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Legal Ethics
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July 26, 2024
Hunter Biden's Attys Made 'False Statements,' Judge Says
The California federal judge overseeing Hunter Biden's criminal tax trial threatened to sanction the presidential son's lawyers Wednesday, saying they made "false statements" in a motion to dismiss that cited a Florida federal judge's order disqualifying the special prosecutor in Donald Trump's classified documents case.
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July 26, 2024
Cuomo Harassment Document Fight Heads To NY Appeals Court
A Manhattan judge on Friday allowed both the New York attorney general and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo to appeal parts of a decision requiring the state to produce unredacted transcripts of some witness interviews in the sexual harassment investigation that led to Cuomo's resignation.
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July 26, 2024
7th Circ. Nixes Ex-Immigration Attorney's Appeal
The Seventh Circuit nixed an appeal from a former immigration attorney found guilty of conspiring with clients, interpreters and employees to submit fabricated asylum applications, saying the lower court didn't err in its rulings about benefits the government provided to some witnesses.
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July 26, 2024
Ex-Calif. Bar Exec Misrepresented Bar Funds Use, Judge Says
A California State Bar Court judge on Wednesday recommended a one-year stayed suspension and one-year probationary period for a former California state senator and state bar executive director accused of using thousands of dollars from bar funds for a 2014 trip to Mongolia — a lesser penalty than the presumed professional sanctions.
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July 26, 2024
Hearing Set Over Bid To Recuse Judge In Philly Zantac Cases
A Philadelphia judge will hear arguments next month over a recusal motion filed by plaintiffs' counsel in the city's Zantac mass tort program that argues the judge should remove himself from the proceedings after he disclosed his wife is a partner at Reed Smith, which represents GlaxoSmithKline, a manufacturer of the drug.
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July 26, 2024
5th Circ. Can't Shake Remand Order In Firm Poaching Dispute
The Fifth Circuit is powerless to review a remand order issued by a Texas district court in a Houston law firm's poaching suit against a former associate, with a panel finding that, although "intuition and basic legal principles" suggest the circuit court holds appellate jurisdiction to weigh in, precedent forbids it.
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July 26, 2024
Ex-Thompson Hine Atty Says Firm Can't Oppose NY Jurisdiction
Former Thompson Hine LLP income partner Rebecca Brazzano fired back at efforts by two firm partners to dismiss her lawsuit alleging sexual harassment, contending among other arguments that they waived their right to contest personal jurisdiction by filing another motion that attempts to force arbitration that didn't raise the jurisdiction issue.
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July 26, 2024
Fla. Law Firm Settles Ex-Paralegal's Sex Harassment Suit
Florida-based insurance law firm Property Litigation Group PLLC has reached a settlement with a former paralegal who alleged she was fired after reporting unwanted sexual advances and case mismanagement by a senior attorney.
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July 26, 2024
Rutgers Fights Contempt Bid By Student Who Filed Bias Suit
Rutgers University wants a New Jersey state court to reject a bid by a law school student who filed a discrimination suit against it to hold the school in contempt for moving ahead with disciplinary measures against him, arguing there is "no basis" to grant the request.
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July 26, 2024
Bad Online Security Botched $800K Home Sale, Suit Says
A five-attorney Connecticut law firm's "archaic" email and computer systems allowed hackers to infiltrate an approximately $800,000 home sale and divert cash to fake accounts, a new federal lawsuit against Hastings Cohan & Walsh LLP and one of its attorneys alleges.
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July 26, 2024
NJ Justices Won't Discipline Ex-Judge Twice For Estate Work
The New Jersey Supreme Court has thrown out an ethics complaint against a retired state judge for continuing to administer a deceased client's estate for 13 years after being appointed to the bench.
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July 26, 2024
Wait For Depositions May Delay Cognizant Bribe Trial Again
Trial in a five-year-old case alleging two former Cognizant executives authorized a bribe to a government official in India could be delayed again after New Jersey federal prosecutors said on Friday that the current Sept. 9 date is too soon to complete necessary depositions in that country.
