Legal Ethics

  • March 05, 2025

    Justices Asked To Recuse Fitbit Judge Over Google Ties

    A Silicon Valley-based patent-holding company that lost its infringement case against Fitbit is telling the U.S. Supreme Court that a California federal judge and her husband's financial ties to Fitbit parent Google are so strong that "if these circumstances do not warrant recusal ... then nothing does."

  • March 05, 2025

    Combs Says Assault Claims Expired More Than 10 Years Ago

    Sean "Diddy" Combs and his Bad Boy companies on Tuesday moved to dismiss a woman's lawsuit accusing the rapper and producer of raping and threatening to kill her, saying her chance to lodge her single claim under New York City's gender-motivated violence protection law expired more than a decade ago.

  • March 05, 2025

    Houston Atty Says Rivals Solicited And Duped His Clients

    A solo practitioner in Houston has accused rival attorneys of legal malpractice and tortious interference for allegedly pretending to be associated with his law firm in order to trick his clients into entering misleading contracts and then launching fraudulent suits on their behalf, according to a $1 million suit filed in Harris County District Court.

  • March 05, 2025

    Jay-Z, Buzbee Dispute Threats, Confession In Rape Case

    The monthslong legal feud between Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter and prominent plaintiffs attorney Tony Buzbee has reached a new pitch, as Carter claims to have evidence proving he did not rape a 13-year-old alongside disgraced rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs, while Buzbee claims Carter is trying to menace the victim into silence.

  • March 05, 2025

    Willkie Farr Partner Gets $23K Fee In Suit Over Media Tip

    A Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP partner has won the bulk of a $27,420 bid to recoup personal attorney fees after prevailing in a First Amendment feud with his former landlord's lawyer over a media leak, with a judge clipping just $3,550 for lack of a novel legal issue.

  • March 05, 2025

    Native Groups Want Equal Footing In Fed. Appellate Courts

    Native American rights' groups are urging a federal appellate judicial rules committee to add federally recognized tribes to a list of entities that do not need a court's approval to file an amicus brief, saying the disparity restricts how and when tribal nations gain a voice in lawsuits that impact them.

  • March 05, 2025

    Atty Can Be Retried For 'Disrespecting' Judge, Court Told

    Double jeopardy does not apply to summary contempt convictions, the Michigan Supreme Court heard Tuesday, as a Detroit court argued that a criminal defense attorney can be retried on a contempt charge for what a judge described as disrespectful behavior.

  • March 05, 2025

    Ex-DOJ Official Jeffrey Clark Returns To Trump Administration

    Jeffrey Clark, a former U.S. Department of Justice official who is facing criminal charges in Georgia and fighting to save his law license over claims that he helped President Donald Trump try to overturn the results of the 2020 election, has returned to the federal government.

  • March 05, 2025

    New Jersey AG Office Must Face Whistleblower Suit

    A New Jersey state judge on Wednesday largely rejected a bid from the New Jersey Attorney General's Office to escape a lawsuit accusing the Warren County prosecutor's office of retaliating against two detectives for their part in uncovering an alleged fraud scheme.

  • March 05, 2025

    Murder Convict's Outbursts At Issue Before Conn. High Court

    A trial judge violated due process guarantees by adding criminal contempt sentences to a felony murder convict's prison term because of a series of racial and profane outbursts during a habeas corpus hearing, the convict's appointed counsel told the Connecticut Supreme Court on Wednesday.

  • March 05, 2025

    Ga. Judicial Ethics Watchdog Shuffles Members

    Georgia's Supreme Court has moved a member of the state's 10-person judicial ethics watchdog to its investigative panel to replace a judge who has stepped down, and filled the vacated seat on the hearing panel.

  • March 05, 2025

    ABA Says Attys Victimized By Clients May Share Certain Info

    An attorney who is a victim of a crime perpetrated by a client or prospective client may disclose client information "to the extent reasonably necessary to report a crime," the American Bar Association's Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility has found in its latest ethics opinion, released Wednesday.

