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Legal Ethics
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October 02, 2025
NC Court Rejects McGuireWoods' Immunity In Defamation Suit
A North Carolina appellate court dismissed an interlocutory appeal by McGuireWoods and a former partner in a defamation case over statements about an investigation into the onetime CEO of a managed care organization during a press conference, reiterating its opinion that the statements were "too far afield" to be considered part of a judicial proceeding.
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October 02, 2025
Netflix Escapes Documentary IP Suit From Atty's Film Co.
A film company owned by a trial lawyer this week lost its lawsuit accusing Netflix Inc. of infringing a copyright in its documentary about sexual abuse in the Boy Scouts of America, with a New Jersey federal judge finding the film deals with uncopyrightable facts.
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October 02, 2025
Dentons, Boies Schiller Escape $300M Fraud Suit
A New York federal judge has dismissed with prejudice a $300 million fraud and racketeering lawsuit brought against Dentons and Boies Schiller Flexner LLP, in which the BigLaw firms were accused of misleading a former client with respect to a deal, and later arbitration, involving Senegal's state-owned energy company.
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October 02, 2025
4 Mass. Rulings You May Have Missed In September
One attorney scored an early exit from a malpractice suit, another must face a long-delayed arbitration, and a judge has requested more information on a proposed settlement in a class action brought by gamblers at a Massachusetts casino. Here are four rulings from Suffolk Superior Court's business litigation session in September.
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October 02, 2025
Ex-Firm Can't Revive Malicious Prosecution Suit In 11th Circ.
The Eleventh Circuit has refused to overturn lower court rulings nixing a malicious prosecution lawsuit brought by a now-defunct law firm against a surgical center, as well as a sanctions ruling against the firm's counsel.
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October 02, 2025
Gov't Shutdown Halts Fed. Circ. Response In Newman Case
The Federal Circuit has asked the D.C. Circuit for permission to extend a deadline to respond to U.S. Circuit Judge Pauline Newman's petition for an en banc rehearing to reconsider her suspension, citing the ongoing government shutdown.
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October 02, 2025
DOJ Beats Heritage Foundation Suit Over Hunter Biden Docs
A Delaware federal judge has ruled against The Heritage Foundation in its Freedom of Information Act suit against the U.S. Department of Justice regarding documents withheld detailing the investigation of Hunter Biden, saying the government "adequately established" that harm would result from releasing the records.
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October 02, 2025
Comey's 1st Task: Decoding A Cryptic Indictment
The criminal indictment of James B. Comey is unusually sparse for such a high-profile matter, leaving open questions for the ex-FBI director to probe that could shed more light on how the government intends to prove its case and create potential lines of attack for the defense, experts say.
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October 02, 2025
Attys Get Mixed NJ Discipline After Fraud Convictions
The New Jersey Supreme Court has disbarred ex-Sacks Weston attorney Scott Diamond from the practice of law in the Garden State following his conviction for fraudulently resolving cases behind the back of his old firm, according to filings issued Thursday.
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October 02, 2025
Tenn. 'Gag Order' Ruling Against Atty Axed After Rule Change
The Sixth Circuit has vacated a decision that a Nashville attorney lacked standing to challenge a since-rescinded Middle District of Tennessee rule restricting lawyers' so-called extrajudicial statements.
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October 02, 2025
Baker McKenzie Brings New Suit Against Ex-Associate In DC
A former Baker McKenzie tax attorney who publicly accused the firm's Washington, D.C., managing partner of sexual assault was previously in a relationship with the managing partner's son, the firm has said in a revised defamation complaint.
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October 02, 2025
Michigan OKs Anti-Bias Rule For Judges, Delays Atty Version
Michigan's top court adopted a rule Wednesday prohibiting judges from acting with bias or prejudice but held back a companion rule for lawyers for more deliberation.
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October 02, 2025
McCarter & English Won't Face Pretrial Win Bid In $22M Suit
A Connecticut Superior Court judge has denied requests by Phoenix Life Insurance Co. and PHL Variable Insurance Co. to file late partial summary judgment motions in a $22.3 million professional negligence lawsuit against McCarter & English LLP over the law firm's work on a Long Island loan deal.
