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Legal Ethics
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May 19, 2025
Avenatti Rips 'Draconian' Bid To Add 13 Years To Sentence
Former high-profile attorney Michael Avenatti asked a California federal judge to reject the government's request to tack on more than 13 years to his prison term, saying such a "draconian" result would conflict with a Ninth Circuit ruling wiping out a previous sentence in the fraud case.
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May 19, 2025
Pa. County Must Face Suit Over Ex-DA's Sex Assault
The government of Somerset County, Pennsylvania, can't duck a lawsuit brought by a woman who claims the county should have stopped its then-district attorney from stalking, harassing and sexually assaulting her, a federal judge ruled Monday.
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May 19, 2025
Partner Hire Kills Jurisdiction In Referral Suit, Mass. Firm Says
A Boston law firm told a Massachusetts federal court on Monday that it plans to refile its suit seeking a referral fee from a Minnesota firm that served as co-lead counsel in a salmon purchaser antitrust case, after the latter firm's hiring of a Massachusetts-based partner defeated federal court jurisdiction.
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May 16, 2025
9th Circ. Mulls DOJ Shield Of Jones Day VW Documents
A Ninth Circuit panel on Friday questioned whether it could force the U.S. Department of Justice to hand over confidential Volkswagen documents it obtained through a grand jury subpoena that were part of Jones Day's internal investigation into the automaker's 2015 emissions-cheating scandal.
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May 16, 2025
Anthropic's AI-Hallucinated Errors Taint Filing, Publishers Say
Music publishers suing Anthropic for copyright infringement accused the artificial intelligence company on Friday of downplaying the seriousness of errors in a filing caused by Anthropic's own Claude AI tool, saying the company's counsel violated a judge's standing order and arguing that the filing at issue should be tossed.
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May 16, 2025
Injured Ross Shopper Sanctioned For Discovery Violations
A woman suing Ross Dress for Less Inc. for injuries she suffered in a fall was sanctioned for failing to disclose that she received medical treatment stemming from a car accident two years prior, but a Florida federal judge stopped short of granting the "ultimate" sanction of dismissal.
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May 16, 2025
Attys With 'Borrowed' Claims Can't Skip Inquiry, Lumen Says
Telecommunications company Lumen has told the Colorado Supreme Court that attorneys still need to conduct their own "objectively reasonable inquiry" when borrowing claims from outside litigants, in the hopes of beating a shareholder suit that took allegations from other cases despite attorneys not speaking to the witnesses.
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May 16, 2025
Accused Fox Video Hacker's Attys Slammed For Fake Citations
A Florida federal judge has ordered an alleged Fox News video hacker's dismissal motion stricken from the record after finding it was full of fake legal citations and demanded an explanation from defense attorneys for the "unprofessional misrepresentations."
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May 16, 2025
Florida Ex-Financial Adviser Admits To $8.4M Elder Fraud
A former financial adviser pled guilty to a criminal charge in connection to defrauding an elderly family member out of $8.4 million, admitting to a Florida federal court he made false misrepresentations that he was buying investments on her behalf, but he was actually spending the money on himself.
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May 16, 2025
Lin Wood's Ex-Partners Awarded $11M Over Firm Split
Ex-attorney L. Lin Wood must pay his former law partners more than $11 million in a long-running fee dispute stemming from the breakup of their firm, an Atlanta jury has said, less than a year after Wood was ordered to pay his former partners $4.5 million in a related federal defamation trial.
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May 16, 2025
Calif. Atty Caught Using Claim Construction Made Up By AI
A San Francisco-based attorney representing Magpul Industries in patent litigation has been effectively removed from the case after admitting that the claim construction chart he submitted was nearly all fabricated by artificial intelligence.
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May 16, 2025
NJ, DuPont To Face Off In Landmark PFAS Trial Series
New Jersey and chemical manufacturing giant E.I. DuPont de Nemours will square off Monday over the contamination at a former Salem County manufacturing facility in a first-of-a-kind series of trials that environmental attorneys expect will impact "forever chemicals" litigation across the country.
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May 16, 2025
Progressive, Kanner & Pintaluga Slam Accident Data Suit
Progressive Casualty Insurance Co. and Kanner & Pintaluga PA have filed separate motions in Texas federal court to dismiss a proposed class action accusing the two of conspiring to share auto crash victims' private information against state and federal law, with each arguing that the allegations, as the insurer put it, "make no sense."
