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Legal Ethics
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July 05, 2024
Conn. Firm Sued For Repping Both Parties In Business Sale
A Connecticut law firm has been hit with a malpractice suit saying an attorney improperly represented both parties in the sale of an interest in a restaurant business and ultimately drafted an agreement that misstated the deal in favor of the seller, leading to a $750,000 claim against the buyer.
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July 05, 2024
Armstrong Teasdale Resisted Diversity, Ex-DEI VP Says
Armstrong Teasdale LLP's former vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion claims the law firm hired her to help it cultivate a more diverse workplace, but then blocked her attempts to make recommendations and improvements before wrongly firing her, according to a lawsuit recently filed in Missouri state court.
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July 05, 2024
Fired Atty Only Gets $9K From $1.5M Motorcycle Crash Deal
A Connecticut appeals court ruled Friday that $9,000 was a fair payment to a personal injury attorney who was fired after he quickly obtained a $100,000 settlement offer for a motorcyclist who eventually settled for $1.5 million.
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July 05, 2024
How Reshaped Circuit Courts Are Faring At The High Court
Seminal rulings from the U.S. Supreme Court's latest term will reshape many facets of American society in the coming years. Already, however, the rulings offer glimpses of how the justices view specific circuit courts, which have themselves been reshaped by an abundance of new judges.
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July 05, 2024
Breaking Down The Vote: The High Court Term In Review
The U.S. Supreme Court's lethargic pace of decision-making this term left the justices to issue a slew of highly anticipated and controversial rulings during the term's final week — rulings that put the court's ideological divisions on vivid display. Here, Law360 takes a data dive into the numbers behind this court term.
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July 05, 2024
High Court Flexes Muscle To Limit Administrative State
The U.S. Supreme Court's dismantling of a 40-year-old judicial deference doctrine, coupled with rulings stripping federal agencies of certain enforcement powers and exposing them to additional litigation, has established the October 2023 term as likely the most consequential in administrative law history.
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July 05, 2024
The Sharpest Dissents From The Supreme Court Term
The U.S. Supreme Court's session ended with a series of blockbuster cases that granted the president broad immunity, changed federal gun policy and kneecapped administrative agencies. And many of the biggest decisions fell along partisan lines.
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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.
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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.
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July 05, 2024
Judge Should Have Been Disqualified From Case, Panel Said
A Washington appeals court panel said a trial judge should have been disqualified over bias concerns raised by metro Seattle's bus agency in a worker discrimination case, according to an opinion that said the judge's order allowing an amended complaint was not a discretionary ruling in the case that would have forbid disqualification.
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July 05, 2024
Fla. Law Firm Settles Student Debtors' Suit After Mistrial
Weeks after a mistrial upended proceedings in a contentious case in which seven student debtors accused a Boca Raton, Florida, law firm of fraudulently claiming it could eliminate their private loan debt for a fee, the debtors have voluntarily and permanently dropped the claims following a settlement negotiation.
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July 05, 2024
Trump Urges Halt To Mar-A-Lago Case, Citing Immunity Ruling
Former President Donald Trump urged a Florida federal judge Friday to pause the criminal case that accuses him of illegally retaining classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago residence after leaving the White House, citing a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that said he might be immune to charges related to official acts.
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July 05, 2024
DQ'd Atty Denied Bid To Have Netflix Atty Held In Contempt
A California federal judge rejected a bid by a former Whitestone Law attorney to hold an attorney representing Netflix in a patent infringement case in contempt over harassment allegations, determining that the unwanted contact does not violate the order disqualifying his ex-firm.
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July 05, 2024
Rutgers Faces Contempt Bid Over Discipline In Bias Suit
A Rutgers Law School student is asking a New Jersey state court to sanction the university for moving ahead with disciplinary measures against him for defamation, bullying, intimidation and harassment, arguing it violates a protective order he received in his discrimination lawsuit.
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July 05, 2024
Mich. Atty Ethics Board Moves Trump Allies' Cases Forward
The Michigan Attorney Discipline Board has refused to dismiss misconduct claims against six attorneys for challenging the results of the 2020 election in the Great Lakes State and ordered their disciplinary proceedings to move forward.
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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."
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July 05, 2024
Ex-BigLaw Atty Settles Defamation Suit Against Influencer
Former Greenberg Traurig LLP partner Allan A. Kassenoff has settled his $150 million defamation lawsuit against the social media influencer Kassenoff claims ruined his life by lying about his nightmarish divorce.
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July 05, 2024
Denver Firm Accused Of Botching Business Dispute
The Denver law firm of Fairfield and Woods PC and one of its attorneys has been accused in Colorado state court of malpractice that caused their client more than a million dollars in damages in connection with a business dispute involving the client's brother.
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July 05, 2024
Court To Weigh Scope Of Ex-Judge's Atty Romance Testimony
A Texas bankruptcy judge said he must determine the scope of a deposition over a former judge's concealed romantic relationship with an ex-Jackson Walker LLP attorney, reversing course on a stipulation and ruling he has "exclusive authority" to "authorize and set limits regarding the nature of the testimony."
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July 05, 2024
Ex-Law Firm Exec Accused Of Theft Wants 'Malicious' Claim
A former executive at McElroy Deutsch Mulvaney & Carpenter LLP has asked a New Jersey state court to let her pursue a malicious prosecution counterclaim against the firm over its theft allegations against her, alleging that she didn't engage in any financial fraud.
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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.
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July 05, 2024
Ex-Schnader Harrison Atty Fights Bid To Ax Class Action
A motion by Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis LLP seeking to toss a putative class action used "linguistic alchemy" to argue for the case's dismissal, according to a filing opposing the motion.
