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Legal Ethics
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June 17, 2025
Gemini Says CFTC Enforcement Went 'Trophy-Hunting' In Suit
The crypto exchange Gemini on Tuesday slammed the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission's Enforcement Division and the attorneys who pursued a now-settled case against the firm, calling the division "out of control" and accusing its attorneys of engaging in "trophy-hunting lawfare."
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June 17, 2025
Hyundai Dealership Sues Snell & Wilmer Over 'Botched' Filing
A Los Angeles Hyundai dealership has hit Snell & Wilmer with a professional negligence lawsuit in California state court, accusing the firm and three attorneys of lying about an allegedly obviously "botched" arbitration motion in underlying litigation and then pursuing a meritless appeal costing Hyundai over $725,000 in unwarranted fees.
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June 17, 2025
Burford Blasts Interference Claim In Chicken Price-Fix Case
The Illinois federal judge handling consolidated price-fixing litigation against the nation's largest chicken producers should throw out the settlement interference counterclaim Tyson lodged alongside its answer in the case because it is no more than a speculation-based "fishing expedition," litigation funder Burford Capital argued.
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June 17, 2025
NJ Supreme Court Rejects Judicial Privacy Law Challenge
The New Jersey Supreme Court on Tuesday threw out a journalist's constitutional challenge to the judicial privacy measure Daniel's Law, finding it serves "a state interest of the highest order" in seeking to keep certain public officials out of harm's way.
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June 17, 2025
Judge OKs Deal To End LeClairRyan Founder Tax Claims
A Virginia bankruptcy judge Tuesday approved a settlement striking LeClairRyan PLLC founder Gary LeClair from the list of owners of the defunct firm, relieving him of responsibility for a share of the firm's nearly $21 million in tax liabilities.
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June 16, 2025
Davis Wright Must Face Employment Atty's Defamation Claim
A Washington state judge refused to toss in their entirety an employment attorney's defamation claims against Davis Wright Tremaine LLP and other firm partners, finding Washington's Uniform Public Expression Protection Act shields the firm from some of the attorney's allegations, but not all.
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June 16, 2025
Telecoms Shareholder Gets Sanctions Lifted In Control Fight
A New York federal judge has vacated his order sanctioning an investor in telecommunications infrastructure firm Continental Towers LATAM Holdings Ltd. for ignoring arbitral awards issued in a bitter, yearslong dispute over control of the company, saying the man wasn't properly served.
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June 16, 2025
Canadian Atty Must Pay SEC $323K Over Stock Promotion
A Canadian securities attorney will pay over $323,000 to resolve U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission allegations that he drafted and executed sham consulting agreements at the heart of a scheme to conceal pay-for-play promotion of two so-called Regulation A offerings.
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June 16, 2025
TM Registration Co. Sanctioned Over Attorney Signatures
A Mumbai-based business that offers trademark registration services was blocked by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office from submitting any more trademark documents, after an investigation found it forged counsel signatures.
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June 16, 2025
Colo. Justices Allow Malicious Prosecution Case To Proceed
The Colorado Supreme Court on Monday ruled unanimously that a plaintiff may still have probable cause in a malicious prosecution case even if they were unable to win in the original case at summary judgment.
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June 16, 2025
Fla. Justices To Weigh 'Blindfolded' Jury Selection Procedure
The Florida Supreme Court has agreed to consider whether a so-called blindfolded jury selection method was fair to a man serving a life sentence for a murder conviction.
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June 16, 2025
Winery Can't Overcome Ex-Atty's 'Negligence' In Noise Suit
The Pennsylvania Superior Court held in a precedential ruling that the negligence of a winery's former counsel in failing to communicate with the winery during litigation over operating in a neighborhood isn't a good enough reason to reverse an order shutting it down.
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June 16, 2025
Convict's Outbursts Didn't Warrant DQ, Conn. Justices Rule
A Connecticut trial court judge acted within his power to consider and then add three criminal contempt sentences to a murder convict's prison term after the defendant hurled a series of racial and profane attacks at the court when a habeas corpus hearing concluded, the state's highest court ruled Monday.
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June 16, 2025
Ga. Judge Won't Revive Attorney's Lien On Former Client
The former attorney of a onetime Georgia county auditor cannot recover attorney fees from her earlier representation of the auditor in a whistleblower suit, a federal judge has ruled, finding she failed to prove she was prevented from fully and fairly litigating her case.
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June 16, 2025
NJ Atty Disciplined For Private Law Work On GC Role Time
A former general counsel for a New Jersey public agency previously fined for ethics breaches has now been censured, with the state Supreme Court issuing the discipline after finding he operated a private law practice out of his office at the agency.
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June 16, 2025
Firm Slams Insurer's Bid To Exit Malpractice Coverage Suit
A Berkshire Hathaway unit can't use misdirection to duck a negligence suit claiming the insurer's failure to defend a negligence lawsuit against a Georgia personal injury law firm led to a $2.6 million default judgment against the firm, according to a recent filing in Georgia federal court.
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June 16, 2025
Calif. Bar Panel Upholds Recommending Eastman Disbarment
A panel of the California State Bar Court's Review Department has affirmed the March 2024 recommended disbarment of President Donald Trump's former attorney, John Eastman, over attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
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June 16, 2025
Fake NY Lawyer Admits To Stealing Over $290K From Clients
A New York man admitted Monday that he posed as a lawyer to steal over $290,000 from people who thought he was doing class action, discrimination and other legal work, copping to larceny and fraud charges in state court.
