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Legal Ethics

  • July 11, 2025

    Ex-Judge Pushes Back Against NJ's Stance On Her Conduct

    A former workers' compensation judge has pushed back in her suit over her removal after the state of New Jersey said her conduct around discovery raises safety concerns of individuals she has targeted, telling a state court it's New Jersey that has engaged in harassing conduct.

  • July 11, 2025

    Litigation Funder Can't Escape Crash Loans Suit, Court Told

    A married couple suing a litigation funding firm and multiple law firms, alleging they steered the couple into high-interest loans, told a New Jersey state court that they adequately pled fraud and urged the court not to dismiss their case against the funder.

  • July 11, 2025

    Calif. Panel Says Arbitration Provider Immune From Fraud Suit

    An arbitration provider is immune from a logistics company's suit accusing it of not properly vetting its arbitrators, including one who oversaw a wage and hour suit against the company, a California appeals panel ruled, affirming a lower court's decision to nix the case.

  • July 11, 2025

    Claims Stack Up Against Texas Judges Accused Of Tampering

    A Texas judge embroiled in a scandal involving allegations of witness tampering has been suspended without pay following a federal indictment alleging she pressured a subordinate to withhold testimony in a separate proceeding against a local justice of the peace.

  • July 11, 2025

    'Sketchy' Details Of Doc's Death Leave Fraud Case In Limbo

    A Manhattan federal judge said Friday that he would consider dismissing charges against a New York City doctor accused of facilitating a $70 million insurance fraud if his death is confirmed, but cited ongoing questions over his purported demise in a boating accident. 

  • July 11, 2025

    11th Circ. Revives Black Worker's Promotion Bias Suit

    The Eleventh Circuit revived a Black worker's suit alleging a Georgia county wouldn't promote her to a more senior tax appraisal position out of racial discrimination, ruling that a jury needs to determine whether she was held to higher standards of qualifications than her non-Black peers.

  • July 10, 2025

    Russian Banker Inks Sanctions DPA After FBI Botches Warrant

    The founder of Bank Otkritie on Thursday secured a deferred prosecution agreement with Manhattan federal prosecutors to resolve allegations of assisting the head of Russian state-backed lender VTB Bank in evading U.S. sanctions, just a month after a swath of email evidence was thrown out over a botched FBI search warrant.

  • July 10, 2025

    Trump Taps Holland & Hart Partner For Montana Bench

    President Donald Trump announced on social media Thursday he has chosen a Holland & Hart LLP partner and veteran government attorney to serve on the federal bench in Montana.

  • July 10, 2025

    'Admonition' But No More Amazon Penalty For Hidden Docs

    A federal judge in Washington state took Amazon.com to task Thursday for "bad faith" material review that labeled tens of thousands of documents as covered by attorney-client privilege despite involving no legal advice, but the judge, who is presiding over the Federal Trade Commission's Prime subscriptions case against the company, opted against further punishment.

  • July 10, 2025

    Fla. Atty Suspended After Conviction In Embezzlement Case

    The Florida Supreme Court has suspended a lawyer who was found guilty at a June retrial of embezzling from an Orlando law firm where she worked as a paralegal before acquiring her law license.

  • July 10, 2025

    Conn. Panel Will Again Hear Ex-Alex Jones Atty's Ethics Case

    The Connecticut Appellate Court will hear former Alex Jones attorney Norm Pattis' second appeal of his already-reduced, two-week suspension for allowing a former associate to send Sandy Hook medical records to other Jones attorneys who had not signed a confidentiality order.

  • July 10, 2025

    Ga. Atty Avoids Sanctions In Suit Over Fatal Police Shooting

    A Georgia federal judge has rejected Savannah officials' bid to sanction attorneys suing for civil rights violations in the 2022 shooting death of a Black man by a police officer who's facing murder charges, finding Wednesday that an attorney's comments to the media weren't made in bad faith — but warned counsel to "tread carefully."

  • July 10, 2025

    Students Say Fee Concerns Unfounded In Aid-Fixing Case

    Attorneys for students accusing elite universities of conspiring to limit financial aid told an Illinois federal court there's no need for the schools to look into ethical concerns raised about attorney fees by a "disgruntled" associate for one of the firms representing the proposed class.

