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Legal Ethics
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September 09, 2024
Wash. Justices Disbar Atty For Theft From Cannabis Investors
Washington state's high court has ordered an attorney be disbarred for mishandling client funds, lying to investors who poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into a cannabis venture and failing to disclose conflicts of interest, adopting the state bar association's disciplinary recommendations despite objections from the lawyer.
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September 09, 2024
NY Courts' Limits On Ethics Data Broke Law, Watchdog Says
In a rebuke to the New York state court system, an official transparency watchdog has said current restrictions on public access to judges' financial disclosures violate the state's Freedom of Information Law.
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September 09, 2024
Durbin Calls For Justice Thomas To Recuse Over Wife's Email
A top Democratic lawmaker called on U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to bow out of cases involving a conservative Christian legal organization following reports his wife praised the group for fighting court reform efforts, saying Monday her comments create a "clear appearance" of impartiality requiring the justice's recusal.
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September 09, 2024
Mass. High Court Hints At Notice Rule To Open Clerk Hearings
Justices of Massachusetts' highest court on Monday appeared to signal that 28 men accused of patronizing high-end brothels catering to attorneys, political figures and other high-profile clients should have been given a chance to oppose a request by news organizations to open what are normally closed-door hearings.
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September 09, 2024
Dems To Bring Back Judiciary Accountability Bill
In the coming weeks, Democrats in the House and Senate will be reintroducing a bill that they say will better provide the approximately 30,000 federal judiciary employees from discrimination and sexual harassment, two lawmakers said on Monday.
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September 09, 2024
DC Circ. Revives Legal Malpractice Suit Over Terrorism Case
The D.C. Circuit has revived legal malpractice claims brought by the family of a bombing victim who was killed in Jerusalem in 1997 by Hamas militants, after the family claimed their counsel's slow progress deprived them of a chance at a larger recovery in a mass disbursement of Iranian assets to terrorism victims.
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September 09, 2024
Conn. Atty Defaults In Real Estate Client's Overcharge Suit
A Connecticut Superior Court clerk has entered a default judgment against a law firm accused of botching a real estate transaction, leaving the firm's namesake attorney to face allegations that he distributed home sale proceeds to unknown people and wrote a bad check to the true beneficiary of a trust.
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September 09, 2024
Zeta MDL Judge Limits Talk Of Arnold & Itkin Billing 'Scheme'
A Harris County judge said on Monday she would limit what questions a drilling rig owner could ask witnesses about where they received medical care during an upcoming trial amid allegations that attorneys for seamen injured while on the ship during Hurricane Zeta engaged in a scheme to inflate medical bills.
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September 09, 2024
No Re-Do In Ex-Defender's Sex Bias Case Against Judiciary
A Massachusetts federal judge declined on Monday to reconsider his ruling that the federal judiciary did not violate the rights of a former North Carolina public defender because the attorney had not adequately put her office on notice of her sexual harassment claims.
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September 09, 2024
Kramer Levin Beats NJ Malpractice Suit From RE Developer
Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP has defeated a malpractice suit from a real estate developer who claimed it represented both the developer and a firm partner's son — who was an employee of the developer — at the same time, according to a New Jersey state appellate decision issued Monday.
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September 09, 2024
Judge Settles Suit Over Atty Blackmailing Her With Nude Pics
A Florida state court judge on Monday settled her lawsuit alleging an attorney blackmailed her with nude photos of herself, just weeks before a trial in the case was supposed to begin.
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September 09, 2024
Judge Rejects Ex-Law Prof's Recusal Bid In Retaliation Suit
A Florida federal judge has declined to step away from a retaliation and breach of contract suit brought by a former law professor at Florida A&M University, noting "even if" the professor were correct in asserting the judge had been critical of her, such critiques do not necessitate recusal.
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September 06, 2024
Covington Owes $100M For Malpractice, Ex-Client Claims
A blockchain entrepreneur and attorney is seeking at least $100 million from Covington, claiming in a legal malpractice suit filed Friday in New York state court that he could have avoided years of fighting a federal extortion case if firm partners hadn't advised against handing prosecutors "clearly exculpatory evidence."
