Legal Ethics

  • July 01, 2024

    8th Circ. Reverses Sanctions On Ark. Firm Over Fee Award

    The Eighth Circuit has reversed a district court's sanction barring a law firm from participating in Fair Labor Standards Act lawsuits in the Eastern District of Arkansas over reported violations of the rules of civil procedure.

  • July 01, 2024

    Texas Attorney Serving 15-Year Sentence Is Disbarred

    The State Bar of Texas announced Monday that it has yanked the license of a criminal defense attorney who was sentenced in 2021 to more than 15 years in prison after a jury found him guilty of cheating big-time Colombian drug trafficking clients.

  • June 28, 2024

    Paxton 5th Circ. Doc. Signals 'Unprecedented' Move By AG

    The recent publication of a Fifth Circuit opinion indicating that federal agencies are moving forward with a corruption investigation against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, while not unusual, suggests an "unprecedented" attempt from the state's chief legal officer to block witnesses from having to give grand jury testimony, experts told Law360.

  • June 28, 2024

    Quinn Slammed By Columbia For Its 'Continuing Audacity'

    Columbia University shot back Friday against arguments from Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP that Federal Circuit judges should disregard arguments made by the firm's former client, who says the firm lied to a federal court in Virginia to avoid damaging testimony in a $600 million patent case.

  • June 28, 2024

    Split SCOTX Revives Judge's Same-Sex Wedding Challenge

    A split Texas Supreme Court revived a judge's lawsuit against the state judicial ethics commission over sanctions for her refusal to officiate same-sex marriages, with the majority finding the judge's claims are not barred because she did not go through the administrative process.

  • June 28, 2024

    Girardi Wins Bid To Offer Mental Condition Testimony At Trial

    Tom Girardi's defense team can call a doctor to testify at his upcoming trial as to a potential "mental condition" that they say might indirectly have bearing on his intent to defraud clients, a California federal judge ruled Thursday, rejecting prosecutors' argument that the testimony is irrelevant.

  • June 28, 2024

    Eagles' Don Henley Wants 'Hotel California' Lyrics Returned

    Eagles frontman Don Henley is seeking to retake possession of handwritten lyric sheets that were seized by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office in a now-dismissed criminal case over the sale of the allegedly stolen album notes, asking a New York federal judge Friday to declare that he is the legal owner.

  • June 28, 2024

    Texas Bank Wants Ramey Sanctioned For 'Incoherent' IP Suit

    A Texas-based bank has asked a federal judge to sanction Ramey LLP in a patent infringement case the firm's client filed against it, saying the litigation is frivolous and should be tossed.

  • June 28, 2024

    Calif. Panel Won't Toss Trial Win By AT&T's Cricket

    Cricket Communications Inc. won't have to worry about a 2018 jury trial win being kiboshed after a California appeals court ruled that when it overturned a pretrial ruling because a previous judge failed to disclose that he owned AT&T stock, it didn't mean the entire trial should be undone.

  • June 28, 2024

    Judge Rejects Collusion Claim In Contested Foreclosure Deal

    A Michigan federal judge approved on Thursday a class settlement between 43 Michigan counties and people who lost their homes in tax foreclosure, putting to bed accusations of collusion between the settling lawyers.

  • June 28, 2024

    Girardi's Ch. 7 Evidence Fight May Raise Novel Issues

    Tom Girardi told a California federal judge that FBI agents violated his constitutional rights by obtaining evidence from his law firm's bankruptcy trustee without a search warrant, an argument that, if successful, could hamstring prosecutors in his upcoming wire fraud trial and shake up law enforcement's dealings with trustees.

  • June 28, 2024

    Baldwin Loses Third Bid To Dismiss 'Rust' Shooting Case

    A New Mexico state judge on Friday rejected Alec Baldwin's argument that his indictment on involuntary manslaughter charges in the "Rust" film shooting case should be thrown out because forensic tests damaged the actor's gun, a key piece of evidence in the case.

  • June 28, 2024

    Buchanan Ingersoll Can't Dump Harrisburg Incinerator Row

    A Pennsylvania appellate court won't let Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC exit long-running litigation over a trash incinerator project that sent the state's capital city into financial distress, ruling Friday that there was still ambiguity about whether the law firm's advice had been correct.

