Legal Ethics

  • December 04, 2024

    Gorsuch Exits Utah NEPA Suit Amid Flak Over Billionaire Ties

    U.S. Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch recused himself from a case involving a controversial railway project Wednesday afternoon, the high court's clerk said, following calls for him to step away from the National Environmental Policy Act dispute in light of his connections to a Colorado billionaire.

  • December 04, 2024

    Rep. Raskin's Judiciary Hopes Rise After Nadler Drops Out

    Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland is one step closer to becoming the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, after New York Rep. Jerry Nadler dropped his bid for the job on Wednesday.

  • December 04, 2024

    Alex Jones Atty Needs 30-Day Suspension, Ethics Boss Says

    The lead Connecticut attorney in Infowars host Alex Jones' Sandy Hook defamation trial should be suspended for 30 days for directing a subordinate to transmit the victims' personal medical records to other Jones attorneys, the state's legal ethics watchdog said Wednesday.

  • December 04, 2024

    Trump Asks Ga. Appeals Court To End Election Prosecution

    President-elect Donald Trump moved Wednesday to scuttle the last pending criminal charges against him, telling the Georgia Court of Appeals it's time to end the election interference case against him as he prepares to return to the White House next year.

  • December 04, 2024

    DeSantis Says Ousted Fla. Atty's Election Loss Dooms Case

    Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and a state attorney he suspended made competing pitches to the Eleventh Circuit this week over whether the ousted prosecutor's First Amendment lawsuit is now moot since he lost his bid for reelection last month.

  • December 04, 2024

    Ex-Trump Atty Chesebro Looks To Invalidate Ga. Plea Deal

    Kenneth Chesebro, a former attorney for President-elect Donald Trump and one of four Trump co-defendants to strike a plea deal with Georgia prosecutors, sought to overturn his agreement in a filing on Wednesday.

  • December 04, 2024

    Atty Can't Go After Music Industry Vet's Son In Estate Spat

    A New Jersey federal judge has tossed an attorney's lawsuit alleging the son of music industry figure Solomon "Kal" Rudman maliciously used the legal process, finding that the lawyer can't pursue the claims after he "intentionally and unequivocally relinquished his right" to seek damages during a related case.

  • December 04, 2024

    Texas High Court Suggests Atty Discipline Case Is Too Old

    The Texas Supreme Court on Wednesday appeared sympathetic to a lawyer's claim that suspending her now for misconduct that occurred in Illinois in 2017 is barred by a four-year limitations statute and unfair.

  • December 04, 2024

    Foley & Lardner Gets Pro-Palestinian Atty's Suit Pared Down

    A former Foley & Lardner LLP summer associate who says the firm rescinded an employment offer over her public support for Palestinians saw part of her suit dismissed this week, with an Illinois federal judge finding that the firm never promised to hire her regardless of what kinds of activism she took part in.

  • December 04, 2024

    $4M Legal Mal Judgment Against Offit Kurman Erased

    A judgment ordering Offit Kurman to pay more than $4 million in damages to Mitts Law LLC has been vacated by a Philadelphia judge after the firms recently reached a post-verdict settlement.

  • December 04, 2024

    NJ Atty Denies Harassment, Accuses Ex-Secretary Of Theft

    A New Jersey lawyer who is facing a state court lawsuit brought by a former secretary accusing him of sexual harassment has denied the claims and alleged in a counterclaim that the ex-employee had converted property belonging to him and the law firm.

  • December 04, 2024

    NC Panel Reverses Prior Ruling Reviving Atty Meddling Claim

    A split North Carolina appellate panel has walked back its ruling reviving a suit against a real estate attorney accused of helping meddle in a property ownership dispute, declaring after a second look that the claim against him doesn't actually exist under state law.

  • December 03, 2024

    Coinbase Says It Won't Use Firms That Hire Crypto Enforcers

    Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase made clear that it won't work with law firms that employ former U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission attorneys who led the charge on crypto enforcement suits, singling out Milbank LLP for its hiring of ex-SEC enforcement director Gurbir Grewal.

  • December 03, 2024

    Antitrust Judge Rips Apple's 'Meritless' Doc Privilege Claims

    Apple fought uphill Tuesday to convince a California federal magistrate judge that it properly withheld 57,000 documents from Epic Games due to attorney-client privilege in their antitrust fight, with the judge eventually telling its lawyer, "I disagree with everything you're saying, and the fact you're making these meritless arguments causes me concern."

