Legal Ethics

  • August 26, 2024

    Substitute Atty Must Get Access To Discovery, NJ Panel Says

    The attorney representing the estate of a murdered New Jersey mobster-turned-informant must be given access to confidential discovery information that was provided to a previous attorney on the case, the state Appellate Division ruled today.

  • August 26, 2024

    Racial Gaps In Mich. Judicial Discipline Process, Audit Finds

    Black judges in Michigan are more likely to be subject to a full misconduct investigation and receive "significantly" more grievances than their white counterparts, according to a preliminary audit from the National Center for State Courts.

  • August 26, 2024

    Cadwalader Fears Unsealing Financial Info May Harm Firm

    Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft LLP has argued in North Carolina Business Court that unsealing financial details related to a November 2022 data breach and its insurance policy with a Lloyd's of London syndicate would put the firm at further risk from competitors and bad actors.

  • August 26, 2024

    Texas Cases To Watch In Last Half Of 2024

    Courts across the state are poised to make decisions in several high-stakes cases over the next several months, including ruling on whether Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton can be deposed in a long-running employment retaliation suit and whether a challenge to Texas' floating Rio Grande barrier must be tried before a jury. 

  • August 26, 2024

    Insurer Wants Out Of Pa. Wig Widow's $4.5M Benefit Dispute

    Lincoln National Life Insurance Co. asked a Pennsylvania state court to let it bow out of a dispute between a Pittsburgh wig and healthcare magnate's widow and his family partnership, arguing Monday that the court, not the insurer, had to choose between competing claims for a $4.5 million policy payout.

  • August 26, 2024

    Ex-Branscomb Atty Must Comply With Arbitration Award

    A Texas appellate court said that a former attorney with Branscomb PC must abide by an arbitration award issued in his dispute over his termination from the firm, writing that if he had an issue with the award, he should have raised it with the arbitrator.

  • August 26, 2024

    New Jersey Cases Attorneys Are Watching In 2024

    Jersey City is fighting the Garden State's cannabis legalization law and argues it conflicts with federal gun control legislation, while the bankrupt former chief financial officer of McElroy Deutsch Mulvaney & Carpenter LLP is facing civil claims he defrauded the firm and paid himself millions in unauthorized salary.

  • August 23, 2024

    Del. Chief Judge Tells IP Biz Owner To Show Up, Pay $53K

    Delaware's top federal judge Friday ordered a Texas-based patent litigation business owner to appear before him to address what he called a "potential fraud on the court" and "misconduct" by the firm's counsel, adding she'll have to pay $53,000 in accrued sanctions for refusing to show up in-person since last year.

  • August 23, 2024

    Girardi Says High Court Holding Should Gut His Fraud Case

    Tom Girardi has urged a California federal judge to toss the majority of the wire fraud charges he is facing ahead of closing arguments in his trial, saying a 1960 U.S. Supreme Court case demonstrates he was charged for nothing more than receiving legally required wire transfers.

  • August 23, 2024

    Former Snyder Aide Says No Immunity For Flint Prosecutors

    A top aide to former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder who had faced criminal charges for the Flint water crisis is fighting Michigan prosecutors' attempts to dodge a lawsuit claiming that they violated his due process rights.

  • August 23, 2024

    NC Justice Dept. Atty's Promotion Bias Suit Cleared For Trial

    The North Carolina Department of Justice will face an attorney's race and sex discrimination claims at trial after a federal judge rejected the agency's bid for summary judgment, finding that a dispute remains about whether there was a legitimate reason for not promoting her.

  • August 23, 2024

    Wash. Justices Affirm Convicted Ex-State Auditor Disbarment

    The Washington Supreme Court affirmed a recommendation to disbar convicted former state auditor Troy X. Kelley after he was imprisoned on felony theft charges, finding that Kelley's crimes justified the disbarment sanction.

  • August 23, 2024

    Ex-Reed Smith Atty Wants Pay Data In Bias Suit Against Firm

    A former Reed Smith LLP attorney suing the firm for gender discrimination has told a New Jersey state court that the firm must turn over pay data for nonequity partners stretching back years for her to make her case.

