Legal Ethics

  • March 26, 2025

    BCBS Settlement Opt-Outs Ordered To Disclose Funding Deals

    Four law firms representing hospitals that opted out of the landmark $2.8 billion Blue Cross Blue Shield antitrust settlement must disclose whether their clients were motivated by a "quick payment" from litigation funders, an Alabama federal judge ordered Tuesday.

  • March 26, 2025

    Sysco Can't Tap Out Of $50M Price-Fix Deal With JBS

    Sysco can't back out of a $50 million agreement it made with JBS for the meat producer to exit sprawling litigation accusing it of working to fix the price of poultry, beef and pork, even though Sysco has since signed away its interest in the antitrust claims, a federal court has ruled.

  • March 26, 2025

    DOJ Can't DQ Judge In Perkins Coie Suit Over Trump Order

    A D.C. federal judge on Wednesday shot down a demand from the U.S. Department of Justice that she step aside from Perkins Coie LLP's lawsuit against the federal government over President Donald Trump's executive order targeting the firm.

  • March 26, 2025

    Ex-CEO Says McGuireWoods Can't Rehash Immunity Appeal

    McGuireWoods LLP and one of its former partners are rehashing immunity defenses in a last-ditch effort to dodge a long-running defamation case, the former CEO of a managed care organization told the North Carolina Court of Appeals in seeking to have the case kicked back down to the trial court.

  • March 26, 2025

    Del. Justices Urged Not To Open Malpractice Suit 'Floodgates'

    Attorneys representing Brockstedt Mandalas Federico LLC and Schochor Staton Goldberg & Cardea PA urged the Delaware Supreme Court on Wednesday to reject a bid to revive a malpractice suit filed over damages sought for a child's "catastrophic injuries" allegedly caused by contamination from a chicken plant, saying doing so could open "floodgates" for similar suits.

  • March 26, 2025

    Ill. Attorney Accused Of Spending Client's Settlement Funds

    A state's attorney in Illinois is facing disciplinary proceedings for allegedly misusing a former client's settlement funds while he was still in private practice and doctoring a bank statement to cover his tracks.  

  • March 26, 2025

    Calif. Consumer Affairs Dept. Sued For 'Unqualified' Arbitrator

    California's Department of Consumer Affairs has been accused of harming consumers by allowing unqualified individuals to handle arbitrations, according to a suit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court.

  • March 26, 2025

    Ore. Lawyer Challenges Forced Bar Membership At High Court

    An Oregon attorney is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to hear his case after the Ninth Circuit found that the state bar violated his First Amendment right to freedom of association by publishing political statements — which included criticism of President Donald Trump — but also said a disclaimer that the bar doesn't speak for all its members could be enough to fix it.

  • March 26, 2025

    Goldstein's Devices Must Be Monitored, Judge Affirms

    A Maryland federal judge on Tuesday rejected U.S. Supreme Court lawyer and SCOTUSblog publisher Tom Goldstein's request to dismiss a bail condition that requires his electronic devices to be monitored out of concerns that he's been hiding millions in cryptocurrency from the government and could flee while facing tax evasion charges.

  • March 26, 2025

    Jailed Conn. Atty Should Be Suspended, Ethics Boss Says

    Connecticut's Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel asked a state court to suspend an attorney and former probate judge, who has a history of discipline and is currently in police custody for a pending criminal matter, while a trustee examines whether he has active cases or an attorney trust account.

  • March 25, 2025

    Diddy Producer's Atty Gets Warning For 'Shocking' Statement

    A New York federal judge threatened counsel for one of Sean "Diddy" Combs' former music producers with sanctions Monday for a pattern of false statements and inappropriate insults in civil sexual assault litigation, calling one statement in the attorney's court filings "not just disturbing, but shocking."

  • March 25, 2025

    Ex-Masimo CEO Slams Bid To DQ His Hueston Hennigan Attys

    Joe E. Kiani, founder and ex-CEO of Masimo Corp., has urged the Delaware Chancery Court to reject the medical technology company's bid to disqualify his attorneys from Hueston Hennigan LLP in its lawsuit over Kiani's quest for a $450 million payout, saying the request is being "weaponized for tactical gain."

  • March 25, 2025

    Coupang Must Face Ex-In-House Atty's Whistleblower Suit

    A Washington federal judge on Tuesday said e-commerce retailer Coupang can't escape a whistleblower complaint brought by a former in-house attorney who alleges he was fired after bringing attention to alleged unlawful transactions with Iran in 2021.

