Georgia

July 05, 2024
5 Moments That Shaped The Supreme Court's Jan. 6 Decision

When the high court limited the scope of a federal obstruction statute used to charge hundreds of rioters who stormed the Capitol, the justices did not vote along ideological lines. In a year marked by 6-3 splits, what accounts for the departure? Here are some moments from oral arguments that may have swayed the justices.
July 05, 2024
The Funniest Moments Of The Supreme Court's Term

In a U.S. Supreme Court term teeming with serious showdowns, the august air at oral arguments filled with laughter after an attorney mentioned her plastic surgeon and a justice seemed to diss his colleagues, to cite just two of the term's mirthful moments. Here, we look at the funniest moments of the term.
July 05, 2024
11th Circ. Affirms Wells Fargo's Win Over Bitcoin Fraud Suit

The Eleventh Circuit ruled Friday that a Georgia federal judge correctly tossed a digital trading firm's negligence claims against Wells Fargo over the bank's role in an alleged bitcoin fraud perpetrated through Wells Fargo-held accounts, saying the company failed to show the bank owed noncustomers a duty of care.
July 05, 2024
Justices Told Revoked Visa Petition Is Reviewable

A woman whose visa petition for her Palestinian husband was revoked two years after being approved urged the U.S. Supreme Court to rule that courts can review secondary decisions, saying that lower courts' refusal to do so creates an irrational system in which only initial decisions can be reviewed.
July 05, 2024
Ga. Elections Office Wants Out Of Appeals Seat Challenge

An elections office in Fulton County, Georgia's elections department asked a judge this week to be let out of a lawsuit alleging that the winner of a recent state appeals court election lied about his residency and is ineligible for the office, arguing that the suit "fails to make even a single allegation of misconduct, fraud or irregularity."
July 05, 2024
Tech Co. Wants To Undo $535K Retaliation Verdict

A technology company on Wednesday asked a Georgia federal judge to overturn a jury's decision to award a Black worker $535,000 in damages after finding he was fired in retaliation for complaining that his supervisor discriminated against him and that he was denied a raise because of his race.
July 05, 2024
The Firms That Won Big At The Supreme Court

This U.S. Supreme Court term featured high-stakes oral arguments on issues including gerrymandering, abortion and federal agency authority, and a hot bench ever more willing to engage in a lengthy back-and-forth with advocates. Here's a look at the law firms that argued the most cases and how they fared.
July 05, 2024
Georgia DAs Say Discipline Panel Already Harming Them

A legal challenge to Georgia's new prosecutor disciplinary panel should move forward now that the panel has been cleared to begin investigating prosecutors, a bipartisan group of district attorneys told a Georgia state court.
July 05, 2024
PruittHealth Hit With Data Breach Class Action

Southeastern healthcare provider PruittHealth Inc. was hit with a proposed class action this week alleging that the company's flimsy security protocols led a North Carolina woman and more than 56,000 others to have their personal information stolen in a 2023 data breach.
July 05, 2024
Top Federal Tax Cases To Watch In The 2nd Half Of 2024

In the coming months, the U.S. Treasury and the IRS will defend rules designed to go after what they consider as abusive tax practices, including the economic substance doctrine, the Corporate Transparency Act and the moratorium on employee retention tax credits. Here, Law360 looks at key federal tax cases to watch in the rest of 2024.
July 03, 2024
Red States Get ACA Trans Discrimination Rule Blocked

Federal judges in Mississippi and Texas granted conservatives states' requests Wednesday to freeze a new rule protecting access to healthcare for the LGBTQ+ community, with both judges ruling that states are likely to succeed in showing that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services overstepped when it created the regulations.
July 03, 2024
Panel Says Settlement Evidence Was 'Harmless' In Injury Case

The Georgia Court of Appeals on Tuesday said a trial court was right to let a hospital tell jurors about a surgeon's settlement with a man who sued over postsurgery complications, saying it is "highly probable" that the evidence didn't contribute to a jury verdict in the hospital's favor.
July 03, 2024
One Judge Not Enough For TCPA Deal's Toss, 11th Circ. Told

