 million bolivar-to-dollars currency swap admitted Friday on the stand that he did not do any due diligence for the transaction but instead relied on what he called misinformation from an ex-Dentons attorney that she relayed to his representative.
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November 15, 2024
Poor Counsel Led To Unjust Tax Convictions, Justices Told
A North Carolina actuary asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review a Fourth Circuit decision denying his bid to reverse his 2016 tax fraud convictions, saying the ruling was based on bad decisions made by his then-trial counsel.
Expert Analysis
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Avoiding Legal Ethics Landmines In Preindictment Meetings
U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez's recent bribery conviction included obstruction charges based on his former lawyer's preindictment presentation to prosecutors, highlighting valuable lessons on the legal ethics rules implicated in these kinds of defense presentations, say Steve Miller and Hilary Gerzhoy at HWG.
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Series
Being A Luthier Makes Me A Better Lawyer
When I’m not working as an appellate lawyer, I spend my spare time building guitars — a craft known as luthiery — which has helped to enhance the discipline, patience and resilience needed to write better briefs, says Rob Carty at Nichols Brar.
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Lead Like 'Ted Lasso' By Embracing Cognitive Diversity
The Apple TV+ series “Ted Lasso” aptly illustrates how embracing cognitive diversity can be a winning strategy for teams, providing a useful lesson for law firms, which can benefit significantly from fresh, diverse perspectives and collaborative problem-solving, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.
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Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: July Lessons
In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy considers cases touching on pre- and post-conviction detainment conditions, communications with class representatives, when the American Pipe tolling doctrine stops applying to modified classes, and more.
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Opinion
Now More Than Ever, Lawyers Must Exhibit Professionalism
As society becomes increasingly fractured and workplace incivility is on the rise, attorneys must champion professionalism and lead by example, demonstrating how lawyers can respectfully disagree without being disagreeable, says Edward Casmere at Norton Rose.
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Series
Serving In The National Guard Makes Me A Better Lawyer
My ongoing military experience as a judge advocate general in the National Guard has shaped me as a person and a lawyer, teaching me the importance of embracing confidence, balance and teamwork in both my Army and civilian roles, says Danielle Aymond at Baker Donelson.
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Lawyers Must Be Careful When Using Listservs
The American Bar Association's formal opinion from May correctly states that attorneys must obtain clients' consent before posing related questions to listservs, but potential risks and drawbacks of using listservs go beyond those highlighted by the ABA, says Deborah Winokur at Cozen O'Connor.
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A Midyear Forecast: Tailwinds Expected For Atty Hourly Rates
Hourly rates for partners, associates and support staff continued to rise in the first half of this year, and this growth shows no signs of slowing for the rest of 2024 and into next year, driven in part by the return of mergers and acquisitions and the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence, says Chuck Chandler at Valeo Partners.
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Opinion
States Should Loosen Law Firm Ownership Restrictions
Despite growing buzz, normalized nonlawyer ownership of law firms is a distant prospect, so the legal community should focus first on liberalizing state restrictions on attorney and firm purchases of practices, which would bolster succession planning and improve access to justice, says Michael Di Gennaro at The Law Practice Exchange.
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Series
Solving Puzzles Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Tackling daily puzzles — like Wordle, KenKen and Connections — has bolstered my intellectual property litigation practice by helping me to exercise different mental skills, acknowledge minor but important details, and build and reinforce good habits, says Roy Wepner at Kaplan Breyer.
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Texas Ethics Opinion Flags Hazards Of Unauthorized Practice
The Texas Professional Ethics Committee's recently issued proposed opinion finding that in-house counsel providing legal services to the company's clients constitutes the unauthorized practice of law is a valuable clarification given that a UPL violation — a misdemeanor in most states — carries high stakes, say Hilary Gerzhoy and Julienne Pasichow at HWG.
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In Memoriam: The Modern Administrative State
On June 28, the modern administrative state, where courts deferred to agency interpretations of ambiguous statutes, died when the U.S. Supreme Court overruled its previous decision in Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council — but it is survived by many cases decided under the Chevron framework, say Joseph Schaeffer and Jessica Deyoe at Babst Calland.
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How To Clean Up Your Generative AI-Produced Legal Drafts
As law firms increasingly rely on generative artificial intelligence tools to produce legal text, attorneys should be on guard for the overuse of cohesive devices in initial drafts, and consider a few editing pointers to clean up AI’s repetitive and choppy outputs, says Ivy Grey at WordRake.
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Opinion
A Tale Of 2 Trump Cases: The Rule Of Law Is A Live Issue
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision this week in Trump v. U.S., holding that former President Donald Trump has broad immunity from prosecution, undercuts the rule of law, while the former president’s New York hush money conviction vindicates it in eight key ways, says David Postel at Henein Hutchison.
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Series
Boxing Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Boxing has influenced my legal work by enabling me to confidently hone the skills I've learned from the sport, like the ability to remain calm under pressure, evaluate an opponent's weaknesses and recognize when to seize an important opportunity, says Kirsten Soto at Clyde & Co.