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Legal Ethics

  • April 23, 2025

    Susman Godfrey Seeks Permanent Shut Down Of Trump Order

    Susman Godfrey LLP on Wednesday urged a D.C. federal court to permanently block President Donald Trump's executive order revoking the law firm's access to government resources, chiding the order as a clear case of "unconstitutional retaliation" and an obvious bid to "chill protected advocacy."

  • April 23, 2025

    California Bar Says It Used AI To Craft Some Exam Questions

    The State Bar of California used artificial intelligence to develop certain multiple-choice questions that were included in the February exam, a revelation that left one law school assistant dean "shocked" and a move that the state bar said was "not clearly communicated" to its own leadership.

  • April 23, 2025

    Firm Can't Fight Conn. Scam Suit Fee Rulings, Ex-Client Says

    A Connecticut judge should not reconsider an award of attorney fees and interest against the law firm Mancini Provenzano & Futtner LLC because it already waived its arguments or brought them up in a pending appeal of a negligence judgment, a former client said this week.

  • April 23, 2025

    Judge's Same-Sex Wedding Ban Legal In Texas, Justices Hear

    A Texas appeals panel balked at a state judge's argument that refusing to officiate same-sex marriages keeps with Texas law during oral arguments Wednesday, saying the discussion had gotten "far afield" of the issues before the court.

  • April 23, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Won't Immediately Pause Sanctions On IP Attys

    A Federal Circuit judge on Wednesday declined to provide immediate relief to attorneys from Texas patent firm Ramey LLP fighting sanctions they've deemed "career ending," letting stand penalties coming due for practicing without licenses in California, among other conduct.

  • April 23, 2025

    After Sanction Bid, Savannah Aims To Toss Cop Shooting Suit

    Months after seeking sanctions against the attorneys representing the family of a Georgia man killed by police, the city of Savannah asked a federal judge Tuesday to toss the family's civil rights lawsuit and "refrain from second guessing" an officer's decision to shoot the man after he allegedly flashed a gun.

  • April 23, 2025

    Pryor Cashman Atty, Telebrands Beat RICO Suit Over Hose IP

    A Florida federal judge tossed Tristar Products' lawsuit claiming a Pryor Cashman LLP lawyer and his client Telebrands schemed to usurp a hose company's rights to a patent portfolio while also defrauding the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, finding none of the conduct alleged "comes even close to racketeering."

  • April 23, 2025

    Disney Seeks $532K Atty Sanctions In Artist's 'Moana' Suit

    Disney asked a California federal judge to issue $532,815 in sanctions against attorneys for an animator who alleged "Moana" lifted his Polynesian adventure story, arguing Tuesday that the plaintiff's lawyers vexatiously prolonged litigation with "sanctionable misconduct" by pursuing "baseless" trade secret misappropriation claims that were untimely and premised on a forged document.

  • April 23, 2025

    DC Judges Doubt Feds' Rationale For Orders Against Firms

    Two D.C. federal judges on Wednesday expressed skepticism toward the Trump administration's justifications for targeting WilmerHale and Perkins Coie LLP with executive orders, with one judge invoking a comparison to the Red Scare.

  • April 23, 2025

    Iraq's Counsel Can Stay In $120M Award Fight, DC Circ. Says

    The D.C. Circuit has declined to nix Pierson Ferdinand LLP's appearance as counsel for Iraq in an appeal challenging the enforcement of a $120 million arbitral award issued to a Cypriot construction and engineering firm, rejecting the company's allegations that Iraq engaged in "gamesmanship."

  • April 23, 2025

    Law Firm Fights Sanctions Bid In Mootness Fee Row

    Attorneys at Monteverde & Associates PC urged an Illinois federal judge not to order certain sanctions against them in a challenge to so-called mootness fees paid to settle and dismiss allegedly baseless merger disclosure suits, saying more sanctions would be inconsistent with "well-established" pleading and sanctions standards.

  • April 23, 2025

    Judge Orders MyPillow Attys To Explain AI Use, Fake Citations

    A Colorado federal judge on Wednesday ordered two attorneys for MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell to explain why she shouldn't refer them for discipline for a brief full of misquotes, miscited cases and references to cases that "do not exist," noting that it wasn't until she asked about artificial intelligence that one of the lawyers admitted to his use of it.