An Alabama woman has said a recent Eleventh Circuit decision tossing her and other class members' $35 million settlement with GoDaddy.com should get another look from a three-judge panel because outstanding questions about which of the panel's opinions control are poised to sow confusion with the district court.
July 03, 2024
Atty's COVID Relief Fraud Case Ends After Diversion Program

A Georgia federal judge has tossed charges against an attorney over a fraudulent scheme involving federal pandemic-relief business loans, granting on Wednesday the government's motion to dismiss after the attorney completed a pretrial diversion program.
July 03, 2024
Giuliani Creditors Say Conversion Motion 'Just Games'

A New York bankruptcy judge will hear arguments next week over whether to convert Rudy Giuliani's Chapter 11 to a liquidation, a move his creditors denounced as gamesmanship with the bankruptcy system.
July 03, 2024
Turf Co. Wants Out Of Rival's Trade Secrets Suit

Facing allegations from a major artificial turf manufacturer that it poached one of its executives and trade secrets, a rival turf company hit back Tuesday by claiming that it has "no idea what information might be encompassed" by allegedly stolen files, and thus, the suit must be dismissed.
July 02, 2024
Ga. Justices Say COVID Order Tolls Med Mal Repose Statute

The Georgia Supreme Court on Tuesday said that a judicial emergency order handed down during the COVID-19 pandemic can be used to toll the state's five-year medical malpractice statute of repose.
July 02, 2024
YSL Judge Shares Transcript Of Secret Witness Meeting

The transcript of a secret meeting involving Fulton County prosecutors, a key state's witness and the judge overseeing the Young Slime Life case was released Monday, shortly after it was announced that proceedings in the case would be paused until an outside judge reviews motions for the judge's recusal.
July 02, 2024
'Idle' Ga. Election Officials Holding Up Suit, Judge Told

Lawyers for an array of plaintiffs challenging portions of Georgia's 2021 election overhaul law attempted with one hand to convince a federal judge Tuesday not to scuttle their claims before a trial, while with the other urged the court to put the suit on ice until "dysfunctional" elections officials get their act together.
July 02, 2024
Ga. City Comes Out On Top In T-Mobile Cell Tower Suit

The city of Columbus, Georgia, has come out on top in a legal battle with a wireless infrastructure builder who says that the city unfairly blocked its requests to build T-Mobile a cell tower, a conflict that also involved the local Shriners.
July 02, 2024
Georgia Wants 11th Circ. To Undo Blocks On Election Law

The state of Georgia has urged the Eleventh Circuit to undo the enjoining of two provisions of the state's controversial 2021 election law, including a ban on handing out food and drinks to voters waiting in line that the state called a "prophylactic" against electoral interference.
July 02, 2024
Marriott Loses Counterclaim In Delta's TM Suit

Delta Air Lines Inc. has won its fight against Marriott International Inc.'s claim that the airline breached an agreement over the use of "Delta Hotels," with a Georgia federal judge finding that the deal at issue applies only in Hong Kong and China.
July 02, 2024
Ga. Parking Co. Stole Data To Send Fake Tickets, Fla Suit Says

A Florida resident has brought a proposed federal class action against a Georgia parking company for alleged privacy violations, saying his data was illegally obtained and used to send fake citations in a scheme to collect money under the threat that vehicles could be confiscated or credit ruined.
July 02, 2024
Ga. Justices Say Atty Ethics Rules Only Apply To Legal Work

A Georgia lawyer did not violate attorney ethics rules when she allegedly mishandled trust funds since she was managing those funds only as a fiduciary and not as a lawyer, the Georgia Supreme Court ruled Tuesday.
July 02, 2024
After Fischer, Judge Releases Atty Convicted In Jan. 6 Riot

A D.C. federal judge ordered the release of a Georgia attorney imprisoned for storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, saying his pending appeal would likely result in his freedom after the U.S. Supreme Court narrowed an obstruction of Congress law used to convict him and others involved in the assault.