  • March 25, 2025

    FIFA Cites New 'Nonexistent' Quotes By Attys Accused Of AI

    Soccer's international governing body pressed a Puerto Rico federal judge Tuesday to sanction attorneys accusing it and others of trying to block island rivals, arguing that in trying to rebut claims they used artificial intelligence that cited nonexistent cases, the lawyers introduced "new defective citations and nonexistent quotations."

  • March 25, 2025

    Realtek Loses Sanctions Bid Over Alleged Patent Suit Abuse

    Taiwan's Realtek Semiconductor Corp. lost its bid in California federal court to punish a pair of patent-holding companies for "wasting party and judicial resources" in an antitrust lawsuit over a licensing deal and a series of purportedly sham patent suits in Texas.

  • March 25, 2025

    Jenner & Block Latest BigLaw Firm Targeted In Trump Order

    President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order aimed at Jenner & Block LLP, suspending security clearances for its employees and taking other actions in response to the firm's pro bono work and a former partner's role as a top deputy to former special counsel Robert Mueller.

  • March 25, 2025

    Atty Says Netflix's Boy Scout Doc Copied Style, Not Just Facts

    A New Jersey trial lawyer who accused Netflix Inc. of infringing his copyright in its documentary about sexual abuse in the Boy Scouts of America pushed back against the streaming giant's dismissal bid, arguing the film copied the storytelling framework used in his own documentary.

  • March 25, 2025

    Doctor Defends Exam Saying Judge Newman Is Fit To Serve

    A neurosurgeon who examined Federal Circuit Judge Pauline Newman and declared her fit to serve on the bench pushed back Tuesday on criticism of his evaluation made by doctors retained by the appeals court's other judges, who have suspended the 97-year-old jurist.

  • March 25, 2025

    McCarter & English's $3.77M Fee Win Headed For Appeal

    A former McCarter & English LLP client will appeal a $3.77 million Connecticut federal court judgment for failing to pay its legal bills following a Kentucky trade secrets case loss, federal court papers indicate.

  • March 25, 2025

    2nd Circ. Trims Ex-K&L Gates Atty's Cyberstalking Conviction

    The Second Circuit has reversed one of three counts of conviction for a former K&L Gates attorney who was accused of cyberstalking and harassing his colleagues, finding that there was insufficient evidence to support claims that he made "true threats" to one of the accusers.

  • March 25, 2025

    Lowenstein Sandler Can Pursue NJ Dispensary Fraud Claims

    Lowenstein Sandler LLP on Tuesday secured a ruling enabling the firm to pursue claims that a cannabis dispensary committed a "fraud on the court," with a New Jersey state judge rejecting the business' attempt to preclude those claims in the firm's $800,000 suit over unpaid legal fees.

  • March 25, 2025

    Colo. Atty Gave $2M Mineral Rights To Other Client, Suit Says

    The special district for a Colorado residential community has sued its former lawyer and firms White Bear Ankele Tanaka & Waldron PC and Spencer Fane LLP for malpractice, claiming the attorney failed to secure its mineral rights, instead executing a deal that favored one of Spencer Fane's other clients.

  • March 25, 2025

    Baker Botts Atty Says Patent Exec Can't Prove Defamation

    A Baker Botts LLP lawyer is contending that a Florida federal court cannot side with a patent-licensing company executive on his defamation claim against the attorney over her comments in a news article about a patent suit against Starbucks, saying she didn't say anything false.

  • March 25, 2025

    Womble Bond Atty's Contempt Order Isn't Final, 4th Circ. Told

    A federal judge's order holding a Womble Bond Dickinson partner in contempt of court over misrepresentations he allegedly made to a foreign tribunal isn't a final decision capable of being appealed, a software company told the Fourth Circuit in seeking to have the appeal tossed.

  • March 25, 2025

    Calif. Justices Revive Bounty Hunter's Claims Against SF Atty

    The California Supreme Court has ruled that a fugitive recovery agent's claims of malicious prosecution against an attorney who represented clients who sued the agent after their Oakland residence was searched via drug trafficking warrants were not untimely, finding that a one-year statute of limitations did not apply because the agent is not the attorney's client.