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October 01, 2025
Tyson Inks $85M Deal To Exit Consumers' Pork Antitrust Suit
Pork consumers asked a Minnesota federal court Wednesday to greenlight an $85 million settlement resolving their claims against Tyson Foods Inc. in major antitrust litigation alleging pork producers conspired with data firm Agri Stats Inc. to inflate pork prices by limiting the supply in the U.S. market.
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October 01, 2025
Conn. Servers Defend Asking Judge To DQ From Wage Case
A class of servers at a Foxwoods Resort Casino steakhouse have defended their request for a Connecticut judge to disqualify herself from overseeing an upcoming trial, saying she violated the presumption of an adversarial court system by generating new defense arguments.
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October 01, 2025
Reed Smith Seeks 2nd Circ. Help Over Eletson Orders
Reed Smith LLP has urged the Second Circuit to nix an order displacing the firm as counsel and requiring it to turn over client files for international shipping group Eletson Holdings Inc. to lawyers representing the company's new owners, saying Eletson's bankruptcy plan has not validly taken effect.
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October 01, 2025
Mich. Panel OKs Fine For Atty's Gender-Based Slur At Judge
A Michigan appellate panel has affirmed a $7,500 fine for a lawyer who called a judge a vulgar term during a virtual hearing, rejecting the lawyer's defense that he thought he had closed out of the video call when he made the remark.
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October 01, 2025
Ex-Burnham Law Atty Claims Pregnancy Bias Behind Demotions
A Colorado law firm is under fire from one of its former attorneys who claims her pregnancy led to her receiving two demotions at the firm and eventually being forced out entirely.
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October 01, 2025
Fla. Judge Shuts Down Firm's Fee Fight With Film Producer
A Florida judge on Tuesday dismissed a long-running suit by a Miami law firm against a Hollywood producer after finding the firm had abandoned its opportunity to pursue its claim over allegedly unpaid attorney fees by waiting two years to find successor counsel after its last attorney withdrew.
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October 01, 2025
Judge Warns Of 'Bickering' In Creditor's Row With Law Firm
An Illinois federal judge on Wednesday gave Chicago law firm Johnson & Bell LLP just under two weeks to produce records or a privilege log to a New York creditor who says the firm unlawfully "paid itself" with a client's $500,000 settlement, and encouraged the parties to "take a breath" in what she called one of the most contentious cases on her docket.
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October 01, 2025
Fed. Bill Would Let Judges Be Sued Over Repeat Offenders
A federal lawmaker from North Carolina has proposed a bill to create a pathway for crime victims and their families to sue judges found to have acted with "intentional disregard for public safety" by releasing individuals convicted of violent crime who go on to re-offend.
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October 01, 2025
NJ Panel Skeptical Of Giving Benefits To Disciplined Ex-Judge
New Jersey appellate judges appeared doubtful Wednesday about a bid for disability retirement benefits from a former state judge who was accused of harboring her then-fugitive boyfriend, was disciplined and was criminally charged but not convicted, questioning her assertion that the misconduct was unrelated to her judicial position.
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October 01, 2025
Ex-School GC Beats Charge Of Violating Grand Jury Secrecy
A split Florida state appellate panel on Wednesday called for tossing an indictment against a former school district general counsel for violating the secrecy of a grand jury related to a 2018 mass shooting, finding that the statewide grand jury that charged her did not have the authority to do so.
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October 01, 2025
Ga. Atty DQ'd From 'Extremely Weird' Pharma Fraud Case
A Georgia federal judge said Wednesday she intends to disqualify a prominent defense attorney from representing a man charged with lying to investigators amid a criminal fraud probe into his employer, Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals Inc., but would allow the company to continue footing his legal bills as he seeks new counsel.
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October 01, 2025
Hunter Biden Agrees To Conn. Disbarment After Convictions
Connecticut's attorney ethics watchdog told a state court that Hunter Biden has agreed to give up his law license, mirroring a consensual disbarment in Washington, D.C., after his conviction on three federal gun charges and his guilty plea in a criminal tax case.
Expert Analysis
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Rebuttal
BigLaw Settlements Should Not Spur Ethics Deregulation
A recent Law360 op-ed argued that loosening law firm funding restrictions would make BigLaw firms less inclined to settle with the Trump administration, but deregulating legal financing ethics may well prove to be not merely ineffective, but counterproductive, says Laurel Kilgour at the American Economic Liberties Project.
