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Legal Ethics
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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."
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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August 19, 2025
Ex-Judge Gets Law License Back After Bribery Suspension
A former Philadelphia Municipal Court judge can practice law in Pennsylvania again following a split state Supreme Court decision to reinstate his license that had been suspended after he admitted to accepting $90,000 to drop out of a congressional election.
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August 19, 2025
Trump's 'Abnormal' Use Of FCA Could Get Tricky In Court
The Trump administration is wielding the False Claims Act in unusually narrow ways to drive policies on social and cultural issues — including gender-affirming care and diversity, equity and inclusion programs — but the government's potential theories of liability under the federal law remain largely untested and might not hold up in court, experts say.
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August 18, 2025
NJ Feds Say Habba's US Atty Role Unusual, But Not Unlawful
Acting U.S. Attorney Alina Habba on Monday doubled down on her argument that President Donald Trump legally appointed her New Jersey's top federal prosecutor, telling a federal judge that this is simply "an unusual situation" created when the district court last month refused to extend her interim tenure.
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August 18, 2025
Ex-NY AG Immune From Malicious Prosecution Suit
Former New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has immunity from a suit by a former New York City Council member claiming wrongful prosecution, a federal judge has ruled.
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August 18, 2025
Fla. Suit Over Atty Access To Detention Center Transferred
A Florida federal judge on Monday transferred a proposed class action lawsuit accusing the government of restricting attorney access to an Everglades immigrant detention center, ruling that the current district isn't proper for the claims against state officials.
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August 18, 2025
Patent Licensing Co. Drops Starbucks Infringement Suit
A patent licensing company has agreed to drop its suit alleging Starbucks infringed a patent covering a mobile ordering system, although defamation claims against one of the coffee chain's attorneys remains at play in another case.
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August 18, 2025
NJ Law Firm Not Covered In Malpractice Suit, Court Says
An insurer has no duty to defend or indemnify a Princeton law firm against a malpractice suit alleging that one of its attorneys assisted a client in misappropriating her husband's assets, a New Jersey federal court ruled Monday, finding that a prior knowledge exclusion bars coverage.
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August 18, 2025
Ex-GC Ordered To Destroy Files In Trade Secret Dispute
Storehouse In A Box secured a permanent injunction against its former general counsel and chief operating officer, barring him from using or accessing confidential information the e-commerce company alleges he misappropriated after being put on leave, according to a Monday order.
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August 18, 2025
Biz Court Shoots Down Arb. Bid In Widow's Asset Fight
A widow contending that she can't be forced into arbitration over who owns assets of her late husband's business venture was granted a pretrial win after a North Carolina business court judge found "no competent evidence" for an agreement that would force her to do so.
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August 18, 2025
Ga. Gov. Hopeful Asks Judge To Spurn AG's Fundraising Suit
Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones hit back Monday at Attorney General Chris Carr's suit alleging state fundraising laws have given Jones an edge in their upcoming contest for the state governorship, accusing his Republican primary rival of flip-flopping on a law that Carr himself has defended in court on numerous occasions.
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August 18, 2025
Moore & Van Allen Wants Out Of Floridians' Malpractice Suit
Moore & Van Allen PLLC has asked a Florida federal judge to dismiss a malpractice suit accusing it of mishandling some residents' employee stock ownership trust, claiming that the suit brought against the North Carolina-based firm is being litigated in the wrong venue.
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August 18, 2025
LabMD Fights Dinsmore's Bid To Toss Malpractice Suit
Now-shuttered LabMD Inc. and its CEO are pushing back against a bid from Dinsmore & Shohl LLP and a legal nonprofit to have a malpractice suit in Georgia federal court tossed, saying they haven't abandoned the case but rather were delayed in pursuing arbitration because they were searching for "competent counsel."
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August 18, 2025
Stone Hilton Takes Aim At Sex Harassment Claim
For the second time this month, Stone Hilton PLLC has asked a federal court to trim a former employee's lawsuit, saying her allegations of sexual harassment and intentional infliction of emotional distress do not rise to the level of "severe or pervasive" or "extreme and outrageous" as the law requires.
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August 18, 2025
Ex-Conrail CEO Loses Bid To Overturn $11M Arbitration Award
A Pennsylvania federal judge has upheld an $11 million arbitration award against former Conrail CEO David LeVan over a failed Gettysburg casino project that later spurred a legal malpractice case against Saul Ewing LLP in which LeVan claimed he was poorly advised during the deal's fallout.
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August 18, 2025
Whiteford Taylor Must Face Wire Fraud Malpractice Suit
A Maryland federal judge has declined to toss the majority of a malpractice and gross negligence suit brought by the founder of a construction company who accused his former business partners and their shared counsel of being partially to blame for hackers stealing his $4 million share of proceeds from the sale of their business.
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August 18, 2025
Burr & Forman Must Face Claims From Healthcare Scheme
A Georgia federal judge has denied Burr & Forman LLP's bid to escape a lawsuit accusing the firm of being party to a massive healthcare fraud scheme, ruling that it must largely face malpractice and breach of fiduciary claims from a pair of bankruptcy trustees.
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August 18, 2025
Fried Frank Escapes Sanctions Over Flawed RICO Patent Suit
A Florida federal court has rejected sanctions motions leveled against Tristar Products Inc. and its counsel at Fried Frank for bringing a doomed anti-racketeering patent fraud lawsuit against Telebrands Corp., finding that the claims were not frivolous despite "myriad" flaws and "sloppy lawyering."