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September 06, 2024
DC Circ. Considers Age Of Ex-Trump Aide's Surveillance Claims
Even after more than an hour of argument, the D.C. Circuit didn't seem convinced Friday that ex-Trump 2016 campaign adviser Carter Page timely accused the Justice Department, the FBI and several individuals of various violations tied to their surveillance of him as they probed Russian election interference.
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September 06, 2024
7th Circ. Skeptical Of Bid To Revive Fraud Claims Against Firm
The Seventh Circuit seemed inclined Friday not to disturb lower court rulings that sank a litigation funder's fraud and damages claims against a law firm that abruptly dropped the business to represent a former employee who left to open a competing venture.
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September 06, 2024
Ex-CEO Of Defunct Solar Co. Seeks Sanctions In Fraud Suit
The former CEO of a bankrupt solar energy firm filed a motion for sanctions Friday in Michigan federal court, alleging the plaintiffs' counsel misrepresented the ex-CEO's inability to produce information during a discovery meeting regarding claims he defrauded customers by selling faulty solar systems.
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September 06, 2024
Justice Alito Reports Concert Tickets From Catholic Activist
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito accepted $900 concert tickets from a German princess and Catholic activist in 2023, but otherwise received no free trips or other gifts, according to his annual financial disclosure, which was made public Friday.
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September 06, 2024
Pa. Borough Says Insurer, Atty Wrongfully Settled Feud
A Pennsylvania borough accused its insurer-retained counsel of committing legal malpractice by consummating a settlement acting against its wishes in an underlying "baseless" lawsuit brought by a borough council member, telling a state court that the attorney acted in the insurer's best interest.
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September 06, 2024
SEC Accuses Fla. Men Of Mass Tort Litigation Financing Fraud
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday accused a father and son from Florida of running a fraudulent litigation funding scheme by promising investors returns from financing mass tort litigation they were not actually funding.
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September 06, 2024
Atty Loses Bid To Revive NJ Malpratice Suit Against 2 Firms
A New Jersey state appeals court on Friday upheld the dismissal of an attorney's common law fraud and negligence claims against two law firms for allegedly misrepresenting a debt he owed.
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September 06, 2024
Jones Foster Notches Fees Win After Beating Malpractice Suit
Jones Foster PA won on a counterclaim for over $100,000 in unpaid legal fees against a pair of former clients this week in Florida federal court, shortly after defeating those clients' malpractice suit last month.
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September 06, 2024
NJ Atty Censured Over 'Protracted Conflict Of Interest'
A New Jersey attorney has been censured in connection with his representation in an action over environmental contamination of a real estate property.
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September 06, 2024
Trump Sentencing Pushed Back Until After Election
The New York judge overseeing Donald Trump's hush money case said Friday he will not sentence the former president before Election Day, pushing the hearing date from Sept. 18 to Nov. 26 in an effort to avoid the appearance of political considerations.
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September 06, 2024
Indicted Power Broker, Atty Brother Hit With Civil RICO Suit
Philadelphia developer Carl Dranoff has accused the indicted brothers George E. Norcross III, a New Jersey power broker, and Parker McCay CEO Philip A. Norcross of causing him and his company millions of dollars in damages by intimidating and extorting him out of his property development rights in the city of Camden, New Jersey.
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September 06, 2024
Judge Newman's Suspension Extended For Another Year
Federal Circuit Judge Pauline Newman was barred Friday from hearing cases for at least another year due to her refusal to participate in an investigation into her health, with the appeals court's other judges deciding unanimously to extend a suspension that began last year.
Expert Analysis
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How Methods Are Evolving In Textualist Interpretations
Textualists at the U.S. Supreme Court are increasingly considering new methods such as corpus linguistics and surveys to evaluate what a statute's text communicates to an ordinary reader, while lower courts even mull large language models like ChatGPT as supplements, says Kevin Tobia at Georgetown Law.