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5 Ways Lawyers Can Earn Back The Public's Trust
Amid salacious headlines about lawyers behaving badly and recent polls showing the public’s increasingly unfavorable view of attorneys, we must make meaningful changes to our culture to rebuild trust in the legal system, says Carl Taylor at Carl Taylor Law.
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Series
Hiking Makes Me A Better Lawyer
On the trail, I have thought often about the parallels between hiking and high-stakes patent litigation, and why strategizing, preparation, perseverance and joy are important skills for success in both endeavors, says Barbara Fiacco at Foley Hoag.
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Opinion
Time For Full Disclosure Of Third-Party Funding In MDLs
It is appropriate that the Federal Advisory Committee on Civil Rules is considering a rule to require disclosure of third-party litigation funding in civil litigation — something that is particularly needed in multidistrict litigation, which now comprises more than half of all civil cases in the federal courts, says Eric Hudson at Butler Snow.
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DC Circ. Ruling Augurs More Scrutiny Of Blanket Gag Orders
The D.C. Circuit’s recent ruling in In re: Sealed Case, finding that an omnibus nondisclosure order was too sweeping, should serve as a wake-up call to prosecutors and provide a road map for private parties to push back on overbroad secrecy demands, says Gregory Rosen at Rogers Joseph.
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Series
Law School's Missed Lessons: Negotiation Skills
I took one negotiation course in law school, but most of the techniques I rely on today I learned in practice, where I've discovered that the process is less about tricks or tactics, and more about clarity, preparation and communication, says Grant Schrantz at Haug Barron.
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Opinion
Bar Exam Reform Must Expand Beyond A Single Updated Test
Recently released information about the National Conference of Bar Examiners’ new NextGen Uniform Bar Exam highlights why a single test is not ideal for measuring newly licensed lawyers’ competency, demonstrating the need for collaborative development, implementation and reform processes, says Gregory Bordelon at Suffolk University.
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A Simple Way Courts Can Help Attys Avoid AI Hallucinations
As attorneys increasingly rely on generative artificial intelligence for legal research, courts should consider expanding online quality control programs to flag potential hallucinations — permitting counsel to correct mistakes and sparing judges the burden of imposing sanctions, say attorneys at Lankler Siffert & Wohl and Connors.
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Series
Creating Botanical Art Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Pressing and framing plants that I grow has shown me that pursuing an endeavor that brings you joy can lead to surprising benefits for a legal career, including mental clarity, perspective and even a bit of humility, says Douglas Selph at Morris Manning.
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Supreme Court's Criminal Law Decisions: The Term In Review
Though the U.S. Supreme Court’s criminal law decisions in its recently concluded term proved underwhelming by many measures, their opinions revealed trends in how the justices approach criminal cases and offered reminders for practitioners, says Kenneth Notter at MoloLamken.
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Opinion
The Legal Education Status Quo Is No Longer Tenable
As underscored by the fallout from California’s February bar exam, legal education and licensure are tethered to outdated systems, and the industry must implement several key reforms to remain relevant and responsive to 21st century legal needs, says Matthew Nehmer at The Colleges of Law.
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E-Discovery Quarterly: Rulings On Relevance Redactions
In recent cases addressing redactions that parties sought to apply based on the relevance of information — as opposed to considerations of privilege — courts have generally limited a party’s ability to withhold nonresponsive or irrelevant material, providing a few lessons for discovery strategy, say attorneys at Sidley.
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Opinion
Section 1983 Has Promise After End Of Nationwide Injunctions
After the U.S. Supreme Court recently struck down the practice of nationwide injunctions in Trump v. Casa, Section 1983 civil rights suits can provide a better pathway to hold the government accountable — but this will require reforms to qualified immunity, says Marc Levin at the Council on Criminal Justice.
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Reel Justice: 'Oh, Hi!' Teaches Attys To Return To The Statute
The new dark comedy film “Oh, Hi!” — depicting a romantic vacation that turns into an inadvertent kidnapping — should remind criminal practitioners to always reread the statute to avoid assumptions, meet their ethical duties and finesse their trial strategy, says Veronica Finkelstein at Wilmington University School of Law.
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Series
Playing Soccer Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Soccer has become a key contributor to how I approach my work, and the lessons I’ve learned on the pitch about leadership, adaptability, resilience and communication make me better at what I do every day in my legal career, says Whitney O’Byrne at MoFo.