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July 05, 2024
Atty Sheehan, Client Must Pay Fees in 'Frivolous' Big Lots Suit
A Florida federal judge has ordered prolific consumer advocate lawyer Spencer Sheehan of Sheehan & Associates PC to pay attorney fees in a proposed class action against Big Lots Inc. over deceptive coffee labels, citing bad faith conduct in pursuing a "frivolous" lawsuit similar to one that was dismissed in New York.
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July 05, 2024
NJ Judge Accused Of Harassment, Explicit Online Comments
A New Jersey municipal court judge is facing a formal ethics complaint alleging that he got drunk and sexually harassed female court employees at a party and made inappropriate comments online about adult entertainment figures, which the complaint says "demeans the judicial office and undermines public confidence in the judiciary."
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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.
Expert Analysis
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Alleged $636M Deal Error Shows Value Of Old-School Methods
Though Proskauer Rose has now settled claims involving a copy-paste error in deal documents that could have resulted in $636 million in damages, the debacle reminds attorneys that classic revision methods using paper copies can help avoid drafting errors and actually save time in the long run, says Richard Leisner at Trenam.
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Twitter Sanction Highlights Privacy Law's Complexity
The D.C. Circuit's recent decision to uphold a sanction against X Corp., formerly known as Twitter, for failing to produce account records in response to a subpoena highlights the importance of understanding the Stored Communications Act, particularly when deciding to produce or not produce data, says Cary Aronovitz at Holland & Knight.
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Avoiding The Ethical Pitfalls Of Crowdfunded Legal Fees
The crowdfunding of legal fees has become increasingly common, providing a new way for people to afford legal services, but attorneys who accept crowdsourced funds must remember several key ethical obligations to mitigate their risks, say Hilary Gerzhoy and Julienne Pasichow at HWG.
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What Large Language Models Mean For Document Review
Courts often subject parties using technology assisted review to greater scrutiny than parties conducting linear, manual document review, so parties using large language models for document review should expect even more attention, along with a corresponding need for quality control and validation, say attorneys at Sidley.
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Series
Participating In Living History Makes Me A Better Lawyer
My role as a baron in a living history group, and my work as volunteer corporate counsel for a book series fan association, has provided me several opportunities to practice in unexpected areas of law — opening doors to experiences that have nurtured invaluable personal and professional skills, says Matthew Parker at the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.
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Opinion
Private Equity Owners Can Remedy Law Firms' Agency Issues
Nonlawyer, private-equity ownership of law firms can benefit shareholders and others vulnerable to governance issues such as disparate interests, and can in turn help resolve agency problems, says Michael Di Gennaro at The Law Practice Exchange.
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How To Protect Atty-Client Privilege While Using Generative AI
When using generative artificial intelligence tools, attorneys should consider several safeguards to avoid breaches or complications in attorney-client privilege, say Antonious Sadek and Christopher Campbell at DLA Piper.
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How New Lawyers Can Leverage Feedback For Growth
Embracing constructive criticism as a tool for success can help new lawyers accelerate their professional growth and law firms build a culture of continuous improvement, says Katie Aldrich at Fringe Professional Development.
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Twitter Legal Fees Suit Offers Crash Course In Billing Ethics
X Corp.'s suit alleging that Wachtell grossly inflated its fees in the final days of Elon Musk’s Twitter acquisition provides a case study in how firms should protect their reputations by hewing to ethical billing practices and the high standards for professional conduct that govern attorney-client relationships, says Lourdes Fuentes at Karta Legal.
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ABA's Money-Laundering Resolution Is A Balancing Act
While the American Bar Association’s recently passed resolution recognizes a lawyer's duty to discontinue representation that could facilitate money laundering and other fraudulent activity, it preserves, at least for now, the delicate balance of judicial, state-based regulation of the legal profession and the sanctity of the attorney-client relationship, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.
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Law Firm Professional Development Steps To Thrive In AI Era
As generative artificial intelligence tools rapidly evolve, professional development leaders are instrumental in preparing law firms for the paradigm shifts ahead, and should consider three strategies to help empower legal talent with the skills required to succeed in an increasingly complex technological landscape, say Steve Gluckman and Anusia Gillespie at SkillBurst Interactive.
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Nev. Insurance Law May Mean Turmoil In Liability Market
Nevada's new law prohibiting insurers from issuing or renewing defense-within-limits liability policies in the state could cause professional liability insurers to withdraw certain products or prohibitively increase premiums — and while an emergency regulation allows for exceptions, the situation remains fluid, says Joshua Leach at Atheria Law.
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Lessons From High-Profile Witness Tampering Allegations
As demonstrated by recent developments in the cases against former President Donald Trump and FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, allegations of witness tampering can carry serious consequences — but attorneys can employ certain strategies to mitigate the risk that accusations arise, says Kenneth Notter at MoloLamken.
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Covington Ruling Strengthens SEC's Enforcement Powers
A Washington, D.C., federal court’s recent order that Covington & Burling provide the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission with the identities of its clients in response to a subpoena reinforces the agency’s broad authority to investigate cybersecurity violations, and suggests law firms must take steps to strengthen data privacy, say Elisha Kobre and Ryan Dean at Bradley Arant.
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'Blind Side' Family Case Is A Cautionary Tale For Attorneys
Former NFL player Michael Oher's recent allegations against Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy that they never legally adopted him and tricked him into conservatorship — which paint a very different picture than the 2009 film "The Blind Side" — demonstrate the importance of attorney due diligence and safeguards against abuse of process, says Roland Weekley at Smith Gambrell.