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May 16, 2025
Porzio Bromberg Accused Of Pushing Doctor Into Bankruptcy
A Louisiana doctor claims a New Jersey law firm and one of its principals failed in their representation of him in a deal he wasn't fully informed of and which led to an involuntary bankruptcy, according to a complaint recently removed to federal court in Louisiana.
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May 16, 2025
Criminal Case Dropped Against Girardi In Illinois
An Illinois federal judge has nixed the criminal charges against disbarred attorney Tom Girardi after the government's move to dismiss the case, citing his age and conviction in California.
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May 16, 2025
Judge Questions Federal Jurisdiction In Boies Schiller Case
Boies Schiller Flexner LLP and other defendants have pulled into Florida federal court a malpractice action alleging they distributed confidential information related to a law firm, but a federal judge said Thursday she is "unconvinced" that the matter belongs in federal court.
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May 16, 2025
Jackson Walker Criticizes JC Penney Fee Suit As 'Money Grab'
Jackson Walker LLP wants out of a fee suit brought by former client J.C. Penney, arguing that the bankrupt department store's wind-down debtors entered claims as a "leverage play and a money grab" after learning that a firm partner had engaged in a yearslong undisclosed relationship with a Texas bankruptcy judge.
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May 15, 2025
Ga. Atty Gets 16 Months For Role In $1.3B Tax Shelter Scheme
A Georgia attorney has been sentenced to 16 months in federal prison and slammed with an $8 million bill after pleading guilty to helping orchestrate a $1.3 billion tax scheme involving fraudulent conservation easements.
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May 15, 2025
Anthropic's Atty Says Client's Own AI Created Error In Filing
A Latham & Watkins LLP associate representing Anthropic in the artificial intelligence company's copyright fight with music publishers said Thursday that she used Anthropic's own Claude.ai tool to help draft an expert's declaration that included an erroneous citation, but she argued the error was "an honest citation mistake and not a fabrication of authority."
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May 15, 2025
8th Circ. Finds No Error In Fentanyl Dealing Conviction
The Eighth Circuit has refused to grant a new trial to a North Dakota man sentenced to over 15 years in prison for selling fentanyl with his father, finding a lower court was justified in keeping his father from testifying at trial.
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May 15, 2025
Conn. Atty Convicted In Shooting Agrees To Suspension
A longtime Cramer & Anderson LLP partner who was found guilty of manslaughter for shooting and killing a man who attacked the attorney in his Litchfield, Connecticut, law firm's parking lot has agreed to an interim law license suspension, according to a proposed order noting he has no current clients and no lawyer trust account.
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May 15, 2025
Trump Could Claw Back Defense Fees Under New Ga. Law
Georgia taxpayers could end up on the hook for President Donald Trump's legal expenses in his election interference case under a newly signed, Republican-backed state law that allows defendants to seek attorney fees when prosecutors are disqualified from their case.
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May 15, 2025
Memphis Seeks Atty Sanctions In Tyre Nichols Beating Case
The city of Memphis, Tennessee, has asked a judge to impose sanctions on high-profile civil rights lawyers Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci, arguing that they issued a press release that falsely said a lawsuit over the police beating death of Tyre Nichols could not bankrupt the Memphis government.
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May 15, 2025
Judicial Aide's NY Sex Abuse Suit May Survive, Panel Hints
A New York state appellate panel has voiced doubts that a former judicial secretary's sex abuse lawsuit should have been dismissed, challenging the state court system's arguments that it didn't employ her and thus can't be held liable for any harms she suffered.
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May 15, 2025
Feds' Memo In Filing Mishap Is Privileged, NY Judge Says
A New York federal judge has determined that the federal government's mistakenly filed memo in litigation over Manhattan's congestion pricing program is privileged and cannot be cited in the parties' arguments, but the memo won't be sealed because it's already been widely reported on.
Expert Analysis
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Firms Must Offer A Trifecta Of Services In Post-Chevron World
After the U.S. Supreme Court’s Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo decision overturning Chevron deference, law firms will need to integrate litigation, lobbying and communications functions to keep up with the ramifications of the ruling and provide adequate counsel quickly, says Neil Hare at Dentons.
