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Legal Ethics
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June 06, 2024
Law Firm Says Axe 'Draconian' J&J Subpoena In Talc Claim
A Mississippi plaintiffs firm urged a New Jersey federal court on Thursday to quash a subpoena served by Johnson & Johnson requesting that the firm turn over documents related to litigation funding and its communication with media outlets, calling the subpoena "draconian" and improper as the firm is not a party to the pharmaceutical giant's current personal injury litigation surrounding its talcum powder products.
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June 06, 2024
Troutman Pepper Partner Pulled Into Ex-Associate's Bias Suit
A Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP partner has been added as a defendant in a racial discrimination lawsuit a former Black associate filed, who now claims the partner, a formerly supportive mentor, made the decision to fire her after she complained about an email the associate described as racist.
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June 06, 2024
Teachers Want Cozen O'Connor Kicked Off Equal-Pay Case
Rather than having a Pennsylvania federal judge who has presided over their equal-pay case for years recuse himself over having a son-in-law who's a shareholder at Cozen O'Connor, a class of female teachers asked the court to kick Cozen O'Connor PC off the case Thursday.
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June 06, 2024
Law Firms Accused Of Missing 'Red Flags' In NJ Fraud Deal
A legal malpractice suit filed in New Jersey state court accuses Rivkin Radler LLP and Kunstlinger Law Firm LLC of costing clients millions of dollars by failing to detect "obvious 'red flags'" amid a fraudulent business deal.
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June 05, 2024
Atty Carried Gun, Rope During Attempted Break-In, Police Say
Police in Royal Oak, Michigan, said Tuesday they have arrested a Dearborn personal injury attorney after he allegedly tried to break into the home of a former co-worker while carrying a firearm, knife, handcuffs and other "concerning items."
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June 05, 2024
PwC Asks Calif. Justices To Revive $2.5M Sanction Against LA
PwC urged the California Supreme Court on Wednesday to revive a $2.5 million sanction against the city of Los Angeles for yearslong discovery misconduct in an underlying utility billing dispute, arguing the trial court's inherent authority to pose such penalties isn't limited to nonmonetary sanctions.
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June 05, 2024
Colo. Judge Doubts Atty's Intent In Cyclist's Death
A Colorado federal judge was skeptical Wednesday that an attorney made a conscious decision when he crashed into and killed a cyclist, imperiling an attempt by the cyclist's spouse to seek exemplary damages.
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June 05, 2024
Scrutinize Gag Order On Trump's Twitter DMs, X Tells Justices
X Corp. is pressing the U.S. Supreme Court to review a court order allowing special counsel Jack Smith to obtain messages from Donald Trump's account on the social media platform while barring X from alerting the former president beforehand.
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June 05, 2024
Wash. Appeals Judge Grills Game Artist Who Ignored Court Orders
A Washington state appellate court judge pressed a role-playing game illustrator Wednesday on why he deserved to have his defamation suit against the gaming convention GenCon revived, noting he ignored discovery orders while failing to justify the lapses to a trial court, resulting in terminating sanctions.
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June 05, 2024
Brown Rudnick Partner's 50% Fee Hike Nixed In Ch. 11 Case
A Brown Rudnick LLP bankruptcy partner Wednesday had his 50% fee increase rejected by a Delaware judge, who took issue with the proposed hike to $1,500 an hour for representing the creditors' committee in Kidde-Fenwal Inc.'s Chapter 11 case.
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June 05, 2024
Ex-Sacks Weston Atty Blames 'Toxic' Firm For His Theft
A Philadelphia attorney convicted of defrauding his former law firm told a state ethics panel Wednesday that he was remorseful for his deeds, but he noted he was driven to his crime by being owed money by his firm for too long.
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June 05, 2024
Trump Gag Order Still Needed Through Sentencing, DA Says
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office has asked a judge not to lift the gag order on Donald Trump before the convicted former president's sentencing next month, arguing in a letter released Wednesday that there is still a need to "protect the integrity" of the hush money case.
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June 05, 2024
Ga. Trump Election Case On Hold For DA DQ Appeal
The Georgia Court of Appeals on Wednesday temporarily halted proceedings in the Georgia election interference case against former President Donald Trump and his co-defendants while it reviews a trial judge's ruling allowing Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis to continue prosecuting the case.
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June 05, 2024
$900K Injury Verdict Sparks Fee Squabble In Connecticut
Connecticut law firm Ventura and Ribeiro LLP is taking Perkins and Associates PC to state court over the legal fees from a $900,000 personal injury case settlement that both firms worked on, claiming that Perkins is trying to take too much of the pie.
