Legal Ethics

  • October 18, 2024

    Seton Hall Fights Moving Ex-Prez's Suit Over Law Clerk Ties

    Seton Hall University has urged a New Jersey Superior Court judge to undo an order transferring a whistleblower suit by its former president out of Essex County because of a supposed conflict of interest involving the law clerk daughter of one of the defendants.

  • October 18, 2024

    Philly Atty Suspended After Guilty Plea In Pill Mill Scheme

    A Philadelphia attorney who pled guilty to filling fraudulent opioid prescriptions in his side job as a part-time pharmacist had his law license suspended for a year and a day, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania announced.

  • October 18, 2024

    Atty Sanctioned For 'Indifference' In Tastykake Co. Bias Suit

    An attorney's "indifference" to court orders and deadlines in a Black Muslim worker's wage and discrimination suit against the maker of Tastykake warrants $30,000 in sanctions, a Pennsylvania federal judge ruled, warning that more serious consequences might come.

  • October 17, 2024

    Atty's 'Groundhog Day' Motion Trims Ex-Girardi Client's Suit

    A California state judge on Thursday trimmed a family's $1.8 million malpractice lawsuit against an attorney that represented it in recovering millions lost in Girardi Keese's embezzlement scandal, calling a bid to nix one of the suit's claims a "Groundhog Day" motion because she already granted a similar one from the attorney's firm.

  • October 17, 2024

    Burford Again Loses Fight Against Meat Price-Fixing Deal

    An Illinois federal judge on Thursday refused for a second time to let a Burford Capital LLC unit unbind itself from a global settlement Pilgrim's Pride and Sysco entered to resolve chicken, pork and beef price-fixing claims.

  • October 17, 2024

    Engineer Wood PLC Faces Contempt Bid Amid Pipeline Spat

    A contractor facing claims that it mismanaged the construction of a $22 million Colonial Pipeline Co. fuel terminal in Georgia asked a federal judge Thursday to hold multinational engineering firm John L. Wood PLC in contempt of court for playing "word games" with a recent subpoena.

  • October 17, 2024

    Ex-Wash. Atty Who Stalked, Stabbed Rival Lawyer Is Disbarred

    The Washington Supreme Court has disbarred a former criminal defense attorney imprisoned for stalking and stabbing another lawyer against whom he held a festering grudge, writing in a self-published book that he fantasized about killing his victim "thousands of times in my head."

  • October 17, 2024

    Chevron, Syngenta Want 600 'Baseless' Paraquat Cases Nixed

    Chevron and Syngenta urged an Illinois federal judge on Wednesday to begin the dismissal process for almost 600 paraquat plaintiffs the companies say have flouted a court order to document their alleged exposure to the pesticide.

  • October 17, 2024

    Colorado Judges Doubt Giuliani Shielded For 2020 Lies

    Colorado appellate judges appeared skeptical Thursday of Rudy Giuliani's bid to escape a defamation lawsuit by a former executive for Dominion Voting Systems, noting that they already found Giuliani's statements weren't protected in a related appeal.

  • October 17, 2024

    Atty Who Repped Rodney King To Plead Guilty To Tax Evasion

    An attorney who represented Rodney King in a civil case against the city of Los Angeles after King was severely beaten by police agreed Thursday to plead guilty to tax evasion in return for the government dropping other charges.

  • October 17, 2024

    Fla. Supreme Court Suspends Atty Over 'Punitive' Fee Hike

    A Florida attorney has been suspended from practicing law for a year after he lashed out at a client by sending a new bill for $126,650 — a figure derived by retroactively jacking up his rates more than fourfold for a year of legal work, the state Supreme Court ruled Thursday.

  • October 17, 2024

    No Privilege For Drug Discount Co. Accused Of Faking Deal

    A Colorado federal judge held Wednesday that he saw probable cause that a drug discounter hired an attorney with the intent to commit fraud, ordering that company to disclose privileged documents in a lawsuit alleging it faked an acquisition to dupe an Illinois-based pharmacy benefit company into paying higher commissions.

  • October 17, 2024

    Health Co. Must Face State Farm Settlement Interpretation Suit

    An automobile-accident-focused healthcare company can't escape State Farm's lawsuit claiming the facility breached a settlement agreement by failing to drop hundreds of personal injury protection suits, a Florida federal court ruled.

  • October 17, 2024

    Ex-Posner Staffer Can't DQ Magistrate Judge In Salary Suit

    A former staffer for retired Seventh Circuit Judge Richard Posner's now-defunct pro se clinic can't disqualify the magistrate judge on his $170,000 suit because disagreements over the judge's orders aren't enough to prove bias and favoritism, an Indiana federal judge ruled Wednesday.

  • October 17, 2024

    DQ'd Atty Says It Was Wrong To Boot Her From Dominion Suit

    An attorney barred from defending former Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne in a defamation suit brought by Dominion Voting Systems implored a D.C. federal judge during a Thursday hearing to allow her back on the case, insisting that a magistrate judge was wrong to disqualify her.

  • October 17, 2024

    Firm, Nonprofits Say Free Speech Bars Ex-Yale Student's Suit

    An expelled Yale University student's defamation claims against a Michigan law firm and nonprofit organizations over a rejected amicus brief suggesting he committed rape must be axed because the contents are constitutionally protected, the defendants told a Connecticut state court Wednesday.

  • October 17, 2024

    Seyfarth Hit With $8M Suit For Botched Wage Class Settlement

    Seyfarth Shaw LLP owes a physician practice almost $8 million for negligently removing hundreds of the practice's employees from a list of those entitled to part of a $4.9 million wage and hour settlement, costing the practice another $3.6 million to correct the mistake, according to a California suit.

  • October 17, 2024

    Philly Atty Gets 4-Year Ban Over Botched Civil Rights Case

    The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has suspended a Philadelphia-based solo practitioner for four years after determining he spent 10 years communicating with a client about a civil rights case despite having failed to ever file a complaint in the matter.

  • October 17, 2024

    Ex-Defender Returns To 4th Circ. With Sex Bias Case

    A former North Carolina public defender appealed her bias case against the judiciary to the Fourth Circuit for a second time after a North Carolina federal judge refused to reconsider his ruling that she did not provide adequate notice to her ex-employer before filing suit.

  • October 17, 2024

    NJ Atty Disbarred On Charges Of Stealing Over $600K

    A New Jersey attorney accused of stealing over $600,000 from several clients through fraudulent real estate transactions over the last 10 years has been disbarred in New Jersey state and federal court.

  • October 17, 2024

    NJ Judge Shakes Ethics Charges Over Aide's Remote Work

    The New Jersey Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed ethics charges against a judge accused of improperly letting his secretary work remotely, a move he called an "honest mistake" rooted in his belief that he was authorized to make that kind of working arrangement.

  • October 16, 2024

    NH Justice Indicted For Interfering With Criminal Probe

    The New Hampshire Department of Justice announced Wednesday that New Hampshire Supreme Court Associate Justice Anna Barbara Hantz Marconi has been indicted on charges she tried to interfere with a criminal investigation focusing on her husband, the director of the New Hampshire Division of Ports and Harbors.

  • October 16, 2024

    Garth Brooks Says Rape Accuser Already Revealed Herself

    Country music star Garth Brooks on Wednesday urged a Mississippi federal court to reject a hair and makeup artist's request that he be sanctioned for publicly revealing her identity out of spite after she accused him of rape, arguing that she already agreed to use her name in the litigation.

  • October 16, 2024

    Nike Still Owes Fees In 'Cool Compression' TM Case

    A Pennsylvania federal judge on Wednesday ruled for a second time that Nike is on the hook for legal fees in a trademark lawsuit after the Third Circuit ordered him to take a closer look at the details of the case to determine if the outcome was truly "exceptional."

  • October 16, 2024

    Ex-Davis Polk Atty Drops Appeal Of Bias Verdict Loss

    A former Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP associate on Tuesday dropped his appeal of a jury verdict clearing the firm and two lawyers of liability in a suit alleging he was fired in retaliation for airing concerns about racial bias and diversity.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    The Pop Culture Docket: Judge Djerassi On Super Bowl 52

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    Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judge Ramy Djerassi discusses how Super Bowl 52, in which the Philadelphia Eagles prevailed over the New England Patriots, provides an apt metaphor for alternative dispute resolution processes in commercial business cases.

  • Considerations For Lawyer Witnesses After FTX Trial

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    Sam Bankman-Fried's recent trial testimony about his lawyers' involvement in FTX's business highlights the need for attorney-witnesses to understand privilege issues in order to avoid costly discovery disputes and, potentially, uncover critical evidence an adversary might seek to conceal, says Lawrence Bluestone at Genova Burns.

  • Employee Experience Strategy Can Boost Law Firm Success

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    Amid continuing business uncertainty, law firms should consider adopting a holistic employee experience strategy — prioritizing consistency, targeting signature moments and leveraging measurement tools — to maximize productivity and profitability, says Haley Revel at Calibrate Consulting.

  • Series

    Competing In Triathlons Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    While practicing law and competing in long-distance triathlons can make work and life feel unbalanced at times, participating in the sport has revealed important lessons about versatility, self-care and perseverance that apply to the office as much as they do the racecourse, says Laura Heusel at Butler Snow.

  • Opinion

    History Reveals Folly Of Absolute Presidential Immunity

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    As a federal appeals court grapples with former President Donald Trump’s claims that he’s immune from prosecution on election interference charges, it’s a fitting time for lawyers to reflect on the rule of law — from 13th century jurisprudence to Watergate and the Clinton impeachment — and how the idea of absolute presidential immunity is unwise, says attorney Steven Reske.

  • Where Justices Stand On Chevron Doctrine Post-Argument

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    Following recent oral argument at the U.S. Supreme Court, at least four justices appear to be in favor of overturning the long-standing Chevron deference, and three justices seem ready to uphold it, which means the ultimate decision may rest on Chief Justice John Roberts' vote, say Wayne D'Angelo and Zachary Lee at Kelley Drye.

  • Perspectives

    6 Practice Pointers For Pro Bono Immigration Practice

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    An attorney taking on their first pro bono immigration matter may find the law and procedures beguiling, but understanding key deadlines, the significance of individual immigration judges' rules and specialized aspects of the practice can help avoid common missteps, says Steven Malm at Haynes Boone.

  • Lessons From Country Singer's Personal Service Saga

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    Recent reports that country singer Luke Combs won a judgment against a Florida woman who didn’t receive notice of the counterfeit suit against her should serve as a reminder for attorneys on best practices for effectuating service by electronic means, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.

  • Series

    Baking Bread Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    After many years practicing law, and a few years baking bread, I have learned that there are a few keys to success in both endeavors, including the assembly of a nourishing and resilient culture, and the ability to learn from failure and exercise patience, says Rick Robinson at Reed Smith.

  • Federal Courts And AI Standing Orders: Safety Or Overkill?

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    Several district court judges have issued standing orders regulating the use of artificial intelligence in their courts, but courts should consider following ordinary notice and comment procedures before implementing sweeping mandates that could be unnecessarily burdensome and counterproductive, say attorneys at Curtis.

  • Wachtell-X Ruling Highlights Trend On Arbitrability Question

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    A growing body of case law, including a California state court's recent decision in X Corp. v. Wachtell, holds that incorporation of specific arbitral body rules in an arbitration provision may in and of itself constitute clear and unmistakable evidence of delegation of arbitrability to an arbitrator, and thus such clauses should be drafted carefully, say attorneys at Norton Rose.

  • 7 E-Discovery Predictions For 2024 And Beyond

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    The legal and technical issues of e-discovery now affect virtually every lawsuit, and in the year to come, practitioners can expect practices and policies to evolve in a number of ways, from the expanded use of relevancy redactions to mandated information security provisions in protective orders, say attorneys at Littler.

  • On The Edge: Lessons In Patent Litigation Financing

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    A federal judge's recent request that the U.S. Department of Justice look into IP Edge patent litigation, and that counsel be disciplined, serves as a reminder for parties asserting intellectual property rights — and their attorneys — to exercise caution when structuring a litigation financing agreement, say Samuel Habein and James De Vellis at Foley & Lardner.

  • 5 Litigation Funding Trends To Note In 2024

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    Over the next year and beyond, litigation funding will continue to evolve in ways that affect attorneys and the larger litigation landscape, from the growth of a secondary market for funded claims, to rising interest rates restricting the availability of capital, says Jeffery Lula at GLS Capital.

  • Opinion

    Stronger Attorney Rules Are Needed To Avoid A Jan. 6 Repeat

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    Given the key role lawyers played in the events leading up to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, the legal profession must shore up its rules before this year’s presidential election to make clear that lawyers who undermine the rule of law will face severe penalties, including disbarment, says Ray Brescia at Albany Law School.

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