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Why Attorneys Should Consider Community Leadership Roles
Volunteering and nonprofit board service are complementary to, but distinct from, traditional pro bono work, and taking on these community leadership roles can produce dividends for lawyers, their firms and the nonprofit causes they support, says Katie Beacham at Kilpatrick.
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Firms Must Offer A Trifecta Of Services In Post-Chevron World
After the U.S. Supreme Court’s Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo decision overturning Chevron deference, law firms will need to integrate litigation, lobbying and communications functions to keep up with the ramifications of the ruling and provide adequate counsel quickly, says Neil Hare at Dentons.
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5 Tips To Succeed In A Master Of Laws Program And Beyond
As lawyers and recent law school graduates begin their Master of Laws coursework across the country, they should keep a few pointers in mind to get the most out of their programs and kick-start successful careers in their practice areas, says Kelley Miller at Reed Smith.
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Series
Being An Opera Singer Made Me A Better Lawyer
My journey from the stage to the courtroom has shown that the skills I honed as an opera singer – punctuality, memorization, creativity and more – have all played a vital role in my success as an attorney, says Gerard D'Emilio at GableGotwals.
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How Law Firms Can Avoid 'Collaboration Drag'
Law firm decision making can be stifled by “collaboration drag” — characterized by too many pointless meetings, too much peer feedback and too little dissent — but a few strategies can help stakeholders improve decision-making processes and build consensus, says Steve Groom at Miles Mediation.
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Opinion
Litigation Funding Disclosure Key To Open, Impartial Process
Blanket investor and funding agreement disclosures should be required in all civil cases where the investor has a financial interest in the outcome in order to address issues ranging from potential conflicts of interest to national security concerns, says Bob Goodlatte, former U.S. House Representative for Virginia.
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The Ethics of Using Generative AI In Environmental Law
The rapid emergence of generative artificial intelligence tools is challenging environmental lawyers, consultants and government agencies to determine when and how these tools can be responsibly, ethically and productively integrated into their practices to streamline research, predictive analytics and regulatory compliance, say Ahlia Bethea and Pamela Esterman at Sive Paget.
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What NFL Draft Picks Have In Common With Lateral Law Hires
Nearly half of law firm lateral hires leave within a few years — a failure rate that is strikingly similar to the performance of NFL quarterbacks drafted in the first round — in part because evaluators focus too heavily on quantifiable metrics and not enough on a prospect's character traits, says Howard Rosenberg at Baretz+Brunelle.
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Replacing The Stigma Of Menopause With Law Firm Support
A large proportion of the workforce is forced to pull the brakes on their career aspirations because of the taboo surrounding menopause and a lack of consistent support, but law firms can initiate the cultural shift needed by formulating thoughtful workplace policies, says Barbara Hamilton-Bruce at Simmons & Simmons.
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Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: August Lessons
In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy considers certification cases touching on classwide evidence of injury from debt collection practices, defining coupon settlements under the Class Action Fairness Act, proper approaches for evaluating attorney fee awards in class action settlements, and more.
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Planning Law Firm Content Calendars: What, When, Where
During the slower month of August, law firms should begin working on their 2025 content calendars, planning out a content creation and distribution framework that aligns with the firm’s objectives and maintains audience engagement throughout the year, says Jessica Kaplan at Legally Penned.
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Crypto Gatekeepers May Be The Next Front Of Enforcement
Lawyers and other professionals who advise cryptocurrency companies should beware regulators' increasing focus on gatekeeper accountability, and should take several measures to fulfill their ethical and legal obligations, including implementing a robust vetting mechanism when representing crypto clients, say Temidayo Aganga-Williams and Xinchen Li at Selendy Gay.
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Series
Playing Golf Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Golf can positively affect your personal and professional life well beyond the final putt, and it’s helped enrich my legal practice by improving my ability to build lasting relationships, study and apply the rules, face adversity with grace, and maintain my mental and physical well-being, says Adam Kelly at Venable.
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Law Firms Should Move From Reactive To Proactive Marketing
Most law firm marketing and business development teams operate in silos, leading to an ad hoc, reactive approach, but shifting to a culture of proactive planning — beginning with comprehensive campaigns — can help firms effectively execute their broader business strategy, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.