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Legal Ethics
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August 15, 2024
Ex-Morelli Atty Says Sex Assault Claims Waived In Settlement
Morelli Law Firm PLLC and its founding partner Benedict Morelli settled sexual assault allegations from an associate at its predecessor firm, Morelli Ratner PC, before she filed suit against fellow named partner David Ratner, according to a motion Ratner filed in New York state court Tuesday seeking a copy of the settlement.
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August 15, 2024
No Harm In SEC Releasing More Info On Breach, Judge Told
A conservative civil liberties group questioned the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's claims that releasing additional materials related to its handling of an internal firewall breach would harm the public interest Thursday, telling a D.C. federal judge in court that so much was already out, more sunlight couldn't hurt.
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August 15, 2024
Ex-Drew Eckl Attys Seek New Firm's Escape From Arbitration
Drew Eckl & Farnham LLP and former firm attorneys now at Burke Moore Law Group LLP launched dueling arguments in the Georgia Court of Appeals this week over Burke Moore's bid to undo a court order requiring it to arbitrate a fees dispute between Drew Eckl and Burke Moore founders.
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August 15, 2024
Ford Wants Judge Booted Off Paraplegic's Suit After Podcast
Ford Motor Co. pushed the North Carolina Court of Appeals to remove state Superior Court Judge Hoyt Tessener from a product liability suit, arguing the jurist made disparaging remarks about the company after prosecuting a similar suit against the carmaker years ago as a private attorney.
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August 15, 2024
Prof Rips DOJ, VW's 9th Circ. Bid To Shield Jones Day Docs
A Loyola Marymount University professor has urged the Ninth Circuit to shut down the U.S. Department of Justice and Volkswagen AG's relentless "obfuscation" in a long-running dispute over access to confidential Volkswagen documents that were part of a Jones Day investigation into the automaker's 2015 emissions-cheating scandal.
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August 15, 2024
NYC Real Estate Atty Charged With $200K Theft From Client
An embattled Harlem real estate attorney already facing one criminal case has been indicted on a separate felony larceny charge, with prosecutors claiming he stole $210,000 from a client in an apartment deal gone awry.
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August 15, 2024
NY Asks Top Court To Nix Ruling Against Ethics Commission
The Office of the New York State Attorney General has submitted a brief urging the state's highest court to reverse a finding against an ethics commission that former Gov. Andrew Cuomo convinced a state court was unconstitutional.
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August 15, 2024
Pa. Atty And Wife Apologize To Lawyer For Theft Allegations
A Pennsylvania attorney and his wife have apologized for accusing another attorney of stealing money from a business venture, saying in a court settlement record that they have no evidence that the lawyer committed the theft and that they retract their earlier statements.
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August 15, 2024
Conn. 'Fishing' Atty Submits Resignation From State Bar
A Connecticut attorney who responded to an overdraft notice and disciplinary inquiry with an email saying the issue wasn't a priority as he was busy fishing has submitted his resignation from the state bar.
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August 15, 2024
Trump Seeks To Delay NY Sentencing Until After Election
Donald Trump asked to delay sentencing in his New York hush money case until after the 2024 presidential election, arguing he needs time to potentially appeal if he loses an attempt to erase the felony conviction on the basis of presidential immunity.
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August 14, 2024
Lin Wood Defends Social Posts In Long Day Of Testimony
Controversial ex-attorney Lin Wood was pushed on his claim that social media posts he made about three of his former law partners following the 2020 dissolution of his firm were an attempt at self-defense when he took the stand Wednesday in Georgia federal court.
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August 14, 2024
Girardi Kept 'Opening A Wound,' Tearful Ex-Client Tells Jury
A woman whose son was seriously injured in a car accident shed tears Wednesday while testifying in Tom Girardi's criminal trial, recalling her increasingly desperate attempts to get a final $1 million owed to her from a lawsuit settlement as the embattled attorney gave her varying excuses for why she wasn't getting the funds.
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August 14, 2024
Denver Law Grad Sanctioned In Suit Over Externship Failure
A University of Denver law school graduate with disabilities who was fired by the Denver District Attorney's Office during a school externship cannot sue the school for discrimination, a Colorado federal judge has ruled, sanctioning the former student for misogynistic attacks against opposing counsel and other behavior.
