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Legal Ethics
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November 21, 2024
Dentons Atty Owed No Duty In $54M Currency Deal, Jury Says
A Florida state court jury found Thursday that a former Dentons US LLP attorney didn't intentionally make a false statement or commit malpractice in a failed $54 million dollars-to-bolivares currency swap in which a Venezuelan lawyer lost millions of dollars.
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November 21, 2024
Experts Cool On 'Chill' Defense In NJ RICO Case
Former prosecutors and academics are doubtful two of New Jersey's most politically connected attorneys can convince a judge that the racketeering case against them will have a chilling effect on lawyering, given that prosecutors only have to show they knew the end game of the notorious Democratic power broker they're accused of helping.
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November 21, 2024
Suit Against Mortgage Co. Axed Despite Atty's Bad Faith Claim
A Texas state court judge has dismissed for good an attorney's lawsuit against the mortgage company she formerly worked for in-house, despite a dispute over whether the matter should have ended with or without prejudice.
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November 21, 2024
Paxton Sanctions Bid Unwarranted, Immigration Org. Says
A Texas immigrant rights nonprofit asked a federal judge to deny a bid by state Attorney General Ken Paxton to sanction it, saying it never resisted a civil investigation or misled the court as Paxton's office claims.
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November 21, 2024
NJ Courts Eye Tech Education And Competence For Attys
The New Jersey Supreme Court on Thursday published and sought public comment on two proposed requirements related to emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and cybersecurity.
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November 21, 2024
Defamation Suit Against Ga. Election Chief Likely To Proceed
A federal judge said Thursday that she was likely to allow a Texas attorney to continue with her defamation suit against Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger over comments that suggested she presented "doctored" evidence to state senators in the aftermath of the 2020 election.
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November 21, 2024
Ex-Connecticut Town Officials Appeal Toss Of Defamation Claims
A group of former officials from Newington, Connecticut, including its onetime town attorney, have appealed a state judge's decision to throw out all of their claims against the town and nearly all against tax assessors they had accused of defaming them with a false ethics complaint.
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November 21, 2024
4th Circ. Tells Judge To Try Again After 'Vindictive' Sentence
A federal judge has been given a third chance to impose a proper sentence on a man who pled guilty to a drug-trafficking conspiracy charge, with the Fourth Circuit finding the judge erred when, after the defendant successfully appealed his initial sentence, he handed down an even harsher one.
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November 21, 2024
House Dems Tell Gorsuch To Recuse Over NEPA Case Conflict
A group of House Democrats has called for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch to recuse himself from a dispute over federal environmental review requirements, arguing the court's decision could directly benefit a Colorado billionaire and former client who campaigned for the justice's first judicial appointment.
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November 21, 2024
Gaetz Ends AG Bid, Citing 'Distraction' To Trump Transition
Former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration Thursday as President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general amid allegations of sexual misconduct and drug use.
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November 20, 2024
House Dem Proposes Vote Forcing Release Of Gaetz Report
U.S. Rep. Sean Casten on Wednesday introduced a resolution that would require the House of Representatives to vote on whether the House Ethics Committee must release its report on the allegations against former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, a proposal unveiled the same day the ethics committee failed to reach a consensus.
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November 20, 2024
DOJ Settles With Atty Who Reported Judge's Sexual Misconduct
A former Alaska federal prosecutor who made allegations of sexual misconduct against then-U.S. District Judge Joshua Kindred has reached an undisclosed settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice resolving claims she suffered retaliation for speaking up, the U.S. Office of Special Counsel said Wednesday.
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November 20, 2024
Canadian Court Revives Award In $7M Coffee Franchise Fight
An appeals court in Ontario has revived a CA$10 million ($7.1 million) arbitral award issued in a franchising dispute stemming from the expansion of an Israeli coffee bar chain into Canada, rejecting a lower court's conclusion that the arbitrator had breached his duty of disclosure.
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November 20, 2024
'Fat Leonard' To Appeal 15-Year Sentence Over Navy Bribery
A Malaysian defense contractor and ex-fugitive who pled guilty nearly 10 years ago to a bribery scheme that authorities said cost the U.S. Navy over $20 million has indicated in California federal court that he will appeal his 15-year sentence to the Ninth Circuit.