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5 Tips To Succeed In A Master Of Laws Program And Beyond
As lawyers and recent law school graduates begin their Master of Laws coursework across the country, they should keep a few pointers in mind to get the most out of their programs and kick-start successful careers in their practice areas, says Kelley Miller at Reed Smith.
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Series
Being An Opera Singer Made Me A Better Lawyer
My journey from the stage to the courtroom has shown that the skills I honed as an opera singer – punctuality, memorization, creativity and more – have all played a vital role in my success as an attorney, says Gerard D'Emilio at GableGotwals.
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How Law Firms Can Avoid 'Collaboration Drag'
Law firm decision making can be stifled by “collaboration drag” — characterized by too many pointless meetings, too much peer feedback and too little dissent — but a few strategies can help stakeholders improve decision-making processes and build consensus, says Steve Groom at Miles Mediation.
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Opinion
Litigation Funding Disclosure Key To Open, Impartial Process
Blanket investor and funding agreement disclosures should be required in all civil cases where the investor has a financial interest in the outcome in order to address issues ranging from potential conflicts of interest to national security concerns, says Bob Goodlatte, former U.S. House Representative for Virginia.
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The Ethics of Using Generative AI In Environmental Law
The rapid emergence of generative artificial intelligence tools is challenging environmental lawyers, consultants and government agencies to determine when and how these tools can be responsibly, ethically and productively integrated into their practices to streamline research, predictive analytics and regulatory compliance, say Ahlia Bethea and Pamela Esterman at Sive Paget.
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What NFL Draft Picks Have In Common With Lateral Law Hires
Nearly half of law firm lateral hires leave within a few years — a failure rate that is strikingly similar to the performance of NFL quarterbacks drafted in the first round — in part because evaluators focus too heavily on quantifiable metrics and not enough on a prospect's character traits, says Howard Rosenberg at Baretz+Brunelle.
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Replacing The Stigma Of Menopause With Law Firm Support
A large proportion of the workforce is forced to pull the brakes on their career aspirations because of the taboo surrounding menopause and a lack of consistent support, but law firms can initiate the cultural shift needed by formulating thoughtful workplace policies, says Barbara Hamilton-Bruce at Simmons & Simmons.
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Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: August Lessons
In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy considers certification cases touching on classwide evidence of injury from debt collection practices, defining coupon settlements under the Class Action Fairness Act, proper approaches for evaluating attorney fee awards in class action settlements, and more.
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Planning Law Firm Content Calendars: What, When, Where
During the slower month of August, law firms should begin working on their 2025 content calendars, planning out a content creation and distribution framework that aligns with the firm’s objectives and maintains audience engagement throughout the year, says Jessica Kaplan at Legally Penned.
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Crypto Gatekeepers May Be The Next Front Of Enforcement
Lawyers and other professionals who advise cryptocurrency companies should beware regulators' increasing focus on gatekeeper accountability, and should take several measures to fulfill their ethical and legal obligations, including implementing a robust vetting mechanism when representing crypto clients, say Temidayo Aganga-Williams and Xinchen Li at Selendy Gay.
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Series
Playing Golf Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Golf can positively affect your personal and professional life well beyond the final putt, and it’s helped enrich my legal practice by improving my ability to build lasting relationships, study and apply the rules, face adversity with grace, and maintain my mental and physical well-being, says Adam Kelly at Venable.
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Law Firms Should Move From Reactive To Proactive Marketing
Most law firm marketing and business development teams operate in silos, leading to an ad hoc, reactive approach, but shifting to a culture of proactive planning — beginning with comprehensive campaigns — can help firms effectively execute their broader business strategy, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.
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Opinion
The Big Issues A BigLaw Associates' Union Could Address
A BigLaw associates’ union could address a number of issues that have the potential to meaningfully improve working conditions, diversity and attorney well-being — from restructured billable hour requirements to origination credit allocation, return-to-office mandates and more, says Tara Rhoades at The Sanity Plea.
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Opinion
It's Time For A BigLaw Associates' Union
As BigLaw faces a steady stream of criticism about its employment policies and practices, an associates union could effect real change — and it could start with law students organizing around opposition to recent recruiting trends, says Tara Rhoades at The Sanity Plea.