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June 05, 2024
An Ex-BigLaw Atty Shot His Wife. Who Gets Her Settlement?
The administrator of the estate of Diane McIver, who was fatally shot by her husband, former Fisher Phillips partner Claud "Tex" McIver, while driving through Atlanta in 2016, has asked a Georgia state court to decide who is entitled to settlement funds from a wrongful death case brought by the estate.
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June 05, 2024
After Judge Takes Trip To Israel, Attys Want Him Off Gaza Case
Palestinian rights activists asked a Ninth Circuit judge to recuse himself from a case claiming that the Biden administration flouted international laws barring genocide by supporting Israel's military efforts in Gaza, noting that the judge recently took a trip to Israel sponsored by the World Jewish Congress.
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June 05, 2024
Federal Judges Facing Scrutiny For Clerk-Hiring Boycotts
The federal judiciary must take a look at its judges' hiring practices in the wake of some jurists' public refusal to hire students from certain law schools over on-campus political activity over the Israel-Hamas war, a nonprofit government watchdog said Wednesday.
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June 05, 2024
Houston Law Firm Can't Arbitrate 'Excessive' Fees Claims
A homeowners' association can proceed with its lawsuit against Vethan Law Firm PC in a Texas state court over allegedly "needless and excessive fees" because the firm failed to prove the existence of an arbitration agreement, a Texas state appellate court has ruled.
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June 05, 2024
AAA Says Fee Critique 'Flawed' For Missed Eclipse Day Depo
An attorney sanctioned for missing a deposition in Florida while he was in Arkansas viewing April's solar eclipse used "guesswork" in a response asking a federal judge in the Sunshine State to whittle a request for $7,800 in fees down to just over $1,200, according to a reply filed this week by AAA in a lawsuit by a former employee.
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June 05, 2024
Texas Atty Accuses Ex-Partner Of 'Unilaterally Doubling' Comp
A Houston-area attorney is suing Bergquist Law Firm PLLC and its owner for nearly $7 million for "unrelenting" violations of their partnership agreement and fiduciary duties.
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June 05, 2024
Black Jurors Wrongly Excluded From Fla. Trial, 11th Circ. Told
A Florida attorney on Wednesday urged an Eleventh Circuit panel to revive his federal complaint against the city of Orlando, saying the wrong statute of limitations standard was used to dismiss a lawsuit alleging his civil rights were violated when opposing lawyers had Black jurors removed from his personal injury trial against the city.
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June 05, 2024
Donziger Deserves Pardon, Enviro Groups Tell Biden
A group of environmental and human rights groups are calling on President Joe Biden to pardon disbarred environmental lawyer Steven Donziger for his criminal contempt conviction in litigation brought by Chevron over his role in securing a $9.5 billion environmental judgment in Ecuador.
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June 05, 2024
Ex-Skadden Atty, Credit Suisse Beat TransPerfect's Fraud Suit
A Delaware federal judge has tossed TransPerfect Holdings LLC's lawsuit alleging that misrepresentations by a now-retired Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP partner and Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC led it to pay too much for language translation company TransPerfect Global Inc., finding that claims are time-barred.
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June 05, 2024
LegalZoom Hit With Unlawful Law Practice Suit In NJ
LegalZoom has been hit with a proposed class action in New Jersey state court alleging it has engaged in the unauthorized practice of law in the Garden State.
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June 05, 2024
Atty Retaliation Claim 'Self-Serving Spin,' Major Lindsey Says
Legal recruiter Major Lindsey & Africa has asked a Maryland federal judge to toss an associate's claim that she was retaliated against after suing Troutman Pepper for racial discrimination, arguing that the absence of a contract between the parties dooms her claim, and that she failed to show that the recruiter "acted with a retaliatory motive or intent."
Expert Analysis
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Opinion
Thomas Report Is Final Straw — High Court Needs Ethics Code
As a recent report on Justice Clarence Thomas' ongoing conflicts of interest makes evident, Supreme Court justices should be subject to an enforceable and binding code of ethics — like all other federal judges — to maintain the credibility of the institution, says Erica Salmon Byrne at Ethisphere.
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Joint Representation Ethics Lessons From Ga. Electors Case
The Fulton County district attorney's recent motion to disqualify an attorney from representing her elector clients, claiming a nonconsentable conflict of interest, raises key questions about representing multiple clients related to the same conduct and highlights potential pitfalls, say Hilary Gerzhoy and Grace Wynn at HWG.
