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Legal Ethics

  • August 20, 2025

    Ga. Court Drops Greenberg Traurig Suit After Atty's Death

    The Georgia Court of Appeals said Wednesday that it will toss an appeal in a legal malpractice suit filed by a record executive against Greenberg Traurig LLP and its former music law guru Joel Katz after the parties were unable to identify a successor for Katz following his death earlier this year.

  • August 20, 2025

    Schools Say Fee Concerns Doom Financial Aid Fixing Class

    Universities accused of conspiring to limit financial aid offerings told an Illinois federal court that concerns raised by an attorney for the students about potential ethical violations involving attorney fees should prevent the court from certifying the class.

  • August 20, 2025

    State AGs Sidelined From Sandoz Price-Fixing Deal

    A group of over 40 states and territories cannot intervene in a $275 million settlement resolving generic-drug price-fixing claims against Sandoz because they only have a nominal interest in the suit that fails to confer standing, a Pennsylvania federal judge said.

  • August 20, 2025

    Error-Filled Pro Se Recusal Bid Draws Conn. Judge's Ire

    A Connecticut federal judge will not docket a pro se recusal request in a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission fraud action accusing a man of skimming nearly $1 million in investments designated for hotel repair work, saying in a minute order that the defendant otherwise has counsel and submitted a meritless, error-riddled bid.

  • August 20, 2025

    Colo. Atty Accused Of Racial Bias, Defamation In CEO Firing

    The former president and CEO of a Colorado nonprofit has accused a Denver-based attorney and board member of discrimination and defamation over his 2024 firing.

  • August 20, 2025

    Production Co. Says Vegas Atty Botched Basketball Deal

    A Las Vegas-based production company has hit a Las Vegas attorney with a malpractice suit for allegedly giving poor legal advice in its deal to build a basketball facility in Atlanta, which led to it being sued for over $5 million in cost overruns.

  • August 20, 2025

    Morris Manning Faces $5M Ga. RICO Suit Over Tax Strategy

    Morris Manning & Martin LLP is facing allegations of racketeering and tax fraud in a suit brought in Georgia state court by three investors that names a number of professional services firms.

  • August 20, 2025

    Extra Juror Can't Derail Verdict In Georgia Car Crash Case

    A Georgia state appeals court has upheld a jury's defense verdict in an auto collision suit even though an alternate juror was mistakenly allowed to participate in deliberations, saying the alternate's presence didn't have any real effect on the outcome.

  • August 20, 2025

    $2.8B BCBS Antitrust Deal Approved With $759M For Attys

    An Alabama federal judge has approved a $2.8 billion settlement between Blue Cross Blue Shield and a class of medical providers in a landmark antitrust case, with $759 million going to Whatley Kallas LLP and other law firms for attorney fees and costs.

  • August 20, 2025

    Former J&J Atty Slams Sanctions Bid Over Bias Suit

    A former Johnson & Johnson data privacy attorney suing the pharmaceutical giant over alleged racial discrimination told a New Jersey federal court that the company's sanctions motion is an unfair move to "weaponize" the rules of civil procedure.

  • August 20, 2025

    NC Bankruptcy Atty Charged With 2nd-Degree Murder

    A North Carolina bankruptcy attorney is facing murder charges after police said he shot and killed a 43-year-old man in a small town in the mountains over the weekend, court records show.

  • August 20, 2025

    Conn. Atty Avoids Suspension Over $165K Fee Split Spat

    A Connecticut state court judge has reprimanded an attorney who was accused of pocketing a $165,000 fee that he was supposed to split with his former firm, and ordered him to pay unspecified restitution and take continuing legal education.

  • August 20, 2025

    Judge Accused Of Berating Teens Blames Training Shortfall

    A New Jersey municipal judge accused of berating children during truancy hearings, threatening their families with deportation and questioning their immigration status in open court has cited a lack of training in his formal response to the ethics complaint by the state supreme court's judicial conduct committee.

  • August 20, 2025

    Counsel Switch For 'Jailhouse Lawyer' Comes With Warning

    A New York City recidivist fraudster convicted of fleecing inmates' families by charging them for unauthorized legal filings got new counsel on Wednesday, after a Manhattan federal judge said she thinks he is "playing games" ahead of a potentially long sentence.

  • August 20, 2025

    9th Circ. Axes Navajo Man's Confession Over Missing Woman

    A split Ninth Circuit panel has ruled that a Navajo man in Arizona can suppress a statement he made to law enforcement about assaulting a missing woman after ruling that officers violated his right to remain silent by luring him back into questioning.

  • August 19, 2025

    NJ Judge Files Corrected Version Of Error-Filled Opinion

    A New Jersey federal judge Tuesday filed a new, corrected version of an opinion he withdrew last month in securities litigation against CorMedix Inc. after an attorney for the biopharmaceutical firm pointed out the opinion contained "a series of errors."