  • June 28, 2024

    NY Law Firm Botched Gas Co. Sale, Ex-Client Says

    Albany, New York-based Whiteman Osterman & Hanna LLP is facing a lawsuit in New York federal court alleging it failed to properly structure the sale of a gas company and caused its owner to incur an avoidable tax liability.

  • June 28, 2024

    Retired Calif. Judge Known For Ethics Work Dies At 87

    Retired Los Angeles County Judge David M. Rothman, known for writing three editions of the California Judicial Conduct Handbook, died Tuesday in Berkeley, California, at age 87.

  • June 28, 2024

    Eric Trump Can Shield Most Docs In Ex-Aide's Retaliation Suit

    Eric Trump can assert attorney-client privilege to avoid turning over most of a batch of emails sought by Trump 2016 campaign aide Arlene "AJ" Delgado in her pregnancy retaliation suit claiming she was banished from former President Donald Trump's orbit after a fellow staffer got her pregnant.

  • June 28, 2024

    GOP Rep. Says 'Inherent Contempt' Vote Coming After Recess

    The Republican lawmaker spearheading a new inherent contempt effort for Attorney General Merrick Garland said it has the backing of House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and would occur after the July 4 congressional recess.

  • June 28, 2024

    Pashman Stein Can't Escape Negligence Claims, NJ Atty Says

    A New Jersey attorney who countersued Pashman Stein Walder Hayden PC after the firm accused him of ducking a nearly $100,000 legal bill is urging a state court to reject what he says are the firm's "frivolous" calls to toss his negligence counterclaims.

  • June 28, 2024

    Indicted Brown & Connery Atty Removed From Rutgers Board

    Brown & Connery LLP partner William Tambussi, who was indicted last week for his alleged role in a wide-ranging extortion scheme led by powerful Garden State businessman George Norcross III, has been removed from his seat on the Rutgers University Board of Governors, officials confirmed Friday.

  • June 28, 2024

    Bannon Can't Dodge Prison In Contempt Appeal

    Steve Bannon must go to prison Monday, according to a U.S. Supreme Court order Friday rejecting the former Trump White House chief strategist's bid to stave off his four-month sentence for contempt of Congress.

  • June 28, 2024

    High Court Enters July With 3 Rulings To Go

    In a rare move, the U.S. Supreme Court will issue opinions into the beginning of July as the court tries to clear its merits docket of three remaining cases dealing with presidential immunity, whether governments can control social media platforms' content moderation policies and the appropriate deadline to challenge agency action. 

  • June 27, 2024

    Ozy Media's Gov't Misconduct Claims Won't Derail Fraud Case

    A New York federal judge on Thursday rejected a bid by Ozy Media and the defunct company's founder to toss the criminal fraud case against them, saying they hadn't shown they were prejudiced by a U.S. attorney's office's social media post or that documents obtained by prosecutors were protected by attorney-client privilege.

  • June 27, 2024

    Roche Freedman, Ousted Ex-Partner Settle Ahead Of July Trial

    The law firm formerly known as Roche Freedman LLP and ousted partner Jason Cyrulnik informed a New York federal judge Thursday they've cut a confidential deal to resolve their contentious legal battle over Cyrulnik's departure, ending the litigation weeks before the case was set to go to a jury trial.

  • June 27, 2024

    Criticism Of Fla. Judge's Order Is Free Speech, ACLU Says

    The American Civil Liberties Union came to the defense of two Florida attorneys facing discipline before the state's high court over critical remarks about an Orlando judge's order in a discrimination case, arguing that suspending their licenses for 30 days would violate the First Amendment.

  • June 27, 2024

    Paxton Attys To Testify In Federal Probe, 5th Circ. Indicates

    A federal grand jury impaneled to weigh Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's alleged abuses of office is set to continue hearing witness testimony next week, a recently published Fifth Circuit opinion indicates.

Expert Analysis

  • Understanding Discovery Obligations In Era Of Generative AI

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Attorneys and businesses must adapt to the unique discovery challenges presented by generative artificial intelligence, such as chatbot content and prompts, while upholding the principles of fairness, transparency and compliance with legal obligations in federal civil litigation, say attorneys at King & Spalding.