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June 16, 2025
Biz Seller Seeks Atty Fees After Win In 'Frivolous' Fraud Case
The former owner of a North Carolina concrete company is seeking attorney fees after defeating a buyer's fraud suit in a rare midtrial victory, saying her opponent should have to cover her legal costs for bringing claims to trial that were both "frivolous" and "malicious."
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June 16, 2025
Fla. Judge Denies Ethics Breach Over Fake Recording
A judge in Broward County, Florida, pushed back on ethics charges accusing her of publicly sharing a fabricated recording of a chief judge disparaging another judge in her 2024 election campaign, saying her actions did not violate the Code of Judicial Conduct.
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June 16, 2025
Texas Bar Limits Attorney Nondisparagement Clauses
In a formal ethics opinion this month, the State Bar of Texas said nondisparagement clauses dealing with the practice of law cannot apply to lawyers licensed in the state, but attorneys could be subject to provisions involving their personal speech.
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June 13, 2025
Wash. Judge Tosses IUD Suit Against Bayer For Good
Bayer has beat a negligence lawsuit filed by a woman who claims its Mirena IUD perforated her uterus and migrated after the patient failed to oppose the company's motion to dismiss, a Washington federal judge ruled.
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June 13, 2025
Quinn Emanuel Drops Binance Founder Amid $8M Fraud Suit
Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP has withdrawn as counsel for the founder of Binance amid an $8.1 million lawsuit against him, telling a Massachusetts federal judge that the former cryptocurrency exchange executive has breached an agreement with the law firm and moved for arbitration against it.
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June 13, 2025
Calif. State Bar Is Immune From Atty's ADA Suit, 9th Circ. Says
The Ninth Circuit on Friday declined to revive an attorney's claims alleging the California State Bar violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by not granting extra time to respond to disciplinary action based on outstanding debt, finding the bar, as an arm of the state, is entitled to sovereign immunity.
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June 13, 2025
The Law Firm Loophole: How Debt Cos. Snare NC Consumers
To get around bans in North Carolina and many other states, debt relief companies set up facade law firms — companies that are law firms in name only, with a tiny number of lawyers nominally serving thousands of clients, consumer advocates and regulators say.
Expert Analysis
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How Associates Can Build A Professional Image
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.
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Firms Must Rethink How They Train New Lawyers In AI Age
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.
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Think Like A Lawyer: Always Be Closing
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.
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Series
Playing Chess Makes Me A Better Lawyer
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.
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Litigation Inspiration: Attys Can Be Heroic Like Olympians
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.
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Lean Into The 'Great Restoration' To Retain Legal Talent
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.
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Series
Fishing Makes Me A Better Lawyer
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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A Healthier Legal Industry Starts With Emotional Intelligence
The legal profession has long been plagued by high rates of mental health issues, in part due to attorneys’ early training and broader societal stereotypes — but developing one’s emotional intelligence is one way to foster positive change, collectively and individually, says attorney Esperanza Franco.
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To Make Your Legal Writing Clear, Emulate A Master Chef
To deliver clear and effective written advocacy, lawyers should follow the model of a fine dining chef — seasoning a foundation of pure facts with punchy descriptors, spicing it up with analogies, refining the recipe and trimming the fat — thus catering to a sophisticated audience of decision-makers, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.
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Circuit Judge Writes An Opinion, AI Helps: What Now?
Last week's Eleventh Circuit opinion in Snell v. United Specialty Insurance, notable for a concurrence outlining the use of artificial intelligence to evaluate a term's common meaning, is hopefully the first step toward developing a coherent basis for the judiciary's generative AI use, says David Zaslowsky at Baker McKenzie.
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Perspectives
Trauma-Informed Legal Approaches For Pro Bono Attorneys
As National Trauma Awareness Month ends, pro bono attorneys should nevertheless continue to acknowledge the mental and physical effects of trauma, allowing them to better represent clients, and protect themselves from compassion fatigue and burnout, say Katherine Cronin at Stinson and Katharine Manning at Blackbird.
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Opinion
NY Should Pass Litigation Funding Bill To Protect Plaintiffs
New York state should embrace the regulatory framework proposed in the Consumer Litigation Funding Act, which would suppress the unregulated predatory lenders that currently prey on vulnerable litigants but preserve a funding option that helps personal injury plaintiffs stand up to deep-pocketed corporate defendants, says Alan Ripka at Alan Ripka & Associates.
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Series
Playing Music Makes Me A Better Lawyer
My deep and passionate involvement in playing, writing and producing music equipped me with skills — like creativity, improvisation and problem-solving — that contribute to the success of my legal career, says attorney Kenneth Greene.
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How Attys Can Avoid Pitfalls When Withdrawing From A Case
The Trump campaign's recent scuffle over its bid to replace its counsel in a pregnancy retaliation suit offers a chance to remind attorneys that many troubles inherent in withdrawing from a case can be mitigated or entirely avoided by communicating with clients openly and frequently, says Christopher Konneker at Orsinger Nelson.
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High Court Injunction Case Could Shake Up Fee-Shifting Rules
In agreeing to review a Virginia case rendered statutorily moot before final judgment, the U.S. Supreme Court could finally settle the question of if — and when — a preliminary injunction can win attorney fees for a prevailing party, but all possible answers could disrupt fee-shifting schemes written into major laws, says Laurens Wilkes at Winston & Strawn.