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Lawyer Discernment Is Critical In The World Of AI
In light of growing practical concerns about risks and challenges posed by artificial intelligence, lawyers' experience with the skill of discernment will position them to help address new ethical and moral dilemmas and ensure that AI is developed and deployed in a way that benefits society as a whole, says Jennifer Gibbs at Zelle.
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Don't Forget Alumni Engagement When Merging Law Firms
Neglecting law firm alumni programs after a merger can sever the deep connections attorneys have with their former firms, but by combining good data management and creating new opportunities to reconnect, firms can make every member in their expanded network of colleagues feel valued, say Clare Roath and Erin Warner at Troutman Pepper.
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Without Stronger Due Diligence, Attys Risk AML Regulation
Amid increasing pressure to mitigate money laundering and terrorism financing risks in gatekeeper professions, the legal industry will need to clarify and strengthen existing client due diligence measures — or risk the federal regulation attorneys have long sought to avoid, says Jeremy Glicksman at the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office.
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Insureds' Notice Pleading May Be Insufficient In Federal Court
A recent New Jersey federal court ruling in Bauman v. Hanover Insurance held that bare-bones notice pleading was insufficient and dismissed the policyholder's coverage complaint, a reminder that courts may require more than an expression of general disagreement with an insurance company's denial letter to proceed with the case, says Eugene Killian at The Killian Firm.
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Every Lawyer Can Act To Prevent Peer Suicide
Members of the legal industry can help prevent suicide among their colleagues, and better protect their own mental health, by learning the predictors and symptoms of depression among attorneys and knowing when and how to get practical aid to peers in crisis, says Joan Bibelhausen at Minnesota Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers.
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Building On Successful Judicial Assignment Reform In Texas
Prompt action by the Judicial Conference could curtail judge shopping and improve the efficiency and procedural fairness of the federal courts by implementing random districtwide assignment of cases, which has recently proven successful in Texas patent litigation, says Dabney Carr at Troutman Pepper.
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Opinion
Ga. Needs To Resolve Cannabis Counsel Confusion
Georgia’s medical cannabis regulator finally adopted rules for low-THC oil last month, but a 2021 ethics ruling prohibits lawyers from advising participants in the state’s legal program and creates a confounding landscape that the state bar and courts must address, say Whitt Steineker and Mason Kruze at Bradley Arant.
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Patent Litigants Should Be Vigilant After Rare Retrial Order
A California federal court's recent unusual order for a new trial for attorney misconduct in Pavemetrics v. Tetra Tech should remind patent litigants to be careful about arguments that frame an infringement case in a way that does not fairly reflect the dispute at hand, say Ranganath Sudarshan and Yuval Mor at Covington.
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DOJ's Compensation Reforms Pit Cos. Against Their Execs
The U.S. Department of Justice’s new policy, incentivizing compliance-focused corporate compensation programs and prompt disclosures of misconduct, will complicate the relationship between companies and their executives, and create potential ethical conflicts for counsel, say Solomon Shinerock and Annika Conrad at Lewis Baach.
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Do Videoconferences Establish Jurisdiction With Defendants?
What it means to have minimum contacts in a foreign jurisdiction is changing as people become more accustomed to meeting via video, and defendants’ participation in videoconferencing may be used as a sword or a shield in courts’ personal jurisdiction analysis, says Patrick Hickey at Moye White.
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Opinion
Humanism Should Replace Formalism In The Courts
The worrying tendency for judges to say "it's just the law talking, not me" in American decision writing has coincided with an historic decline in respect for the courts, but this trend can be reversed if courts develop understandable legal standards and justify them in human terms, says Connecticut Superior Court Judge Thomas Moukawsher.
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3 Reasons Why Congress Should Stay Out Of NY Trump Probe
Congress members should reconsider their investigation of the Manhattan district attorney’s indictment of former President Donald Trump for several key reasons — and if they persist, future congressional leadership should adopt a rule prohibiting this kind of local interference, say Kenyen Brown and Kevin Carroll at Hughes Hubbard.
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Don't Let Client Demands Erode Law Firm Autonomy
As clients increasingly impose requirements for attorney hiring and retention related to diversity and secondment, law firms must remember their ethical duties, as well as broader issues of lawyer development, culture and firm integrity, to maintain their independence while meaningfully responding to social changes, says Deborah Winokur at Cozen O'Connor.