  • March 05, 2025

    Law Firm Beats Malpractice Suit From Ex-Fla. School Official

    A Florida state appeals panel refused to revive a onetime school district superintendent's complaint against the district's former counsel from a Florida law firm, alleging the firm improperly used confidential information she provided as part of a report that found she committed misconduct.

  • March 04, 2025

    House GOP Push WH Right To Send State Cases To Fed. Court

    House Republicans on Tuesday rallied behind a bill that would let current and former presidents move state cases against them to federal court, calling the legislation a response to weaponized prosecutions of President Donald Trump.

  • March 04, 2025

    Judge Says She'll Ask What 'Nobody Else Will' In Romance Suit

    A federal judge expressed incredulity Tuesday that Jackson Walker didn't press its former partner harder to get the exact dates of her relationship with a former bankruptcy judge when allegations of their relationship came to light in 2021.

  • March 04, 2025

    Construction Co. Slams Iraq Attys' Appearance In $120M Suit

    Archirodon Construction (Overseas) Co. has asked the D.C. Circuit to block a law firm from representing Iraq as the country fights efforts by the company to enforce a $120 million arbitral award in a dispute over a major port project.

  • March 04, 2025

    2nd Circ. Mulls Blackmail Case's Effect On Fraud Conviction

    Second Circuit judges looked tempted Tuesday to let Scott Tucker, who is incarcerated on charges that he ran a $2 billion payday lending scam, file a new appeal — after hearing that Tucker's trial counsel faced blackmail from an unrelated client during Tucker's $2 billion fraud trial.

  • March 04, 2025

    Paxton Retaliation Case In 'Untested Territory,' Judge Says

    A Travis County judge said Tuesday that she was inclined to reopen evidence before approving a multimillion-dollar judgment proposed by four former deputies of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, noting that a recent appellate ruling left the court "in untested territory."

  • March 04, 2025

    NY Judicial Complaints Hit New High Amid Public 'Anger'

    New York's judicial watchdog on Tuesday reported a record number of complaints against judges in 2024, receiving about as many grievances as the state court system has judges.

  • March 04, 2025

    Trump Asks 2nd Circ. To Take Over Hush Money Appeal

    President Donald Trump asked the Second Circuit to take over his New York state court appeal of his hush money conviction, saying the "extraordinary" case implicated official acts from his first term.

  • March 04, 2025

    Ga. Atty Suspended 6 Months For Sharing Client Information

    A Georgia attorney received a six-month suspension from practicing law Tuesday from the Supreme Court of Georgia for his handling of a federal personal injury case, in which he was found to have disclosed client information and litigation strategy in a deliberate attempt to make defense counsel look disingenuous.

  • March 04, 2025

    Ga. Justices Reject Broadened 'Bad Faith' Claim In Injury Suit

    The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled Tuesday that a driver who rear-ended another could not be found as acting in bad faith — and thereby on the hook for attorney fees — merely because he may have been talking on his cellphone at the time of the crash.

  • March 04, 2025

    Colorado Couple Sue Atty Over Handling Of Property Dispute

    A Colorado couple sued for violating a settlement agreement in a dispute with their neighbor is suing their former lawyer for malpractice, arguing he poorly advised them to pursue a lawsuit despite the settlement's prohibiting it, then failed to properly represent them against counterclaims.

  • March 03, 2025

    Jay-Z Files Fresh Defamation Suit Against Buzbee In Ala.

    Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter on Monday lodged malicious prosecution claims against attorney Tony Buzbee over a "false," "malicious" and "strategically and tactically calculated and timed" rape suit that has since been dropped, this time in Alabama federal court.

  • March 03, 2025

    Ramey Dodges Fees After Losing Virtual Payment Patent Suit

    A Texas federal judge has thrown out a patent infringement lawsuit against a San Antonio bank after finding "no plausible allegation of infringement of any type," while rejecting a request to make William Ramey III of Ramey LLP, the prolific plaintiffs patent lawyer, pay the bank's legal fees.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Circus Arts Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    Performing circus arts has strengthened my ability to be more thoughtful, confident and grounded, all of which has enhanced my legal practice and allowed me to serve clients in a more meaningful way, says Bailey McGowan at Stinson.