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August 14, 2024
Sanctioned Ghanaian Co. Says Law Firm's Fees Too High
An African energy company has slammed international arbitration specialty law firm Three Crowns LLP in Texas federal court for claiming nearly $200,000 in fees after the company was sanctioned for lying to a Ghanaian court.
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August 14, 2024
Texas Atty Must Pay Volkswagen $200K In Fees For Patent Suit
A Texas federal judge has ordered litigation firm VDPP LLC and its counsel, Texas attorney William Ramey III of Ramey LLP, to pay Volkswagen $207,543 in fees stemming from a now-dismissed patent case after determining a fee multiplier that applies to "exceptional" cases was appropriate due to the suit's "obvious lack of merit."
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August 14, 2024
Sen. Durbin Slams DOD's Revocation Of 9/11 Plea Deal
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and Senate majority whip, told U.S. Department of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Wednesday he is "troubled" by the secretary's decision to revoke a plea deal for the accused masterminds of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
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August 14, 2024
Insurer Says No Coverage For Atty's Mistaken Settlement Row
A lawyer accused of trying to cover up his settlement of a workers' compensation claim for the wrong client who shares the same name as his actual client can't get coverage, his professional liability insurer told a Mississippi federal court, saying the "limited documentation" he's provided "actually supports" the underlying claims.
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August 14, 2024
$24M Hidden Fee Deal With AIG Opposed By Class Member
A member of a class of travel insurance buyers who accused AIG insurers of stacking hidden fees on top of insurance travel premiums urged a California federal court to reject a nearly $24 million proposed settlement, saying it inappropriately combines distinct California and Washington claims.
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August 14, 2024
Ga. High Court Passes On Reviving Public Defender Bias Suit
The Georgia Supreme Court has declined to take up the wrongful termination case of a former public defender employee with breast cancer, leaving in place an appellate court decision that overturned a 22-year-old ruling by saying the state did not waive its sovereign immunity when it enacted the Fair Employment Practices Act.
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August 14, 2024
Zantac Judge Won't Step Aside Over Wife's Reed Smith Role
A Pennsylvania state judge overseeing the Zantac mass tort litigation against GlaxoSmithKline denied a motion to recuse himself Wednesday after expressing skepticism about the plaintiffs' contention that he could be unconsciously partial because his wife works for a firm defending the drugmaker in other jurisdictions.
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August 14, 2024
Lewis Brisbois, Atty Battle Over Immunity In Texas TM Case
Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP and a Texas lawyer accused of ripping off the BigLaw firm's name battled over the issue of attorney immunity in post-hearing briefings Tuesday, with the firm writing that the Fifth Circuit "has made itself clear" that the lawyer can't be shielded from the case.
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August 14, 2024
Skakel Wants To Combine Suits Over Moxley Murder Probe
Michael Skakel has asked a Connecticut state court to combine two lawsuits tied to his overturned conviction for the 1975 murder of Martha Moxley in Greenwich, which accuse the lead investigator of zeroing in on him despite evidence of other suspects and unlawfully seizing materials from the Kennedy family cousin's ghostwriter.
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August 14, 2024
SC Justices Agree To Hear Murdaugh's Jury Tampering Claim
South Carolina's Supreme Court has agreed to hear disgraced lawyer Alex Murdaugh's appeal claiming a clerk of court tampered with the jury that convicted him of murder, invoking a rule that bypasses intermediate appeals when "significant public interest or a legal principle of major importance" hangs in the balance.
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August 14, 2024
Judge DQs Ex-Overstock CEO's Atty For Discovery Violations
A Washington, D.C., federal judge has granted Dominion Voting Systems' "extraordinary and rarely granted" disqualification bid over serious discovery violations by a lawyer defending Overstock.com CEO Patrick Byrne in a defamation lawsuit brought by the voting machine company.
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August 14, 2024
Fla. Atty Accuses Anti-Vax Org.'s Ex-Chairman Of Defamation
A Florida attorney is suing the former board chair of anti-vaccine group America's Frontline Doctors for $2.4 million for allegedly defaming the attorney in an open letter that implied she committed felonies, among other wrongdoings, and harmed her reputation.
Expert Analysis
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Lead Like 'Ted Lasso' By Embracing Cognitive Diversity
The Apple TV+ series “Ted Lasso” aptly illustrates how embracing cognitive diversity can be a winning strategy for teams, providing a useful lesson for law firms, which can benefit significantly from fresh, diverse perspectives and collaborative problem-solving, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.
