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Legal Ethics
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July 08, 2025
Okla. City Illegally Prosecutes Natives On Rez, Tribe Says
The Muscogee (Creek) Nation sued the city of Henryetta in Oklahoma federal court Tuesday accusing it of violating federal laws and its sovereign rights by prosecuting Native Americans for conduct within the tribe's Creek Reservation, despite a U.S. Supreme Court decision restricting the state and its political subdivisions' ability to do so.
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July 08, 2025
'Practice Better Judgment,' Judge Tells Comscore Foe
A California federal judge "strongly" admonished a film distribution and data company for filing an amended monopolization complaint against Comscore on the Fourth of July, while also concluding that the filing mooted, for now, a bid to force the box office giant to continue sharing data.
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July 08, 2025
Ex-Knick Oakley Slams MSG's 'Incoherent' Sanctions Motion
Former New York Knicks player Charles Oakley has called a bid by the owners of Madison Square Garden for monetary sanctions "borderline incoherent" and made his own sanctions request in a lawsuit that accuses the venue of assaulting and humiliating him.
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July 08, 2025
Wash. Law Firm Settles Investors' Suit Over $1M Escrow Loss
A Washington-based law firm has settled a lawsuit in which investors accuse it of losing $1 million in escrow funds intended as a security deposit on a medical supplies purchase, the parties have informed a federal judge just weeks before the scheduled trial date.
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July 08, 2025
Calif. Bar Seeks 30-Day Suspension For Ex-Exec's Misconduct
The California State Bar Court has recommended a 30-day "actual" suspension for its onetime executive director, who last year was found culpable for a "significant ethical violation" in making misrepresentations to the State Bar Board of Trustees regarding his 2014 visit to Mongolia, which allegedly cost thousands of dollars in bar funds.
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July 08, 2025
Ex-DC Prosecutors Rip Pick Of Emil Bove For 3rd Circ.
In a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee, a group of former federal prosecutors in Washington panned Emil Bove as a "dangerous" pick for the Third Circuit and criticized his record as a prosecutor as that of a loyal follower of President Donald Trump.
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July 08, 2025
Masimo Criticizes Bid To DQ Quinn Emanuel In Payout Suit
Masimo Corp. is fighting a bid by its former CEO Joe Kiani to disqualify Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP from representing the medical technology company in Delaware Chancery Court litigation over Kiani's quest for a $450 million payout.
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July 08, 2025
Medical Co. Wants High Court To Review Rushed Patent Case
A medical device maker has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear it out on claims that a North Carolina federal judge rushed the case to trial and violated the Fifth Amendment right to due process by shortening the amount of time for discovery.
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July 08, 2025
Fla. Panel Fights Judge's Bid To Ax Fake-Recording Charges
A Florida judicial ethics panel has said a judge in Broward County cannot escape ethics charges stemming from her 2024 election campaign, when she allegedly publicly shared a fabricated recording of a chief judge disparaging another judge.
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July 08, 2025
NJ Judge Disciplined For Signing Client's Name In Atty Role
A part-time Garden State municipal judge was reprimanded by the New Jersey Supreme Court for an ethics complaint against him in his capacity as an attorney, alleging he signed an order without his client's authorization.
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July 08, 2025
Jackson Walker, US Trustee Have A Week To Finish Mediation
A Texas federal judge has given Jackson Walker LLP and the federal government's bankruptcy watchdog a week to finish mediation in a fee dispute stemming from a former bankruptcy judge's secret relationship with a former firm partner.
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July 08, 2025
NY Lawyer Wants Jay-Z's Claims In Suit Against Buzbee Tossed
A New York City lawyer wants a court to dismiss allegations that she took part in a conspiracy with prominent attorney Tony Buzbee to extort Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter via a since-dropped rape case, arguing that the hip-hop mogul's claims against her were brought in an improper forum and that he failed to state a claim.
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July 07, 2025
Wis. Judge Can't Slip ICE Arrest Case, Magistrate Judge Says
The Wisconsin judge accused of helping an immigrant living in the country illegally avoid arrest shouldn't be able to get her indictment dismissed just yet, a federal magistrate judge recommended Monday, rejecting her argument that judicial immunity shields her from the case.