  • When Investigating An Adversary, Be Wary Of Forged Records

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    Warnings against the use of investigators who tout their ability to find an adversary’s private documents generally emphasize the risk of illegal activity and attorney discipline, but a string of recent cases shows an additional danger — investigators might be fabricating records altogether, says Brian Asher at Asher Research.

  • 3 Ways To Train Junior Lawyers In 30 Minutes Or Less

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    Today’s junior lawyers are experiencing a skills gap due to pandemic-era disruptions, but firms can help bring them up to speed by offering high-impact skill building content in bite-sized, interactive training sessions, say Stacey Schwartz at Katten, Diane Costigan at Winston & Strawn and Lauren Tierney at Freshfields.

  • Opinion

    Why States Should Adopt ABA's 'Duty To Inquire'

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    State bars should codify the American Bar Association's proposed rule on a lawyer's duty to scrutinize each representation as it provides guardrails for lawyers, supports self-regulation of the profession, and helps avert money laundering and other crimes, says Deborah Winokur at Cozen O'Connor.

  • The Bar Needs More Clarity On The Discovery Objection Rule

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    Almost 10 years after Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 34 was amended, attorneys still seem confused about what they should include in objections to discovery requests, and until the rules committee provides additional clarity, practitioners must beware the steep costs of noncompliance, says Tristan Ellis at Shanies Law Office.

  • Trump Faces Uphill Battle If He Tries To Target Prosecutors

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    On the campaign trail, President-elect Donald Trump promised to go after the state and federal prosecutors who had investigated and prosecuted him, but few criminal statutes would be applicable — to say nothing of the evidence required to substantiate any charges against prosecutors, says William Johnston at Bird Marella.

  • Series

    Being A Navy Reservist Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Serving this country in uniform has not only been one of the greatest honors of my life, but it has also provided me with opportunities to broaden my legal acumen and interpersonal skills in ways that have indelibly contributed to my civilian practice, says Phillip Smith at Weinberg Wheeler.

  • So You Want To Move Your Law Practice To Canada, Eh?

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    Google searches for how to move to Canada have surged in the wake of the U.S. presidential election, and if you’re an attorney considering a move to the Great White North, you’ll need to understand how the practice of law differs across the border, says David Postel at Henein Hutchison.

  • Promoting Diversity In The Selection Of ADR Neutrals

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Choosing neutrals from diverse backgrounds is an important step in promoting inclusion in the legal profession, and it can enhance the legitimacy and public perception of alternative dispute resolution proceedings, say attorneys at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • Series

    Playing Ultimate Makes Us Better Lawyers

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    In addition to being fun, ultimate Frisbee has improved our legal careers by emphasizing the importance of professionalism, teamwork, perseverance, enthusiasm and vulnerability, say Arunabha Bhoumik and Adam Bernstein at Regeneron. 

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Recent Rulings On Metadata

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    Several recent rulings reflect the competing considerations that arise when parties dispute the form of production for electronically stored information, underscoring that counsel must carefully consider how to produce and request reasonably usable data, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Striking A Balance Between AI Use And Attorney Well-Being

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    As the legal industry increasingly adopts generative artificial intelligence tools to boost efficiency, leaders must note the hidden costs of increased productivity, and work to protect attorneys’ well-being while unlocking AI’s full potential, says Ed Sohn at Factor.

  • Empathy In Mediation Offers A Soft Landing For Disputes

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    Experiencing a crash-landing on a recent flight underscored to me how much difference empathy makes in times of crisis or stress, including during mediation, says Eydith Kaufman at Alternative Resolution Centers.

  • Series

    Being An Artist Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My work as an artist has highlighted how using creativity and precision together — qualities that are equally essential in both art and law — not only improves outcomes, but also leads to more innovative and thoughtful work, says Sarah La Pearl at Segal McCambridge.

  • How Judiciary Can Minimize AI Risks In Secondary Sources

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    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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