  • July 10, 2025

    Airline Mogul Resolves Hacking Case Against NC Investigator

    Aviation executive Farhad Azima has resolved his long-running lawsuit accusing a North Carolina private investigator of leaking his emails as part of an international hacking conspiracy, according to a joint motion dropping the case filed in federal court.

  • July 10, 2025

    Dems Say 3rd Circ. Nominee Urged DOJ To Ignore Courts

    Senate Democrats on the Judiciary Committee on Thursday unveiled 150 pages of documents, which they say substantiate whistleblower allegations against Third Circuit nominee Emil Bove and raise concerns about his conduct during his tenure at the U.S. Department of Justice.

  • July 10, 2025

    Another Atty Sanctioned For Allegedly Hallucinated Case Law

    A Florida judge on Wednesday issued a blistering order against an attorney who became the latest of many to face sanctions over filings with case law suspected of being hallucinated by generative artificial intelligence, ordering him to take AI ethics courses and repay opposing counsel's fees.

  • July 09, 2025

    Split 9th Circ. Upholds Death Sentence In Murder Case

    An Arizona man who authorities say was a white supremacist lost a bid to overturn his death penalty sentence for killing his roommates — one of whom was pregnant — after a split Ninth Circuit panel found Wednesday that his trial attorney's performance did not violate his rights.

  • July 09, 2025

    'Cookie-Cutter' Slip-And-Fall Suit Against Walmart Settled

    Weeks after personal injury law firm Simon & Simon PC was chastised by a Pennsylvania federal judge for letting paralegals file a "cookie-cutter" slip-and-fall lawsuit against Walmart, the plaintiff's counsel have notified the court that a deal was reached ending the claims.

  • July 09, 2025

    Sandoz, Buyers Defend $275M Deal Amid State Objections

    Counsel for consumers, insurers and others urged a Pennsylvania federal court on Tuesday to approve Sandoz and its subsidiaries' $275 million deal settling claims it conspired with other companies to fix some generic drug prices, with Sandoz separately calling states' objections "a paternalistic desire to control private class action settlements."

  • July 09, 2025

    ABA Says Unlawful Discriminatory Jury Selection Breaks Rule

    Lawyers may not knowingly engage in unlawful juror discrimination under the cover of "legitimate advocacy," the American Bar Association Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility said in a formal opinion released Wednesday, finding that doing so violates prospective jurors' equal protection rights.

  • July 09, 2025

    DA Willis Urges Ga. Justices To Ax Trump Case Testimony Bid

    Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis urged the Georgia Supreme Court on Tuesday to toss a subpoena seeking her testimony from the state Senate committee that was investigating her relationship with a special prosecutor during her prosecution of President Donald Trump in an election interference case, arguing the panel is "seeking to 'try' the district attorney in public."

  • July 09, 2025

    Retired Calif. Judge Disciplined For Disparaging Defense Atty

    A California judicial ethics body has publicly reprimanded a retired state judge for belittling a defense attorney in court and attempting to prod his client to ditch the attorney while still on the bench.

  • July 09, 2025

    NJ Justices Disbar Fla. Atty For Misappropriating $100K

    The New Jersey Supreme Court has disbarred a Florida attorney based on Disciplinary Review Board findings that she misappropriated more than $100,000 in client funds.

  • July 09, 2025

    Girardi Keese CFO's Chicago Plea Derails Over Repayment

    A Chicago plea and sentencing hearing for law firm Girardi Keese's already-imprisoned former financial chief was abruptly halted Wednesday after his attorney flagged a dispute over whether both restitution and forfeiture should be ordered for his client's role in helping Tom Girardi steal millions from clients.

  • July 09, 2025

    Top Dems Press EEOC On 'Shakedown' Of Major Law Firms

    Top congressional Democrats are once again seeking information on the Trump administration's "shakedown" of major law firms over their past work and clients.