  • August 19, 2025

    Judge Bans Texas Atty He Says Is 'Incapable Of Honesty'

    A federal judge has indefinitely suspended attorney J. Shelby Sharpe from practicing law in the Northern District of Texas after he helped supposedly erstwhile clients dodge judgments, saying the attorney is seemingly "incapable of honesty."

  • August 19, 2025

    Ex-Holland & Knight Atty Wants Another Depo From Ex-Wife

    A former Holland & Knight LLP partner battling Pennsylvania personal injury firm Fritz & Bianculli LLC in litigation stemming from an affair and his messy divorce has pushed for his ex-wife to sit for another deposition, arguing that she wrongly refused to answer relevant questions when she was first deposed.

  • August 19, 2025

    Family Alleging Firm's Girardi Conflict Denied Partial Win

    A Los Angeles judge Tuesday denied a family's motion seeking judgment on declaratory relief claims in a $1.8 million malpractice lawsuit against a firm that represented it in recovering millions lost in Girardi Keese's embezzlement scandal, saying disputed facts remain in the "unusual" case.

  • August 19, 2025

    Bad Citations Aren't Always Sanctionable, Wash. Atty Argues

    An attorney in Washington state vowed on Tuesday to appeal harsh sanctions an Arizona federal judge meted out Thursday over fake and misleading citations she included in an opening brief, releasing a statement arguing that the court's order "treats the mere existence of AI-hallucinated citations as an automatic violation" but "that is not what Rule 11 requires."

  • August 19, 2025

    Insurers Avoid Coverage For Alleged $8.5M Judgment Scheme

    Two insurers owed no coverage to companies facing abuse of process claims, a Minnesota federal court ruled in two separate cases decided on the same issues, finding that commercial general liability policies' coverage for malicious prosecution did not apply.

  • August 19, 2025

    NY US Atty Hit With Complaint For Alleged Media Retaliation

    A collection of nonprofit organizations that support press freedoms has called for an ethics investigation of acting U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III of the Northern District of New York, saying he may have "unconstitutionally retaliated" against a newspaper that reported on him.

  • August 19, 2025

    Ex-Girardi Keese Atty Pleads Not Guilty To Chicago Charges

    Former Girardi Keese attorney Keith Griffin pled not guilty Tuesday to a Chicago indictment accusing him of helping Tom Girardi violate court orders to disburse settlement funds to certain plane crash clients and concealing the theft of those funds.

  • August 19, 2025

    Wisconsin Mall, Tenant Drop All Claims In Rent Dispute

    A mall and its tenant told a Georgia federal judge that they have jointly dismissed their claims over an unpaid rent dispute, ending their motions including the mall's bid to have Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP disqualified from representing the tenant due to an alleged conflict of interest.

  • August 19, 2025

    Pizza Chain Avoids Sanctions For Missing Payroll Docs

    An operator of Michigan pizza restaurants will not face sanctions in a wage suit over payroll records a group of drivers claimed were missing because the company was not aware the documents were lost, a Michigan federal judge ruled on Tuesday.

Expert Analysis

  • How Law Firms Can Counteract The Loneliness Epidemic

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    The legal industry is facing an urgent epidemic of loneliness, affecting lawyer well-being, productivity, retention and profitability, and law firm leaders should take concrete steps to encourage the development of genuine workplace connections, says Michelle Gomez at Littler and Gwen Mellor Romans at Herald Talent.

  • 5 Keys To Building Stronger Attorney-Client Relationships

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    Attorneys are often focused on being seen as the expert, but bonding with clients and prospects by sharing a few key personal details provides the basis for a caring, trusted and profoundly deeper business relationship, says Deb Feder at Feder Development.

  • What SDNY Judge Can And Can't Do In Adams Case

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    The federal judge in the Southern District of New York overseeing the criminal case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams deferred making a decision on the government's motion to dismiss the indictment, and while he does have limited authority to deny the motion, that would ultimately be a futile gesture, says Ethan Greenberg at Anderson Kill.

  • Series

    Racing Corvettes Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    The skills I use when racing Corvettes have enhanced my legal practice in several ways, because driving, like practicing law, requires precision, awareness and a good set of brakes — complete with the wisdom to know how and when to use them, says Kat Mateo at Olshan Frome.

  • Opinion

    Attorneys Must Act Now To Protect Judicial Independence

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    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.

  • Rethinking 'No Comment' For Clients Facing Public Crises

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    “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.

  • How Design Thinking Can Help Lawyers Find Purpose In Work

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    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.

  • Series

    Competitive Weightlifting Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    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.

  • Opinion

    Inconsistent Injury-In-Fact Rules Hinder Federal Practice

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    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.

  • In-House Counsel Pointers For Preserving Atty-Client Privilege

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    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.

  • Applying ABA Atty Role Guidance To White Collar Matters

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    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.

  • Series

    Collecting Rare Books Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    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.

  • Opinion

    Judge Should Not Have Been Reprimanded For Alito Essay

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    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.

  • Lights, Camera, Ethics? TV Lawyers Tend To Set Bad Example

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    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.

  • Perspectives

    Accountant-Owned Law Firms Could Blur Ethical Lines

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    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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