  • December 03, 2024

    Sanctions Stick Against Colorado Gear Seller And Its Attys

    A Washington appellate court has upheld about $500,000 in sanctions against an equipment manufacturer and its former counsel, Sinars Slowikowski Tomaska LLP, for failing to disclose information in a dispute over a rock climber's fall at a Seattle gym — including a defense attorney's 38 visits to the accident site.

  • December 03, 2024

    Judge Mulls Whether DA Willis Must Comply With Subpoenas

    A Fulton County judge on Tuesday considered whether a Georgia state Senate committee can force Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to testify or turn over records as part of its investigation into her prosecution of President-elect Donald Trump.

  • December 03, 2024

    Trump Argues Immunity Extends To Local Prosecutions

    President-elect Donald Trump told the New York state judge presiding over his hush money case that the criminal charges and guilty verdict should be thrown out, arguing in an expansive motion released Tuesday that allowing a local prosecution to proceed would upset the republic's balance of power.

  • December 03, 2024

    Pastor Wants Judge DQ'd Over Attorney Turnover Comment

    A Michigan pastor said Monday that a federal judge should be disqualified from overseeing his lawsuit alleging a township's zoning ordinance discriminates against religious entities because of a comment the judge made about the pastor having "issues" with attorney turnover.

  • December 03, 2024

    New Judges Include One Who Aided Puerto Rico Bondholders

    The Senate on Tuesday confirmed two federal judges for Pennsylvania and one for the District of Columbia, who came under scrutiny during her confirmation hearing for her work at Jones Day.

  • December 03, 2024

    Fla. Court Urged To OK 'Offensive' $645K Deal In Firm's Ch. 11

    A law firm debtor urged a Florida bankruptcy court Tuesday to approve a $645,000 settlement in its Chapter 11 to resolve a proposed fraudulent misrepresentation class action in state court against a former Miami insurance attorney, who called the potential deal "offensive" and said it's possible he'll be sued again.

  • December 03, 2024

    Blank Rome Beats Subpoenas Seeking Attys' Comp Info

    A Philadelphia federal judge on Tuesday tossed subpoenas that would have compelled Blank Rome LLP to share compensation information regarding three of its attorneys who are facing a malicious prosecution lawsuit, a day after the firm moved to quash the subpoenas.

  • December 03, 2024

    Tech Giants Seek Firm's Communications With Elusive Client

    Apple and Amazon want Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP to turn over texts and emails with a client who disappeared from a putative class action against the tech giants, to determine whether the plaintiff consented to the case continuing in his absence.

  • December 03, 2024

    Alex Jones Atty Seeks Leniency Over Sandy Hook 'Mistake'

    The lead attorney in Infowars host Alex Jones' $1.44 billion Connecticut defamation trial admits he "made a mistake" when he approved sending several Sandy Hook Elementary School victims' confidential records to other Jones attorneys, saying Tuesday he should receive either no discipline or a reprimand in a pared-down case.

  • December 03, 2024

    NJ Law Firm Fights Depo Sanctions In Crypto Scam Suit

    New Jersey-based McCarthy & Soriero LLC has pushed back against a woman's contention in federal court that the firm "stonewalled" her efforts to depose its client in a lawsuit accusing him and his business of failing to prevent a roughly $200,000 cryptocurrency fraud, saying the client has been experiencing serious health issues.

  • December 03, 2024

    Thompson Coe Settles Defamation Suit From Former Firm Atty

    Thompson Coe Cousins & Irons LLP has reached a settlement in a defamation lawsuit in Texas state court filed by a former firm attorney who was appealing its dismissal under the state's anti-SLAPP law, court records show.

Expert Analysis

  • How Attorneys Can Break Free From Career Enmeshment

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    Ambitious attorneys can sometimes experience career enmeshment — when your sense of self-worth becomes unhealthily tangled up in your legal vocation — but taking the time to discover and realign with your core personal values can help you recover your identity, says Janna Koretz at Azimuth Psychological.