Expert Analysis

  • The Malpractice Perils Of Elder Abuse Liability

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    Recent cases show that the circumstances under which an attorney may be sued for financial elder abuse remain unsettled, but practitioners can avoid these malpractice claims altogether by taking proactive steps, like documenting the process of evaluating a client's directives under appropriate standards, says Edward Donohue at Hinshaw & Culbertson.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: Note 3 Simple Types Of Legal Complexity

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    Cases can appear complex for several reasons — due to the number of issues, the volume of factual and evidentiary sources, and the sophistication of those sources — but the same basic technique can help lawyers tame their arguments into a simple and persuasive message, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • Plugging Gov't Leaks Is Challenging, But Not A Pipe Dream

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    As shown by ongoing legal battles involving New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Sean “Diddy” Combs, it’s challenging for defendants to obtain relief when they believe the government leaked sensitive information to the media, but defense counsel can take certain steps to mitigate the harm, says Kenneth Notter at MoloLamken.

  • Series

    Gardening Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Beyond its practical and therapeutic benefits, gardening has bolstered important attributes that also apply to my litigation practice, including persistence, patience, grit and authenticity, says Christopher Viceconte at Gibbons.

  • Litigation Inspiration: Reframing Document Review

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    For attorneys — new ones especially — there is much fulfillment to find in document review by reflecting on how important, interesting and pleasant it can be, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • Rank-And-File DOJ Attorneys Will Keep Calm And Carry On

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    Career prosecutors at the U.S. Department of Justice often pride themselves on their ability to remain apolitical in order to ensure consistency and keep the department’s mission afloat, and the incoming Trump administration is unlikely to upend this tradition, says Michael Landman at Bird Marella.

  • California Supreme Court's Year In Review

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    Attorneys at Horvitz & Levy highlight notable decisions on major questions from the California Supreme Court's last term, including voter initiatives, hostile work environment and the economic loss rule.

  • What Lawyers Can Learn From High School AI Suit

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    A pending Massachusetts lawsuit regarding artificial intelligence use in an academic setting underscores the need for attorneys to educate themselves on AI technology and tools that affect their clients so they can advise on establishing clear expectations and limits around the permissible use of AI, say attorneys at Hinckley Allen.

  • Service Providers Must Mitigate 'Secondary Target' Risks

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    A lawsuit recently filed in an Illinois federal court against marketing agency Publicis over its work for opioid manufacturers highlights an uptick in litigation against professional service providers hired by clients that engaged in alleged misconduct — so potential targets of such suits should be sure to conduct proper risk analysis and mitigation, say attorneys at Dechert.

  • Series

    Flying Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Achieving my childhood dream of flying airplanes made me a better lawyer — and a better person — because it taught me I can conquer difficult goals when I leave my comfort zone, focus on the demands of the moment and commit to honing my skills, says Ivy Cadle at Baker Donelson.

  • Mitigating Defamation Liability Risks Of AI-Generated Content

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    Until Congress and the courts provide clear guidance about defamation liability stemming from generative artificial intelligence tools, companies should begin building controls to prevent the creation of defamatory content, says Michael Gerrity at Accenture.

  • Series

    Circus Arts Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    Performing circus arts has strengthened my ability to be more thoughtful, confident and grounded, all of which has enhanced my legal practice and allowed me to serve clients in a more meaningful way, says Bailey McGowan at Stinson.

  • When Investigating An Adversary, Be Wary Of Forged Records

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    Warnings against the use of investigators who tout their ability to find an adversary’s private documents generally emphasize the risk of illegal activity and attorney discipline, but a string of recent cases shows an additional danger — investigators might be fabricating records altogether, says Brian Asher at Asher Research.

  • 3 Ways To Train Junior Lawyers In 30 Minutes Or Less

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    Today’s junior lawyers are experiencing a skills gap due to pandemic-era disruptions, but firms can help bring them up to speed by offering high-impact skill building content in bite-sized, interactive training sessions, say Stacey Schwartz at Katten, Diane Costigan at Winston & Strawn and Lauren Tierney at Freshfields.

  • Opinion

    Why States Should Adopt ABA's 'Duty To Inquire'

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    State bars should codify the American Bar Association's proposed rule on a lawyer's duty to scrutinize each representation as it provides guardrails for lawyers, supports self-regulation of the profession, and helps avert money laundering and other crimes, says Deborah Winokur at Cozen O'Connor.

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