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August 18, 2025
NJ Firms End Battle Over $25M Fee In Verizon Pole Injury Case
Several New Jersey firms have ended a long dispute over a $25 million fee from a personal injury case against Verizon in a suit that already went to trial in 2021 and recently had another trial ordered.
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August 18, 2025
NJ Seeks To Toss Ex-Judge's 'Second Bite' In Firing Suit
New Jersey on Friday asked a state court to award it a victory over some claims by a former workers' compensation judge that she was unconstitutionally removed from her job after similar claims in a separate suit of hers were rejected in December.
Expert Analysis
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Lawyers With Disabilities Are Seeking Equity, Not Pity
Attorneys living with disabilities face extra challenges — including the need for special accommodations, the fear of stigmatization and the risk of being tokenized — but if given equitable opportunities, they can still rise to the top of their field, says Kate Reder Sheikh, a former attorney and legal recruiter at Major Lindsey & Africa.
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Opinion
Judicial Committee Best Venue For Litigation Funding Rules
The Advisory Committee on Civil Rules' recent decision to consider developing a rule for litigation funding disclosure is a welcome development, ensuring that the result will be the product of a thorough, inclusive and deliberative process that appropriately balances all interests, says Stewart Ackerly at Statera Capital.
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The Strategic Advantages Of Appointing A Law Firm CEO
The impact on law firms of the recent CrowdStrike outage underscores that the business of law is no longer merely about providing supplemental support for legal practice — and helps explain why some law firms are appointing dedicated, full-time CEOs to navigate the challenges of the modern legal landscape, says Jennifer Johnson at Calibrate Strategies.
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Series
Beekeeping Makes Me A Better Lawyer
The practice of patent law and beekeeping are not typically associated, but taking care of honeybees has enriched my legal practice by highlighting the importance of hands-on experience, continuous learning, mentorship and more, says David Longo at Oblon McClelland.
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Opinion
Legal Institutions Must Warn Against Phony Election Suits
With two weeks until the election, bar associations and courts have an urgent responsibility to warn lawyers about the consequences of filing unsubstantiated lawsuits claiming election fraud, says Elise Bean at the Carl Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy.
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How Cos. Can Build A Strong In-House Pro Bono Program
During this year’s pro bono celebration week, companies should consider some key pointers to grow and maintain a vibrant in-house program for attorneys to provide free legal services for the public good, says Mary Benton at Alston & Bird.
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Series
Home Canning Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Making my own pickles and jams requires seeing a process through from start to finish, as does representing clients from the start of a dispute at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board through any appeals to the Federal Circuit, says attorney Kevin McNish.
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Use The Right Kind Of Feedback To Help Gen Z Attorneys
Generation Z associates bring unique perspectives and expectations to the workplace, so it’s imperative that supervising attorneys adapt their feedback approach in order to help young lawyers learn and grow — which is good for law firms, too, says Rachael Bosch at Fringe Professional Development.
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Opinion
Congress Can And Must Enact A Supreme Court Ethics Code
As public confidence in the U.S. Supreme Court dips to historic lows following reports raising conflict of interest concerns, Congress must exercise its constitutional power to enact a mandatory and enforceable code of ethics for the high court, says Muhammad Faridi, president of the New York City Bar Association.
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Series
The Pop Culture Docket: Justice Lebovits On Gilbert And Sullivan
Characters in the 19th century comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan break the rules of good lawyering by shamelessly throwing responsible critical thought to the wind, providing hilarious lessons for lawyers and judges on how to avoid a surfeit of traps and tribulations, say acting New York Supreme Court Justice Gerald Lebovits and law student Tara Scown.
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State Of The States' AI Legal Ethics Landscape
Over the past year, several state bar associations, as well as the American Bar Association, have released guidance on the ethical use of artificial intelligence in legal practice, all of which share overarching themes and some nuanced differences, say Eric Pacifici and Kevin Henderson at SMB Law Group.
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8 Childhood Lessons That Can Help You Be A Better Attorney
A new school year is underway, marking a fitting time for attorneys to reflect on some fundamental life lessons from early childhood that offer a framework for problems that no legal textbook can solve, say Chris Gismondi and Chris Campbell at DLA Piper.
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Opinion
This Election, We Need To Talk About Court Process
In recent decades, the U.S. Supreme Court has markedly transformed judicial processes — from summary judgment standards to notice pleadings — which has, in turn, affected individuals’ substantive rights, and we need to consider how the upcoming presidential election may continue this pattern, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.
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Series
Playing Diplomacy Makes Us Better Lawyers
Similar to the practice of law, the rules of Diplomacy — a strategic board game set in pre-World War I Europe — are neither concise nor without ambiguity, and weekly gameplay with our colleagues has revealed the game's practical applications to our work as attorneys, say Jason Osborn and Ben Bevilacqua at Winston & Strawn.
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Mental Health First Aid: A Brief Primer For Attorneys
Amid a growing body of research finding that attorneys face higher rates of mental illness than the general population, firms should consider setting up mental health first aid training programs to help lawyers assess mental health challenges in their colleagues and intervene with compassion, say psychologists Shawn Healy and Tracey Meyers.