  • August 23, 2024

    Client Wants Atty's Wife Held In Contempt In Malpractice Case

    A couple awarded a $1.2 million default malpractice judgment against their former lawyer have asked a Colorado state judge to hold the attorney's wife in contempt after she said in a deposition she failed to check whether she and her husband had joint bank accounts or to bring documents, as required by a subpoena. 

  • August 23, 2024

    Young Thug Atty Says Contempt Charge Must Be Overturned

    An attorney representing Atlanta rapper Young Thug urged the Georgia Supreme Court on Thursday to reverse the 20-day jail sentence and contempt of court conviction he received after refusing to divulge how he learned about a closed-door meeting between prosecutors, a witness and the original judge presiding over the rapper's racketeering trial.

  • August 23, 2024

    JPMorgan's $26K Atty Fee Award Overturned By Conn. Panel

    A Connecticut appeals court on Friday reversed JPMorgan's nearly $26,000 attorney fee-shift and cost award in a case involving a $250,000 promissory note, holding a trial judge improperly awarded the recovery because the bank waited "more than one year" to seek it after scoring summary judgment.

  • August 23, 2024

    Mich. Atty Guilty Of Murdering Client Faces Disbarment

    The Michigan Supreme Court's prosecutorial arm on Friday urged the state's attorney watchdog to disbar a lawyer who was sentenced to spend life in prison for conspiring to kill his wealthy client to gain access to the client's trust, saying the attorney's conduct was "heinous and reprehensible."

  • August 23, 2024

    Former NY Atty Gets Prison For Theft Of $800K From Clients

    A disbarred New York real estate attorney has been sentenced to prison and ordered to pay restitution for stealing over $800,000 from three former clients by taking their money from his escrow account.

  • August 23, 2024

    ABA Guides Lawyers On Avoiding Criminal Transactions

    Just over a year after the American Bar Association formalized long-standing due diligence rules for attorneys' interactions with clients, an ABA committee on Friday released its first ethics opinion providing guidance on interpreting the rules amendment.

  • August 23, 2024

    Georgia Cases To Watch In The Last Half Of 2024

    The prosecutions of former President Donald Trump and his election interference case codefendants, along with Atlanta rapper Young Thug's bid to have the judge overseeing his racketeering trial removed from the case, will take center stage in Georgia's courts as we enter the second half of 2024.

  • August 23, 2024

    Attys Fight Over Fee Award In Conservative Group's IRS Win

    A prominent conservative lawyer says like-minded election integrity group True the Vote owes his firm over $500,000 in attorney fees for a suit against the Internal Revenue Service that was settled years ago, telling a D.C. federal judge Friday that it's time for TTV to pay up.

  • August 23, 2024

    NJ Panel Backs Dismissal Of Whistleblower Suit

    A former New Jersey assistant prosecutor did not provide a clear enough link between complaints he filed against his boss and an alleged retaliatory disciplinary action, a New Jersey appellate panel ruled Friday when it dismissed his whistleblower suit.

  • August 23, 2024

    Client Says Negligence Led To NJ Firm's Ransomware Attack

    A client of The Wacks Law Group LLC hit the New Jersey firm with a proposed class action claiming that its negligence in properly securing its data storage led to the theft of hundreds of clients' personal information in a March cyberattack.

  • August 23, 2024

    Ohio Judge Dinged For Public Posts About Guardianship Spat

    The Ohio Supreme Court has publicly reprimanded a probate court judge for allowing staff to make inaccurate comments to the press about a guardianship case and for posting comments about the case on the court's Facebook page, including accusing a man of elder abuse without evidence.

  • August 23, 2024

    On Final Night Of DNC, Prosecutors Ruled The Stage

    Vice President Kamala Harris invoked her experience as a prosecutor and an attorney general in her speech Thursday night in Chicago accepting the Democratic nomination for president.