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Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: July Lessons
In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy considers cases touching on pre- and post-conviction detainment conditions, communications with class representatives, when the American Pipe tolling doctrine stops applying to modified classes, and more.
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Opinion
Now More Than Ever, Lawyers Must Exhibit Professionalism
As society becomes increasingly fractured and workplace incivility is on the rise, attorneys must champion professionalism and lead by example, demonstrating how lawyers can respectfully disagree without being disagreeable, says Edward Casmere at Norton Rose.
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Series
Serving In The National Guard Makes Me A Better Lawyer
My ongoing military experience as a judge advocate general in the National Guard has shaped me as a person and a lawyer, teaching me the importance of embracing confidence, balance and teamwork in both my Army and civilian roles, says Danielle Aymond at Baker Donelson.
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Lawyers Must Be Careful When Using Listservs
The American Bar Association's formal opinion from May correctly states that attorneys must obtain clients' consent before posing related questions to listservs, but potential risks and drawbacks of using listservs go beyond those highlighted by the ABA, says Deborah Winokur at Cozen O'Connor.
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A Midyear Forecast: Tailwinds Expected For Atty Hourly Rates
Hourly rates for partners, associates and support staff continued to rise in the first half of this year, and this growth shows no signs of slowing for the rest of 2024 and into next year, driven in part by the return of mergers and acquisitions and the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence, says Chuck Chandler at Valeo Partners.
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Opinion
States Should Loosen Law Firm Ownership Restrictions
Despite growing buzz, normalized nonlawyer ownership of law firms is a distant prospect, so the legal community should focus first on liberalizing state restrictions on attorney and firm purchases of practices, which would bolster succession planning and improve access to justice, says Michael Di Gennaro at The Law Practice Exchange.
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Series
Solving Puzzles Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Tackling daily puzzles — like Wordle, KenKen and Connections — has bolstered my intellectual property litigation practice by helping me to exercise different mental skills, acknowledge minor but important details, and build and reinforce good habits, says Roy Wepner at Kaplan Breyer.
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Texas Ethics Opinion Flags Hazards Of Unauthorized Practice
The Texas Professional Ethics Committee's recently issued proposed opinion finding that in-house counsel providing legal services to the company's clients constitutes the unauthorized practice of law is a valuable clarification given that a UPL violation — a misdemeanor in most states — carries high stakes, say Hilary Gerzhoy and Julienne Pasichow at HWG.
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In Memoriam: The Modern Administrative State
On June 28, the modern administrative state, where courts deferred to agency interpretations of ambiguous statutes, died when the U.S. Supreme Court overruled its previous decision in Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council — but it is survived by many cases decided under the Chevron framework, say Joseph Schaeffer and Jessica Deyoe at Babst Calland.
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How To Clean Up Your Generative AI-Produced Legal Drafts
As law firms increasingly rely on generative artificial intelligence tools to produce legal text, attorneys should be on guard for the overuse of cohesive devices in initial drafts, and consider a few editing pointers to clean up AI’s repetitive and choppy outputs, says Ivy Grey at WordRake.
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Opinion
A Tale Of 2 Trump Cases: The Rule Of Law Is A Live Issue
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision this week in Trump v. U.S., holding that former President Donald Trump has broad immunity from prosecution, undercuts the rule of law, while the former president’s New York hush money conviction vindicates it in eight key ways, says David Postel at Henein Hutchison.
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Series
Boxing Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Boxing has influenced my legal work by enabling me to confidently hone the skills I've learned from the sport, like the ability to remain calm under pressure, evaluate an opponent's weaknesses and recognize when to seize an important opportunity, says Kirsten Soto at Clyde & Co.
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Opinion
Industry Self-Regulation Will Shine Post-Chevron
The U.S. Supreme Court's Loper decision will shape the contours of industry self-regulation in the years to come, providing opportunities for this often-misunderstood practice, says Eric Reicin at BBB National Programs.
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3 Ways Agencies Will Keep Making Law After Chevron
The U.S. Supreme Court clearly thinks it has done something big in overturning the Chevron precedent that had given deference to agencies' statutory interpretations, but regulated parties have to consider how agencies retain significant power to shape the law and its meaning, say attorneys at K&L Gates.