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November 20, 2024
DC Circ. Skeptical Of Texas AG's Bid To Revive X Probe
A D.C. Circuit panel seemed skeptical Wednesday of the Texas attorney general's claims that Media Matters lacks a valid claim to challenge the state enforcer's investigation into the media watchdog's reporting about the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, but one judge expressed uncertainty about the suit's readiness for judicial review.
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November 20, 2024
Foley Shouldn't Face Data Breach Claims, Calif. Panel Says
A California appellate panel affirmed the dismissal of Accellion Inc.'s cross-complaint against law firm Foley & Lardner LLP in an insurance company's lawsuit claiming the software-maker should be held liable for a $1 million ransomware attack that targeted the law firm, finding that Accellion's cross-claims are untimely.
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November 20, 2024
CFPB Subpoenas Trustee In Debt Relief Firm Bankruptcy Case
The U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has served a subpoena on the Chapter 11 trustee in charge of collapsed California debt relief law firm Litigation Practice Group's bankruptcy estate, the trustee's law firm said in a recent court filing.
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November 20, 2024
Judiciary Touts Reforms In Handling Workplace Complaints
The federal judiciary is successfully reforming the controversial process that aims to protect its 30,000 employees from sexual harassment in the workplace, according to a new internal report released Wednesday, even as lawmakers have called for scrapping that process altogether and replacing it with a new one.
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November 20, 2024
3rd Circ. Reins In Novel Use Of Atty-Client Privilege Exception
While attorney-client privilege typically falls away for communications about a client's intentions in making their will after they have died, the Third Circuit on Wednesday declined to expand that exception to include communications from third parties about the deceased.
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November 20, 2024
Conn. Trial Firm's Dissolution Is In Disarray, CEO Tells Judge
The windup of Connecticut Trial Firm LLC is "in complete controversy" and must be submitted to arbitration, CEO Ryan C. McKeen has told a state Superior Court judge, saying his onetime 50-50 partner, Andrew P. Garza, committed "self-dealing, waste and abuse" to benefit his new firm, Claggett Sykes & Garza LLC.
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November 20, 2024
Girardi Pushes For New Trial Over Competency Claims
Counsel for Tom Girardi told a federal judge the disbarred attorney is plainly mentally incompetent and deserves a new trial over charges he defrauded clients of $15 million worth of settlement money.
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November 20, 2024
Beasley Allen And J&J Tussle Over Atty Sanctions Bid
Beasley Allen Law Firm accused a Johnson & Johnson talc unit of using "deposition notices as weapons" in its quest to sanction a firm lawyer, while the company said the firm "refused to meaningfully subject itself or its members to any discovery" in its bankruptcy case.
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November 20, 2024
Ex-Fla. Official Says Litigation Privilege Bars Defamation Suit
A former Florida banking regulator fired because of sexual harassment allegations told the Eleventh Circuit on Wednesday that a lawyer's defamation claims against him were barred by the litigation privilege because they are based entirely on claims made in a lawsuit.
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November 20, 2024
NJ Power Broker, Attys Demand Wiretap Docs In RICO Case
George E. Norcross III, a politically influential insurance executive in New Jersey, and others accused alongside him of a massive racketeering scheme demanded Wednesday that state prosecutors turn over complete wiretap application information dating back to 2016, arguing that those details form the core of the state's case against them.
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November 20, 2024
3 Law Firms Can't Dodge TCPA Suit Over Camp Lejeune Claims
A trio of law firms accused of calling a veteran dozens of times promising they could represent him in claims over toxic drinking water at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, despite his never having been stationed there, cannot evade the former soldier's lawsuit, a North Carolina federal judge ruled Tuesday.
Expert Analysis
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How Judiciary Can Minimize AI Risks In Secondary Sources
Because courts’ standing orders on generative artificial intelligence and other safeguards do not address the risk of hallucinations in secondary source materials, the judiciary should consider enlisting legal publishers and database hosts to protect against AI-generated inaccuracies, say attorneys at Lankler Siffert & Wohl.