Expert Analysis

Opinion

Stronger Attorney Rules Are Needed To Avoid A Jan. 6 Repeat

Given the key role lawyers played in the events leading up to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, the legal profession must shore up its rules before this year’s presidential election to make clear that lawyers who undermine the rule of law will face severe penalties, including disbarment, says Ray Brescia at Albany Law School.
4 Legal Ethics Considerations For The New Year

As attorneys and clients reset for a new year, now is a good time to take a step back and review some core ethical issues that attorneys should keep front of mind in 2024, including approaching generative artificial intelligence with caution and care, and avoiding pitfalls in outside counsel guidelines, say attorneys at HWG.
What The Law Firm Of The Future Will Look Like

As the legal landscape shifts, it’s become increasingly clear that the BigLaw business model must adapt in four key ways to remain viable, from fostering workplace flexibility to embracing technology, say Kevin Henderson and Eric Pacifici at SMB Law Group.
4 PR Pointers When Your Case Is In The News

Media coverage of new lawsuits exploded last year, demonstrating why defense attorneys should devise a public relations plan that complements their legal strategy, incorporating several objectives to balance ethical obligations and advocacy, say Nathan Burchfiel at Pinkston and Ryan June at Castañeda + Heidelman.
Law Firm Strategies For Successfully Navigating 2024 Trends

Though law firms face the dual challenge of external and internal pressures as they enter 2024, firms willing to pivot will be able to stand out by adapting to stakeholder needs and reimagining their infrastructure, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Consultants.
The Most-Read Legal Industry Law360 Guest Articles Of 2023

A range of legal industry topics drew readers' attention in Law360's Expert Analysis section this year, from associate retention strategies to ethical billing practices.
5 Most Notable Class Action Standing Cases Of 2023

Key appellate class action decisions this past year continued the trend of a more demanding approach to the threshold issue of standing during each phase of litigation, say attorneys at MoFo.
Attorneys' Busiest Times Can Be Business Opportunities

Attorneys who resolve to grow their revenue and client base in 2024 should be careful not to abandon their goals when they get too busy with client work, because these periods of zero bandwidth can actually be a catalyst for future growth, says Amy Drysdale at Alchemy Consulting.
In The World Of Legal Ethics, 10 Trends To Note From 2023

Lucian Pera at Adams and Reese and Trisha Rich at Holland & Knight identify the top legal ethics trends from 2023 — including issues related to hot documents, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity — that lawyers should be aware of to put their best foot forward.
What's Ahead For Immigrant Employee Rights Enforcement

The U.S. Department of Justice’s increased enforcement related to immigration-based employment discrimination is coupled with pending constitutional challenges to administrative tribunals, suggesting employers should leverage those headwinds when facing investigations or class action-style litigation, say attorneys at Jones Day.
How Attorneys Can Be More Efficient This Holiday Season

Attorneys should consider a few key tips to speed up their work during the holidays so they can join the festivities — from streamlining the document review process to creating similar folder structures, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.
Top 10 Whistleblowing And Retaliation Events Of 2023

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and federal and state courts made 2023 another groundbreaking year for whistleblower litigation and retaliation developments, including the SEC’s massive whistleblower awards, which are likely to continue into 2024 and further incentivize individuals to submit tips, say attorneys at Proskauer.
Clean Water Act Jurisdiction Still Murky After A Choppy 2023

This year brought several important Clean Water Act jurisdictional developments, including multiple agency rules and a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that substantially altered the definition of "waters of the United States," but a new wave of litigation challenges has already begun, with no clear end in sight, say attorneys at Nossaman.
Series

Children's Book Writing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Becoming a children's book author has opened doors to incredible new experiences of which I barely dared to dream, but the process has also changed my life by serving as a reminder that strong writing, networking and public speaking skills are hugely beneficial to a legal career, says Shaunna Bailey at Sheppard Mullin.
How Clients May Use AI To Monitor Attorneys

Excerpt from Practical Guidance

Artificial intelligence tools will increasingly enable clients to monitor and evaluate their counsel’s activities, so attorneys must clearly define the terms of engagement and likewise take advantage of the efficiencies offered by AI, says Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein.