Legal Ethics

  • November 18, 2024

    Ozy Media CEO Turns To 2nd Circ. Over Judge's Investments

    The "atypical" conflict and threat to public confidence in the judiciary created by a New York federal judge's financial investments warrant the Second Circuit stepping in to undo former Ozy Media CEO Carlos Watson's fraud and identity theft convictions sooner rather than later, Watson told the appellate court on Monday.

  • November 18, 2024

    NJ Justices To Consider Sanctions Against Town For Suing Attys

    The New Jersey Supreme Court has decided to weigh in on whether state law provides municipalities with immunity from sanctions for frivolous litigation, as it takes up a long-running affordable housing case in Englewood Cliffs.

  • November 18, 2024

    State Bar Can't Set Limits To Atty Speech, Fla. Justices Told

    A Georgia-based attorney doubled down on his First Amendment argument against the Florida Bar's attempt to have him suspended for disparaging an opponent in a 2018 state attorney race, arguing that freedom of speech protections aren't whittled down when someone becomes a lawyer.

  • November 18, 2024

    Blank Rome Attys Ask To Split Lawyer Retaliation Case

    A trio of Blank Rome LLP attorneys have asked a federal judge in Pennsylvania to bifurcate a lawsuit against them from another attorney alleging they facilitated a client's retaliation against her for switching to plaintiffs work, asking the judge to split punitive damages into a separate case.

  • November 18, 2024

    Georgia Judge Blocked From Obtaining Memos In Ethics Case

    The Georgia Judicial Qualifications Commission has determined that a state judge facing ethics charges cannot obtain two memos pertaining to her case, finding they are not discoverable under both the commission's rules and prior cases.

  • November 18, 2024

    5th Circ. Says Texas County Wrong To Close Court Hearings

    A Fifth Circuit panel has upheld a trial court's ruling that a Texas county improperly blocked the press and public from attending criminal pretrial proceedings known as magistrate hearings, finding that the practice violates the First Amendment and harms the two news outlets and an advocacy group that brought the lawsuit.

  • November 18, 2024

    Calif. Bar Asks State High Court To Wipe Some Discipline Files

    Amid an effort to reform attorney regulation, the trustees of California's state bar have asked the state high court to approve a proposed rule change that would expunge older discipline files that don't involve disbarment. 

  • November 15, 2024

    Murdaugh's Ex-Banker Wins New Trial Over Juror Removal

    A bank executive who helped disgraced lawyer Alex Murdaugh steal client money deserves a new trial because a juror was inappropriately removed during deliberations, the Fourth Circuit has ruled in an issue of first impression.

  • November 15, 2024

    Texas Court OKs Peloton Atty's Suit Against Ex-Coworker

    A Texas appeals court won't toss a defamation suit accusing a former Peloton employee of falsely claiming to company executives and New Jersey police that she was bullied by her workplace acquaintance, an in-house attorney, after finding she can't avail herself of a state statute protecting citizens from retaliatory lawsuits.

  • November 15, 2024

    Giuliani Gets New Atty As Poll Workers Seek To Collect $148M

    Two days after Rudy Giuliani's lawyers asked a federal judge to allow them to withdraw from representing him in a pair of cases from former Georgia poll workers seeking to collect a $148 million defamation award against him, the embattled former mayor of New York found himself new representation.

  • November 15, 2024

    Atty-Brother Feud Belongs In State Court, Mich. Judge Finds

    A Michigan federal judge won't weigh in on a spat between an attorney and his former cannabis business partner brother, who is accused of shorting him $18 million as part of a buyout agreement, saying the dispute should stay in state court.

  • November 15, 2024

    Venezuelan Lawyer Relied On Ex-Dentons Atty In $54M Swap

    A Venezuelan lawyer suing Dentons over a failed $54 million bolivar-to-dollars currency swap admitted Friday on the stand that he did not do any due diligence for the transaction but instead relied on what he called misinformation from an ex-Dentons attorney that she relayed to his representative.

  • November 15, 2024

    Poor Counsel Led To Unjust Tax Convictions, Justices Told

    A North Carolina actuary asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review a Fourth Circuit decision denying his bid to reverse his 2016 tax fraud convictions, saying the ruling was based on bad decisions made by his then-trial counsel.

  • November 15, 2024

    Colo. Judge Nixes Debtor's Transfer Try For Not Conferring

    A Colorado federal judge on Friday struck a motion to transfer a putative class action suit against a bankrupt truck rental company to the Delaware court handling the business's Chapter 11 case, saying the company had failed to consult with the plaintiffs before filing the motion.

  • November 15, 2024

    Girardi Seeks Sentencing Delay Amid Atty's Departure

    Disbarred attorney Tom Girardi is asking a California federal judge for more time before his sentencing date because a key member of his legal team is leaving the Federal Public Defender's Office on Monday.

  • November 15, 2024

    Plaintiffs Ask To Seal $8.5M Data Breach Deal With Gunster

    Plaintiffs in a proposed data breach class action asked a Florida federal court Thursday to let them file under seal an $8.5 million settlement agreement to resolve accusations that Florida corporate law firm Gunster failed to safeguard the personal information of nearly 10,000 clients, employees and other individuals from cybercriminals.

  • November 15, 2024

    Conn. Atty Resolves $80K Labor Dept. Reimbursement Suit

    A personal injury attorney in Connecticut said Friday she has "resolved" a lawsuit brought by the federal government that demanded she pay $80,000 to reimburse the U.S. Department of Labor for workers' compensation payments to two of her clients.

  • November 15, 2024

    Menendez's NJ Law License Suspended After Conviction

    The New Jersey Supreme Court has temporarily suspended the law license of former New Jersey U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez following his conviction on corruption charges earlier this year.

  • November 15, 2024

    Wilson Sonsini Atty To Produce Docs In Under Armour Row

    Emails sent by a Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati attorney to employees of a Pittsburgh-area minor league baseball team he co-owns are not covered by attorney-client privilege and should be provided to Under Armour as part of discovery in an antitrust suit filed against the sports apparel giant, a Pennsylvania federal judge ruled this week.

  • November 15, 2024

    Grassley To Take 'Traditional Approach' To Blue Slips

    Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, the incoming chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is signaling he will keep the process in place for home state senators' approval of district court nominees, although in the past he has claimed discretion to move forward when he thinks there's no good reason to block a nominee. 

  • November 15, 2024

    Ga. Law Firm Hit With Proposed Class Action Over Data Breach

    Atlanta-based personal injury law firm Montlick & Associates PC has been hit with a proposed class action in Georgia federal court over an August data breach that compromised the private information of clients and employees.

  • November 15, 2024

    Former ADA Notches Bias Win Against Georgia Prosecutor

    A federal judge cast aside the "incredulous" defenses of a Georgia district attorney accused of denying a female attorney a promotion, finding her liable for sex discrimination after previously hitting the DA with a default order for her attempts to dodge being deposed.

  • November 15, 2024

    Atty Who Called Mich. Judge 'Crazy' Secures New Hearing

    A criminal defense attorney found in contempt for calling a Michigan judge "crazy" during a hearing in his courtroom will get a new hearing because a different judge should have handled the contempt proceedings, a state appellate court panel has determined.

  • November 15, 2024

    Florida Bar Says Novel Ethics Case Doesn't Require Leniency

    Lack of precedent is not reason enough to allow a Florida lawyer to reduce his one-year suspension for a "punitive" fee hike, the Florida Bar told the state's high court, arguing that the court's initial reasoning for the discipline was sound and that the lawyer's motion for a rehearing misrepresented some of the facts.

  • November 14, 2024

    Chinese Amazon Sellers Say Firm Botched Settlement Talks

    A group of Chinese electronics sellers have slapped a small New York law firm with a $6.4 million malpractice lawsuit, saying the firm torpedoed a potential settlement with Amazon after the online behemoth deactivated their seller accounts and withheld millions of dollars of their profits.

Expert Analysis

  • Opinion

    A Tale Of 2 Trump Cases: The Rule Of Law Is A Live Issue

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    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.

  • Series

    Boxing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    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.

  • Opinion

    Industry Self-Regulation Will Shine Post-Chevron

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    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.

  • 3 Ways Agencies Will Keep Making Law After Chevron

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    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.

  • Roundup

    After Chevron

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    Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Chevron deference standard in June, this Expert Analysis series has featured attorneys discussing the potential impact across 36 different rulemaking and litigation areas.

  • Opinion

    Atty Well-Being Efforts Ignore Root Causes Of The Problem

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    The legal industry is engaged in a critical conversation about lawyers' mental health, but current attorney well-being programs primarily focus on helping lawyers cope with the stress of excessive workloads, instead of examining whether this work culture is even fundamentally compatible with lawyer well-being, says Jonathan Baum at Avenir Guild.

  • Series

    Skiing And Surfing Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    The skills I’ve learned while riding waves in the ocean and slopes in the mountains have translated to my legal career — developing strong mentor relationships, remaining calm in difficult situations, and being prepared and able to move to a backup plan when needed, says Brian Claassen at Knobbe Martens.

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: June Lessons

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    In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy considers two recent decisions from the Third and Tenth Circuits, and identifies practice tips around class action settlements and standing in securities litigation.

  • Unpacking The Circuit Split Over A Federal Atty Fee Rule

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    Federal circuit courts that have addressed Rule 41(d) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure are split as to whether attorney fees are included as part of the costs of a previously dismissed action, so practitioners aiming to recover or avoid fees should tailor arguments to the appropriate court, says Joseph Myles and Lionel Lavenue at Finnegan.

  • After A Brief Hiccup, The 'Rocket Docket' Soars Back To No. 1

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    The Eastern District of Virginia’s precipitous 2022 fall from its storied rocket docket status appears to have been a temporary aberration, as recent statistics reveal that the court is once again back on top as the fastest federal civil trial court in the nation, says Robert Tata at Hunton.

  • Recruitment Trends In Emerging Law Firm Frontiers

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    BigLaw firms are facing local recruitment challenges as they increasingly establish offices in cities outside of the major legal hubs, requiring them to weigh various strategies for attracting talent that present different risks and benefits, says Tom Hanlon at Buchanan Law.

  • Series

    Glassblowing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    I never expected that glassblowing would strongly influence my work as an attorney, but it has taught me the importance of building a solid foundation for your work, learning from others and committing to a lifetime of practice, says Margaret House at Kalijarvi Chuzi.

  • Money, Money, Money: Limiting White Collar Wealth Evidence

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    As courts increasingly recognize that allowing unfettered evidence of wealth could prejudice a jury against a defendant, white collar defense counsel should consider several avenues for excluding visual evidence of a lavish lifestyle at trial, says Jonathan Porter at Husch Blackwell.

  • How Associates Can Build A Professional Image

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    As hybrid work arrangements become the norm in the legal industry, early-career attorneys must be proactive in building and maintaining a professional presence in both physical and digital settings, ensuring that their image aligns with their long-term career goals, say Lana Manganiello at Equinox Strategy Partners and Estelle Winsett at Estelle Winsett Professional Image Consulting.

  • Firms Must Rethink How They Train New Lawyers In AI Age

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    As law firms begin to use generative artificial intelligence to complete lower-level legal tasks, they’ll need to consider new ways to train summer associates and early-career attorneys, keeping in mind the five stages of skill acquisition, says Liisa Thomas at Sheppard Mullin.

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