  • April 23, 2025

    Conservative Legal Group Sues For Federal Judiciary Records

    In its latest federal suit, the Washington-based conservative litigation group America First Legal Foundation has brought a claim against Chief U.S. Justice John Roberts, alleging that records held by the Judicial Conference must be subject to the Freedom of Information Act.

  • April 23, 2025

    Crypto Co. Drops Suit Against K&L Gates, For Now

    A bitcoin mining company has dropped its lawsuit against its former counsel K&L Gates LLP, ending for now its claims that the firm overbilled it and missed a key deadline in a separate bankruptcy action.

  • April 23, 2025

    SCOTUSblog Sold Amid Goldstein's Criminal Case

    SCOTUSblog has been sold to digital media company The Dispatch, according to announcements from both publications Wednesday, marking a new chapter for the U.S. Supreme Court-focused legal publication while its co-founder Tom Goldstein faces criminal charges.

  • April 23, 2025

    Mich. Judge Faces Ethics Complaint After Criminal Plea

    Michigan's judicial watchdog on Tuesday filed a complaint against the chief judge of a Michigan state district court who pled guilty to domestic violence charges for hitting his spouse, alleging that the jurist violated ethical codes for the criminal case and for disrespecting officers during the investigation.

  • April 23, 2025

    Ex-Atlanta Atty Asks 11th Circ. To Revive Sex Harassment Suit

    A former attorney for the city of Atlanta urged the Eleventh Circuit on Wednesday to revive her sexual harassment and disability discrimination suit against the city alleging she was fired after complaining that her boss, a prominent civil rights lawyer, made sexual advances towards her.

  • April 23, 2025

    Ex-Morgan & Morgan Client Seeks Remand In Malpractice Suit

    A former client of Morgan & Morgan has urged a Georgia federal court to return his proposed class action to state court, arguing that his complaint accusing the firm and a trial attorney of legal malpractice is a "local controversy" while the firm says he should arbitrate his claims.

  • April 23, 2025

    Judge Slams TCPA Atty Over Filing With 'No Legitimate Basis'

    A North Carolina magistrate judge on Wednesday chastised a Telephone Consumer Protection Act litigant and his attorney for filing a reply to a discovery motion after the court had already ruled on it, striking the reply from the docket and warning that further filings without "a legitimate basis" could lead to sanctions.

  • April 23, 2025

    Ex-CEO Fires Back At Jackson Walker's Standing Argument

    The former CEO of a defunct barge company is fighting to keep alive his lawsuit blaming the company's downfall on the judicial secret romance scandal that has consumed the Texas bankruptcy courts, claiming Jackson Walker LLP is using its own misdeeds to shield itself from liability.

  • April 23, 2025

    Judge Exits Allied Wallet Exec's Trial Over Plea Interference

    A Massachusetts federal judge agreed to step aside Wednesday from the criminal bank fraud case of a former Allied Wallet executive after acknowledging that he had improperly inserted himself into plea negotiations.

  • April 23, 2025

    Investment Fund Insists On DQing Connell Foley From Bias Suit

    A Black-owned investment company asked a New Jersey federal court to overturn a magistrate judge's decision denying its bid to disqualify a Connell Foley LLP attorney from representing the state in the investment firm's bias case.

  • April 23, 2025

    Dems Demand DOJ Explain Marshals Sent To Ex-Official

    A group of Democrats are pressing the U.S. Department of Justice for answers on why U.S. marshals were sent to the home of the fired U.S. pardon attorney days before she was to appear before a congressional hearing.

  • April 23, 2025

    New Videos Undercut Ex-Knick's Assault Claim, Judge Hints

    A federal judge said Wednesday that new videos appear to show former New York Knicks player Charles Oakley slipping — not being pushed — during a 2017 altercation with Madison Square Garden security, evidence MSG's lawyers say disposes of his assault claims.

  • April 23, 2025

    Bernstein Litowitz Looks To Hire SEC's Ex-Top Crypto Cop

    Investor-side firm Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann LLP has disclosed in a court filing that it is seeking to hire Jorge Tenreiro, the former head of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's crypto enforcement unit as well as the onetime chief of the agency's entire litigation team.