  • Ex-Chicago Politician's Case May Further Curb Fraud Theories

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    The U.S. Supreme Court recently agreed to hear Thompson v. U.S. to determine whether a statement that is misleading but not false still violates federal law, potentially heralding the court’s largest check yet on prosecutors’ expansive fraud theories, with significant implications for sentencing, say attorneys at the Law Offices of Alan Ellis.

  • Lawyers With Disabilities Are Seeking Equity, Not Pity

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    Attorneys living with disabilities face extra challenges — including the need for special accommodations, the fear of stigmatization and the risk of being tokenized — but if given equitable opportunities, they can still rise to the top of their field, says Kate Reder Sheikh, a former attorney and legal recruiter at Major Lindsey & Africa.

  • Opinion

    Judicial Committee Best Venue For Litigation Funding Rules

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    The Advisory Committee on Civil Rules' recent decision to consider developing a rule for litigation funding disclosure is a welcome development, ensuring that the result will be the product of a thorough, inclusive and deliberative process that appropriately balances all interests, says Stewart Ackerly at Statera Capital.

  • The Strategic Advantages Of Appointing A Law Firm CEO

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    The impact on law firms of the recent CrowdStrike outage underscores that the business of law is no longer merely about providing supplemental support for legal practice — and helps explain why some law firms are appointing dedicated, full-time CEOs to navigate the challenges of the modern legal landscape, says Jennifer Johnson at Calibrate Strategies.

  • Series

    Beekeeping Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    The practice of patent law and beekeeping are not typically associated, but taking care of honeybees has enriched my legal practice by highlighting the importance of hands-on experience, continuous learning, mentorship and more, says David Longo at Oblon McClelland.

  • Opinion

    Legal Institutions Must Warn Against Phony Election Suits

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    With two weeks until the election, bar associations and courts have an urgent responsibility to warn lawyers about the consequences of filing unsubstantiated lawsuits claiming election fraud, says Elise Bean at the Carl Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy.

  • How Cos. Can Build A Strong In-House Pro Bono Program

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    During this year’s pro bono celebration week, companies should consider some key pointers to grow and maintain a vibrant in-house program for attorneys to provide free legal services for the public good, says Mary Benton at Alston & Bird.

  • Series

    Home Canning Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Making my own pickles and jams requires seeing a process through from start to finish, as does representing clients from the start of a dispute at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board through any appeals to the Federal Circuit, says attorney Kevin McNish.

  • Use The Right Kind Of Feedback To Help Gen Z Attorneys

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    Generation Z associates bring unique perspectives and expectations to the workplace, so it’s imperative that supervising attorneys adapt their feedback approach in order to help young lawyers learn and grow — which is good for law firms, too, says Rachael Bosch at Fringe Professional Development.

  • Opinion

    Congress Can And Must Enact A Supreme Court Ethics Code

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    As public confidence in the U.S. Supreme Court dips to historic lows following reports raising conflict of interest concerns, Congress must exercise its constitutional power to enact a mandatory and enforceable code of ethics for the high court, says Muhammad Faridi, president of the New York City Bar Association.

  • Series

    The Pop Culture Docket: Justice Lebovits On Gilbert And Sullivan

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    Characters in the 19th century comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan break the rules of good lawyering by shamelessly throwing responsible critical thought to the wind, providing hilarious lessons for lawyers and judges on how to avoid a surfeit of traps and tribulations, say acting New York Supreme Court Justice Gerald Lebovits and law student Tara Scown.

  • State Of The States' AI Legal Ethics Landscape

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    Over the past year, several state bar associations, as well as the American Bar Association, have released guidance on the ethical use of artificial intelligence in legal practice, all of which share overarching themes and some nuanced differences, say Eric Pacifici and Kevin Henderson at SMB Law Group.

  • 8 Childhood Lessons That Can Help You Be A Better Attorney

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    A new school year is underway, marking a fitting time for attorneys to reflect on some fundamental life lessons from early childhood that offer a framework for problems that no legal textbook can solve, say Chris Gismondi and Chris Campbell at DLA Piper.

  • Opinion

    This Election, We Need To Talk About Court Process

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    In recent decades, the U.S. Supreme Court has markedly transformed judicial processes — from summary judgment standards to notice pleadings — which has, in turn, affected individuals’ substantive rights, and we need to consider how the upcoming presidential election may continue this pattern, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

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