Expert Analysis

  • Navigating Arbitration Confidentiality Challenges In Age Of AI

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    Artificial intelligence is already significantly involved in various aspects of arbitration and posing challenges for maintaining confidentiality, but relatively quickly implementable practices can be utilized as safeguards as AI tools continue to be integrated, says David Coher at CoherADR.

  • The 7th Circ.'s Top 10 Civil Opinions Of 2024

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    Attorneys at Jenner & Block examine the most significant decisions issued by the Seventh Circuit in 2024, and explain how they may affect issues related to mass arbitration, consumer fraud, class certification and more.

  • Mentorship Resolutions For The New Year

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    Attorneys tend to focus on personal achievements or career milestones when they set yearly goals, but one important area often gets overlooked in this process — mentoring relationships, which are some of the most effective tools for professional growth, say Kelly Galligan at Rutan & Tucker and Andra Greene at Phillips ADR.

  • What Insurers Should Know About AI Use In Litigation

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    As the use of artificial intelligence in litigation evolves, insurers should note standing court orders, instances of judges utilizing AI to determine policy definitions and the application of evidentiary standards to expert evidence that incorporates AI, says Sarah Abrams at Baleen Specialty.

  • Series

    Coaching Little League Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    While coaching poorly played Little League Baseball early in the morning doesn't sound like a good time, I love it — and the experience has taught me valuable lessons about imperfection, compassion and acceptance that have helped me grow as a person and as a lawyer, says Alex Barnett at DiCello Levitt.

  • 5 Litigation Funding Trends To Note In 2025

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    Lawyers and their clients must be prepared to navigate an evolving litigation funding market in 2025, made more complicated by a new administration and the increasing overall cost of litigation, says Jeffery Lula at GLS Capital.

  • Despite Political Divide, FEC Found Common Ground In '24

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    The Federal Election Commission, although evenly split between Republicans and Democrats, reached consensus in consequential advisory opinions, enforcement actions and regulations last year, offering welcome clarity on some key questions facing campaigns, PACs and parties, say attorneys at Covington.

  • Rethinking Litigation Risk And What It Really Means To Win

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    Attorneys have a tendency to overestimate litigation risk before summary judgment and underestimate risk after it, but an eight-stage litigation framework can clarify risk at different points and help litigators reassess what true success looks like in any particular case, says Joshua Libling at Arcadia Finance.

  • Public Corruption Enforcement In 2024 Has Clues For 2025

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    If 2024 activity is any indication, the U.S. Supreme Court will likely continue to rein in expansive prosecutorial theories of fraud in the year to come, but it’s harder to predict what the new administration will mean for public corruption prosecutions in 2025, says Cathy Fleming at Offit Kurman.

  • Series

    Playing Rugby Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My experience playing rugby, including a near-fatal accident, has influenced my legal practice on a professional, organizational and personal level by showing me the importance of maintaining empathy, fostering team empowerment and embracing the art of preparation, says James Gillenwater at Greenberg Traurig.

  • Opinion

    No, Litigation Funders Are Not 'Fleeing' The District Of Del.

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    A recent study claimed that litigation funders have “fled” Delaware federal court due to a standing order requiring disclosure of third-party financing, but responsible funders have no problem litigating in this jurisdiction, and many other factors could explain the decline in filings, say Will Freeman and Sarah Tsou at Omni Bridgeway.

  • 5 E-Discovery Predictions For 2025 And Beyond

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    In the year to come, e-discovery will be shaped by new and emerging trends, from the adoption of artificial intelligence provisions in protective orders, to the proliferation of emojis as a source of evidence in contemporary litigation, say attorneys at Littler.

  • Key Ethical Issues For Gov't Attys Moving To Private Practice

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    Transitioning from government service to private practice presents complex ethical challenges for attorneys, including navigating conflicts of interest, confidential information rules and post-employment restrictions, say attorneys at HWG.

  • 7 Ways 2nd Trump Administration May Affect Partner Hiring

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    President-elect Donald Trump's return to the White House will likely have a number of downstream effects on partner hiring in the legal industry, from accelerated hiring timelines to increased vetting of prospective employees, say recruiters at Macrae.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Rulings On Custodian Selection

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    Several recent rulings make clear that the proportionality of additional proposed custodians will depend on whether the custodians have unique relevant documents, and producing parties should consider whether information already in the record will show that they have relevant documents that otherwise might not be produced, say attorneys at Sidley.

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