Expert Analysis

  • Opinion

    Atty Well-Being Efforts Ignore Root Causes Of The Problem

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    The legal industry is engaged in a critical conversation about lawyers' mental health, but current attorney well-being programs primarily focus on helping lawyers cope with the stress of excessive workloads, instead of examining whether this work culture is even fundamentally compatible with lawyer well-being, says Jonathan Baum at Avenir Guild.

  • Series

    Skiing And Surfing Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    The skills I’ve learned while riding waves in the ocean and slopes in the mountains have translated to my legal career — developing strong mentor relationships, remaining calm in difficult situations, and being prepared and able to move to a backup plan when needed, says Brian Claassen at Knobbe Martens.

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: June Lessons

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    In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy considers two recent decisions from the Third and Tenth Circuits, and identifies practice tips around class action settlements and standing in securities litigation.

  • Unpacking The Circuit Split Over A Federal Atty Fee Rule

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    Federal circuit courts that have addressed Rule 41(d) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure are split as to whether attorney fees are included as part of the costs of a previously dismissed action, so practitioners aiming to recover or avoid fees should tailor arguments to the appropriate court, says Joseph Myles and Lionel Lavenue at Finnegan.

  • After A Brief Hiccup, The 'Rocket Docket' Soars Back To No. 1

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    The Eastern District of Virginia’s precipitous 2022 fall from its storied rocket docket status appears to have been a temporary aberration, as recent statistics reveal that the court is once again back on top as the fastest federal civil trial court in the nation, says Robert Tata at Hunton.

  • Recruitment Trends In Emerging Law Firm Frontiers

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    BigLaw firms are facing local recruitment challenges as they increasingly establish offices in cities outside of the major legal hubs, requiring them to weigh various strategies for attracting talent that present different risks and benefits, says Tom Hanlon at Buchanan Law.

  • Series

    Glassblowing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    I never expected that glassblowing would strongly influence my work as an attorney, but it has taught me the importance of building a solid foundation for your work, learning from others and committing to a lifetime of practice, says Margaret House at Kalijarvi Chuzi.

  • Money, Money, Money: Limiting White Collar Wealth Evidence

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    As courts increasingly recognize that allowing unfettered evidence of wealth could prejudice a jury against a defendant, white collar defense counsel should consider several avenues for excluding visual evidence of a lavish lifestyle at trial, says Jonathan Porter at Husch Blackwell.

  • How Associates Can Build A Professional Image

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    As hybrid work arrangements become the norm in the legal industry, early-career attorneys must be proactive in building and maintaining a professional presence in both physical and digital settings, ensuring that their image aligns with their long-term career goals, say Lana Manganiello at Equinox Strategy Partners and Estelle Winsett at Estelle Winsett Professional Image Consulting.

  • Firms Must Rethink How They Train New Lawyers In AI Age

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    As law firms begin to use generative artificial intelligence to complete lower-level legal tasks, they’ll need to consider new ways to train summer associates and early-career attorneys, keeping in mind the five stages of skill acquisition, says Liisa Thomas at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: Always Be Closing

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    When a lawyer presents their case with the right propulsive structure throughout trial, there is little need for further argument after the close of evidence — and in fact, rehashing it all may test jurors’ patience — so attorneys should consider other strategies for closing arguments, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • Series

    Playing Chess Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    There are many ways that chess skills translate directly into lawyer skills, but for me, the bigger career lessons go beyond the direct parallels — playing chess has shown me the value of seeing gradual improvement in and focusing deep concentration on a nonwork endeavor, says attorney Steven Fink.

  • Litigation Inspiration: Attys Can Be Heroic Like Olympians

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    Although litigation won’t earn anyone an Olympic medal in Paris this summer, it can be worthy of the same lasting honor if attorneys exercise focused restraint — seeking both their clients’ interests and those of the court — instead of merely pursuing every advantage short of sanctionable conduct, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • Lean Into The 'Great Restoration' To Retain Legal Talent

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    As the “great resignation,” in which employees voluntarily left their jobs in droves, has largely dissipated, legal employers should now work toward the idea of a “great restoration,” adopting strategies to effectively hire, onboard and retain top legal talent, says Molly McGrath at Hiring & Empowering Solutions.

  • Series

    Fishing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Atop the list of ways fishing makes me a better lawyer is the relief it offers from the chronic stress of a demanding caseload, but it has also improved my listening skills and patience, and has served as an exceptional setting for building earnest relationships, says Steven DeGeorge​​​​​​​ at Robinson Bradshaw.

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