  • Asserting 'Presence-Of-Counsel' Defense In Securities Trials

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    As illustrated by the fraud trial of FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, defense attorneys in securities trials might consider arguing that counsel had some involvement in the conduct at issue — if the more formal advice-of-counsel defense is unavailable and circumstances allow for a privilege waiver, say Joseph Dever and Matthew Elkin at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Key Takeaways From DOJ's Recent FARA Advisory Opinions

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    The U.S. Department of Justice recently published several redacted advisory opinions on the Foreign Agents Registration Act, clarifying its current thinking on when a person or entity is required to register as a foreign agent under the statute, and when they may qualify for an exemption, says Tessa Capeloto at Wiley Rein.

  • The Case For Post-Bar Clerk Training Programs At Law Firms

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    In today's competitive legal hiring market, an intentionally designed training program for law school graduates awaiting bar admission can be an effective way of creating a pipeline of qualified candidates, says Brent Daub at Gilson Daub.

  • Attorneys Have An Ethical Duty To Protect The Judiciary

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    The tenor of public disagreement and debate has become increasingly hostile against judges, and though the legislative branch is trying to ameliorate this safety gap, lawyers have a moral imperative and professional requirement to stand with judges in defusing attacks against them and their rulings, says Deborah Winokur at Cozen O'Connor.

  • AI Can Help Lawyers Overcome The Programming Barrier

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    Legal professionals without programming expertise can use generative artificial intelligence to harness the power of automation and other technology solutions to streamline their work, without the steep learning curve traditionally associated with coding, says George Zalepa at Greenberg Traurig.

  • Preparing Law Students For A New, AI-Assisted Legal World

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    As artificial intelligence rapidly transforms the legal landscape, law schools must integrate technology and curricula that address AI’s innate challenges — from ethics to data security — to help students stay ahead of the curve, say Daniel Garrie at Law & Forensics, Ryan Abbott at JAMS and Karen Silverman at Cantellus Group.

  • General Counsel Need Data Literacy To Keep Up With AI

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    With the rise of accessible and powerful generative artificial intelligence solutions, it is imperative for general counsel to understand the use and application of data for myriad important activities, from evaluating the e-discovery process to monitoring compliance analytics and more, says Colin Levy at Malbek.

  • Navigating Discovery Of Generative AI Information

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    As generative artificial intelligence tools become increasingly ubiquitous, companies must make sure to preserve generative AI data when there is reasonable expectation of litigation, and to include transcripts in litigation hold notices, as they may be relevant to discovery requests, say Nick Peterson and Corey Hauser at Wiley.

  • Finding Focus: Strategies For Attorneys With ADHD

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    Given the prevalence of ADHD among attorneys, it is imperative that the legal community gain a better understanding of how ADHD affects well-being, and that resources and strategies exist for attorneys with this disability to manage their symptoms and achieve success, say Casey Dixon at Dixon Life Coaching and Krista Larson at Stinson.

  • Attorneys, Law Schools Must Adapt To New Era Of Evidence

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    Technological advancements mean more direct evidence is being created than ever before, and attorneys as well as law schools must modify their methods to account for new challenges in how this evidence is collected and used to try cases, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • 1st Tax Easement Convictions Will Likely Embolden DOJ, IRS

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    After recent convictions in the first criminal tax fraud trial over allegedly abusive syndicated conservation easements, the IRS and U.S. Department of Justice will likely pursue other promoters for similar alleged conspiracies — though one acquittal may help attorneys better evaluate their clients' exposure, say Bill Curtis and Lauren DeSantis-Then at Polsinelli.

  • Tips For Litigating Against Pro Se Parties In Complex Disputes

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    Litigating against self-represented parties in complex cases can pose unique challenges for attorneys, but for the most part, it requires the same skills that are useful in other cases — from documenting everything to understanding one’s ethical duties, says Bryan Ketroser at Alto Litigation.

  • Pro Bono Work Is Powerful Self-Help For Attorneys

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    Oct. 22-28 is Pro Bono Week, serving as a useful reminder that offering free legal help to the public can help attorneys expand their legal toolbox, forge community relationships and create human connections, despite the challenges of this kind of work, says Orlando Lopez at Culhane Meadows.

  • Series

    Playing In A Rock Cover Band Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Performing in a classic rock cover band has driven me to hone several skills — including focus, organization and networking — that have benefited my professional development, demonstrating that taking time to follow your muse outside of work can be a boon to your career, says Michael Gambro at Cadwalader.

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