Expert Analysis

  • A Vision For Economic Clerkships In The Legal System

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    As courts handle increasingly complex damages analyses involving vast amounts of data, an economic clerkship program — integrating early-career economists into the judicial system — could improve legal outcomes and provide essential training to clerks, say Mona Birjandi at Data for Decisions and Matt Farber at Secretariat.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Recent Rulings On Text Message Data

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    Electronically stored information on cellphones, and in particular text messages, can present unique litigation challenges, and recent court decisions demonstrate that counsel must carefully balance what data should be preserved, collected, reviewed and produced, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • 'Fat Leonard' Case Shows High Bar For Rescinding Guilty Plea

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    Prosecutors’ recent move in the “Fat Leonard” bribery case, supporting several defendants’ motions to withdraw their guilty pleas, is extremely unusual – and its contrast with other prosecutions demonstrates that the procedural safeguards at plea hearings are far from enough, says Sara Kropf at Kropf Moseley.

  • Series

    Swimming Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Years of participation in swimming events, especially in the open water, have proven to be ideal preparation for appellate arguments in court — just as you must put your trust in the ocean when competing in a swim event, you must do the same with the judicial process, says John Kulewicz at Vorys.

  • As Arbitrator Bias Claims Rise, Disclosure Standards Evolve

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    The growth in post-award challenges based on arbitrators' alleged conflicts of interest has led to the release of new guidance and new case law on the topic — both supporting the view that professional familiarity alone does not translate to a lack of impartiality, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • Don't Use The Same Template For Every Client Alert

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    As the old marketing adage goes, consistency is key, but law firm style guides need consistency that contemplates variety when it comes to client alert formats, allowing attorneys to tailor alerts to best fit the audience and subject matter, says Jessica Kaplan at Legally Penned.

  • Series

    Walking With My Dog Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Thanks to my dog Birdie, I've learned that carving out an activity different from the practice of law — like daily outdoor walks that allow you to interact with new people — can contribute to professional success by boosting creativity and mental acuity, as well as expanding your social network, says Sarah Petrie at the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: Follow The Iron Rule Of Trial Logic

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    Many diligent and eager attorneys include every good fact, point and rule in their trial narratives — spurred by the gnawing fear they’ll be second-guessed for leaving something out — but this approach ignores a fundamental principle of successful trial lawyering, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • The Art Of Asking: Leveraging Your Contacts For Referrals

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    Though attorneys may hesitate to ask for referral recommendations to generate new business, research shows that people want to help others they know, like and trust, so consider who in your network you should approach and how to make the ask, says Rebecca Hnatowski at Edwards Advisory.

  • Series

    Being An Equestrian Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Beyond getting experience thinking on my feet and tackling stressful situations, the skills I've gained from horseback riding have considerable overlap with the skills used to practice law, particularly in terms of team building, continuing education, and making an effort to reset and recharge, says Kerry Irwin at Moore & Van Allen.

  • 4 Ways To Refresh Your Law Firm's Marketing Strategy

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    With many BigLaw firms relying on an increasingly obsolete marketing approach that prioritizes stiff professionalism over authentic connection, adopting a few key communications strategies to better connect with today's clients and prospects can make all the difference, say Eric Pacifici and Kevin Henderson at SMB Law.

  • What Law Firms Should Know Amid Rise In DQ Motions

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    As disqualification motions proliferate, law firms need to be aware of the types of conflicts that most often lead to disqualification, the types of attorneys who may be affected and how to reduce their exposure to these motions, says Matthew Henderson at Hinshaw.

  • Data Protection Steps To Consider After Biden Privacy Order

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    A recent White House executive order casts a spotlight on the criticality of securing sensitive content communications, presenting challenges and necessitating a recalibration of practices, especially for lawyers, says Camilo Artiga-Purcell at Kiteworks.

  • Surveying Legislative Trends As States Rush To Regulate AI

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    With Congress unlikely to pass comprehensive artificial intelligence legislation any time soon, just four months into 2024, nearly every state has introduced legislation aimed at the development and use of AI on subjects from algorithmic discrimination risk to generative AI disclosures, say David Kappos and Sasha Rosenthal-Larrea at Cravath.

  • How Duty Of Candor Figures In USPTO AI Ethics Guidance

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    The duty of candor and good faith is an important part of the artificial intelligence ethics guidance issued last week by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and serious consequences can visit patent and trademark applicants who violate that duty, not just their attorneys and agents, says Michael Cicero at Taylor English.

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