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July 07, 2025
Fox Rothschild Seeks To Exit NJ Case Over Litigation Funding
Fox Rothschild LLP urged a New Jersey state court on Monday to toss claims brought by a couple injured in a vehicle crash alleging they were unlawfully steered to cover medical expenses with high-interest loans from the law firm's litigation funder client, saying its involvement was limited to a "tangential, representative role."
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July 07, 2025
9th Circ. Backs Sanctions For Jehovah's Witnesses' Atty
The Ninth Circuit Monday upheld nearly $160,000 in sanctions against the general counsel for a Jehovah's Witnesses group accused of submitting a misleading affidavit to a Montana federal court in litigation brought by women alleging they endured sexual assault as children at the hands of church officials.
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July 07, 2025
Calif. Justices Disbar SF Atty For Defrauding Elderly Client
The California Supreme Court has ordered the disbarment of a San Francisco lawyer who authorities say overcharged an elderly trust account client with advanced dementia, finding that he "repeatedly failed to uphold the most basic duties of an attorney" and is "unfit to serve as a member of the bar."
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July 07, 2025
FTC Wants More Time To Present Case Against Amazon Prime
The Federal Trade Commission asked a Washington federal judge for 10 days to put on its case-in-chief against Amazon over alleged deceptive practices that trick customers into automatically renewing Prime subscriptions, arguing the evidence at the upcoming trial would be "voluminous and complex," and lengthening the trial won't prejudice Amazon.
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July 07, 2025
Biggest Illinois Decisions Of 2025 So Far: A Midyear Report
State and federal courts have handed down rulings in Illinois cases so far this year that have clarified standing for data breach actions in the state's courts, affirmed coverage for attorney fees and costs paid as part of a settlement, and deemed insufficient a jury instruction frequently given in Illinois personal injury cases. Here's a breakdown of some of the biggest decisions courts have handed down in Illinois cases so far in 2025.
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July 07, 2025
Coder Who Claimed Evidence 'Ambush' Can't Get New Trial
An Ohio federal judge refused Monday to grant the request for a new trial from a former software engineer at a multinational power engineering conglomerate who alleged that prosecutors "ambushed" him with key evidence at his trial on a computer-sabotage charge, ruling the evidence in question was not "material."
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July 07, 2025
Fitch Even Fights Bid To Toss Prenatal Test Patent Suit
Fitch Even Tabin & Flannery LLP is urging an Illinois federal court not to toss its suit seeking a declaration that the co-founder of a former client isn't the inventor behind a prenatal test patent, contesting her argument that the firm lacks standing to sue.
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July 07, 2025
Malaysia Info Demand Gets Green Light In $14.9B Dispute
A Delaware judge has declined to nix an order allowing units of Malaysia's national energy company to seek discovery relating to a third-party funding deal that led to a $14.9 billion arbitral award issued against Kuala Lumpur following a territorial dispute stemming from a 19th-century land deal.
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July 07, 2025
Law Firm, Worker Seek Pre-Trial Wins In Pregnancy Bias Suit
A personal injury law firm told a New Mexico federal court Monday that a legal assistant was pushed out not because she was pregnant but because she was a poor performer, while the former employee argued the firm reneged on its promise to pay her in exchange for quitting.
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July 07, 2025
Atty-Client Shield Null In HIV Drug Fraud Case Docs, Feds Say
Two alleged distributors of sham HIV drugs can't shield more than 1,000 documents related to legal advice from discovery, U.S. prosecutors told a Florida federal judge Monday, asserting that any attorney-client privilege is invalidated because the advice was used to facilitate a $90 million fraud.
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July 07, 2025
NJ Prosecutor's Office, State Judiciary Face Racial Bias Suit
A former Middlesex County assistant probation head is suing the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office and the state judiciary for racial discrimination, alleging that a prosecutor undermined him at work and used racist language about him in court.
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July 07, 2025
Asset Manager's Suit Against Lowenstein Sandler Tossed
A New York state judge has handed an early win to Lowenstein Sandler LLP against allegations it provided faulty advice in a client's bankruptcy, finding the asset manager that brought the suit was simply attempting "to shift the financial cost of the troubled company's failed business from its owners to its lawyers."
Expert Analysis
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Opinion
Attorneys Must Act Now To Protect Judicial Independence
Given the Trump administration's recent moves threatening the independence of the judiciary, including efforts to impeach judges who ruled against executive actions, lawyers must protect the rule of law and resist attempts to dilute the judicial branch’s authority, says attorney Bhavleen Sabharwal.
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Rethinking 'No Comment' For Clients Facing Public Crises
“No comment” is no longer a cost-free or even a viable public communications strategy for companies in crisis, and counsel must tailor their guidance based on a variety of competing factors to help clients emerge successfully, says Robert Bowers at Moore & Van Allen.
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How Design Thinking Can Help Lawyers Find Purpose In Work
Lawyers everywhere are feeling overwhelmed amid mass government layoffs, increasing political instability and a justice system stretched to its limits — but a design-thinking framework can help attorneys navigate this uncertainty and find meaning in their work, say law professors at the University of Michigan.
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Series
Competitive Weightlifting Makes Me A Better Lawyer
The parallels between the core principles required for competitive weightlifting and practicing law have helped me to excel in both endeavors, with each holding important lessons about discipline, dedication, drive and failure, says Damien Bielli at VF Law.
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Opinion
Inconsistent Injury-In-Fact Rules Hinder Federal Practice
A recent Third Circuit decision, contradicting a previous ruling about whether consumers of contaminated products have suffered an injury in fact, illustrates the deep confusion this U.S. Supreme Court standard creates among federal judges and practitioners, who deserve a simpler method of determining which cases have federal standing, says Eric Dwoskin at Dwoskin Wasdin.
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In-House Counsel Pointers For Preserving Atty-Client Privilege
Several recent rulings illustrate the challenges in-house counsel can face when attempting to preserve attorney-client privilege, but a few best practices can help safeguard communications and effectively assert the privilege in an increasingly scrutinized corporate environment, says Daniel Garrie at Law & Forensics.
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Applying ABA Atty Role Guidance To White Collar Matters
The American Bar Association’s recently published guidance, clarifying the duties outside counsel owes to both organizational clients and those organizations' constituents, provides best practices that attorneys representing companies in white collar and other investigative matters should heed, say attorneys at MoFo.
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Series
Collecting Rare Books Makes Me A Better Lawyer
My collection of rare books includes several written or owned by prominent lawyers from early U.S. history, and immersing myself in their stories helps me feel a deeper connection to my legal practice and its purpose, says Douglas Brown at Manatt Health.
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Opinion
Judge Should Not Have Been Reprimanded For Alito Essay
Senior U.S. District Judge Michael Ponsor's New York Times essay critiquing Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito for potential ethical violations absolutely cannot be construed as conduct prejudicial to the administration of the business of the courts, says Ashley London at the Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University.
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Lights, Camera, Ethics? TV Lawyers Tend To Set Bad Example
Though fictional movies and television shows portraying lawyers are fun to watch, Hollywood’s inaccurate depictions of legal ethics can desensitize attorneys to ethics violations and lead real-life clients to believe that good lawyers take a scorched-earth approach, says Nancy Rapoport at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
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Perspectives
Accountant-Owned Law Firms Could Blur Ethical Lines
KPMG’s recent application to open a legal practice in Arizona represents the first overture by an accounting firm to take advantage of the state’s relaxed law firm ownership rules, but enforcing and supervising the practice of law by nonattorneys could prove particularly challenging, says Seth Laver at Goldberg Segalla.
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AI Will Soon Transform The E-Discovery Industrial Complex
Todd Itami at Covington discusses how generative artificial intelligence will reshape the current e-discovery paradigm, replacing the blunt instrument of data handling with a laser scalpel of fully integrated enterprise solutions — after first making e-discovery processes technically and legally harder.
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When Innovation Overwhelms The Rule Of Law
In an era where technology is rapidly evolving and artificial intelligence is seemingly everywhere, it’s worth asking if the law — both substantive precedent and procedural rules — can keep up with the light speed of innovation, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.
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Imagine The Possibilities Of Openly Autistic Lawyering
Andi Mazingo at Lumen Law, who was diagnosed with autism about midway through her career, discusses how the legal profession can create inclusive workplaces that empower openly autistic lawyers and enhance innovation, and how neurodivergent attorneys can navigate the challenges and opportunities that come with disclosing one’s diagnosis.
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Disciplinary Rule Updates Every Texas Lawyer Needs To Know
Sweeping amendments to the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct that recently went into effect provide essential clarity and modernity to rules governing conflicts of interest, client confidentiality and duties to prospective clients, says Robert Tobey at Johnston Tobey.