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How Attorneys Can Break Free From Career Enmeshment
Ambitious attorneys can sometimes experience career enmeshment — when your sense of self-worth becomes unhealthily tangled up in your legal vocation — but taking the time to discover and realign with your core personal values can help you recover your identity, says Janna Koretz at Azimuth Psychological.
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Ex-Chicago Politician's Case May Further Curb Fraud Theories
The U.S. Supreme Court recently agreed to hear Thompson v. U.S. to determine whether a statement that is misleading but not false still violates federal law, potentially heralding the court’s largest check yet on prosecutors’ expansive fraud theories, with significant implications for sentencing, say attorneys at the Law Offices of Alan Ellis.
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Lawyers With Disabilities Are Seeking Equity, Not Pity
Attorneys living with disabilities face extra challenges — including the need for special accommodations, the fear of stigmatization and the risk of being tokenized — but if given equitable opportunities, they can still rise to the top of their field, says Kate Reder Sheikh, a former attorney and legal recruiter at Major Lindsey & Africa.
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Opinion
Judicial Committee Best Venue For Litigation Funding Rules
The Advisory Committee on Civil Rules' recent decision to consider developing a rule for litigation funding disclosure is a welcome development, ensuring that the result will be the product of a thorough, inclusive and deliberative process that appropriately balances all interests, says Stewart Ackerly at Statera Capital.
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The Strategic Advantages Of Appointing A Law Firm CEO
The impact on law firms of the recent CrowdStrike outage underscores that the business of law is no longer merely about providing supplemental support for legal practice — and helps explain why some law firms are appointing dedicated, full-time CEOs to navigate the challenges of the modern legal landscape, says Jennifer Johnson at Calibrate Strategies.
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Series
Beekeeping Makes Me A Better Lawyer
The practice of patent law and beekeeping are not typically associated, but taking care of honeybees has enriched my legal practice by highlighting the importance of hands-on experience, continuous learning, mentorship and more, says David Longo at Oblon McClelland.
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Opinion
Legal Institutions Must Warn Against Phony Election Suits
With two weeks until the election, bar associations and courts have an urgent responsibility to warn lawyers about the consequences of filing unsubstantiated lawsuits claiming election fraud, says Elise Bean at the Carl Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy.
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How Cos. Can Build A Strong In-House Pro Bono Program
During this year’s pro bono celebration week, companies should consider some key pointers to grow and maintain a vibrant in-house program for attorneys to provide free legal services for the public good, says Mary Benton at Alston & Bird.
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Series
Home Canning Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Making my own pickles and jams requires seeing a process through from start to finish, as does representing clients from the start of a dispute at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board through any appeals to the Federal Circuit, says attorney Kevin McNish.
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Use The Right Kind Of Feedback To Help Gen Z Attorneys
Generation Z associates bring unique perspectives and expectations to the workplace, so it’s imperative that supervising attorneys adapt their feedback approach in order to help young lawyers learn and grow — which is good for law firms, too, says Rachael Bosch at Fringe Professional Development.
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Opinion
Congress Can And Must Enact A Supreme Court Ethics Code
As public confidence in the U.S. Supreme Court dips to historic lows following reports raising conflict of interest concerns, Congress must exercise its constitutional power to enact a mandatory and enforceable code of ethics for the high court, says Muhammad Faridi, president of the New York City Bar Association.
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Perspectives
The Pop Culture Docket: Justice Lebovits On Gilbert And Sullivan
Characters in the 19th century comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan break the rules of good lawyering by shamelessly throwing responsible critical thought to the wind, providing hilarious lessons for lawyers and judges on how to avoid a surfeit of traps and tribulations, say acting New York Supreme Court Justice Gerald Lebovits and law student Tara Scown.
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State Of The States' AI Legal Ethics Landscape
Over the past year, several state bar associations, as well as the American Bar Association, have released guidance on the ethical use of artificial intelligence in legal practice, all of which share overarching themes and some nuanced differences, say Eric Pacifici and Kevin Henderson at SMB Law Group.
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8 Childhood Lessons That Can Help You Be A Better Attorney
A new school year is underway, marking a fitting time for attorneys to reflect on some fundamental life lessons from early childhood that offer a framework for problems that no legal textbook can solve, say Chris Gismondi and Chris Campbell at DLA Piper.