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July 25, 2024
DOJ Watchdog Criticizes Barr But Clears Him Of Wrongdoing
The U.S. Department of Justice's watchdog on Thursday chided former Attorney General William Barr for violating DOJ policies via his handling of information regarding an election fraud investigation in Pennsylvania during the 2020 presidential election, though it said he didn't technically commit misconduct.
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July 25, 2024
Girardi Can't Block Firm's Chapter 7 Evidence In Fraud Trial
Tom Girardi can't exclude evidence from his upcoming trial that he claims prosecutors illegally obtained from his firm's bankruptcy trustee, after a California federal judge said Thursday no constitutional rights were violated since the evidence was the bankruptcy estate's property and in the trustee's possession.
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July 25, 2024
Justice Kagan Floats Committee To Enforce High Court Ethics
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan said Thursday that the high court "should" and "could" create a mechanism like a committee of lower-court judges to enforce a code of conduct, while acknowledging the "complications" in deciding who should be the enforcers.
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July 25, 2024
Blue Bottle Won't Be Sanctioned Or Pay Atty Fees In TM Row
Blue Bottle won't be sanctioned nor ordered to pay $1.15 million in fees for losing its trademark suit against a company selling "Blue Brew" brand accessories, with a California federal judge ruling Wednesday that its infringement claims weren't frivolous and that its likelihood of confusion argument was "rooted in good faith."
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July 25, 2024
Trump Judge Won't Exit Over 'Nothingburger' Atty Encounter
The New York judge who ordered Donald Trump to pay $465 million in penalties in his civil fraud case Thursday rejected the former president's demand that he step down from the case, saying a brief hallway encounter with an attorney acquaintance was a "nothingburger" that did not influence his decision.
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July 25, 2024
Embattled Texas Law Firm Wants More Time For Ch. 11 Plan
Troubled Houston law firm MMA Law asked a Texas bankruptcy court to extend the exclusivity period to file a Chapter 11 plan for 120 more days, with a current filing exclusivity period set to end in early August.
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July 25, 2024
Defense Teams' Solidarity Key In Hawaii DA's Acquittal
California federal prosecutors' bribery case against a prosecutor, a businessman and an outside counsel collapsed after no defendant turned state's evidence and one even testified for the defense, showing the value of presenting a unified front, the winning lawyers said.
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July 25, 2024
DA Says Trump Immunity Ruling Doesn't Affect NY Convictions
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg told a New York judge Thursday that the U.S. Supreme Court's presidential immunity ruling has no bearing on Donald Trump's conviction in his hush-money case since the charges relate to unofficial acts.
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July 25, 2024
The 5 Biggest Mass. Top Court Rulings Of 2024 So Far
It was an eventful first half of 2024 for Massachusetts' top appellate panel, which issued a landmark sentencing ruling, weighed in on time limits in civil cases and addressed whether an attorney falling asleep mid-trial is grounds for a successful appeal.
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July 25, 2024
Conn. Firm Accused Of Maliciously Pressing Fraud Suit
A Connecticut woman is accusing personal injury law firm Carter Mario PC of maliciously filing a lawsuit demanding she turn over her house in an effort to harass her after her ex-husband was unable to satisfy a $500,000 judgment in a separate case alleging voyeurism.
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July 25, 2024
Ex-Pharma Exec's Counsel Accused Of Reading Stolen Emails
A New Jersey pharmaceutical startup wants to disqualify the "tainted" attorneys of a former executive who was allegedly caught spying on the CEO, claiming the attorneys should have immediately shielded their eyes when they realized their client was using stolen, privileged emails to carry out an "attempted shakedown."
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July 25, 2024
Dems, And Now Biden, Contemplate Supreme Court Reform
On the heels of President Joe Biden saying he will push for U.S. Supreme Court reform in the final months of his presidency, two Democratic lawmakers on Thursday rallied to promote a bill that would increase the number of seats on the court from nine to 13.
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July 25, 2024
Ex-Conn. Tax Official Cites 'Just Cause' To Challenge Firing
A former high-level legal director at the Connecticut Department of Revenue Services has asked the state's intermediate appellate court to reverse her termination, saying the agency, an employment review board and a state trial court judge all failed to apply "just cause" standards to her firing as a managerial worker.
Expert Analysis
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Series
Being An EMT Makes Me A Better Lawyer
While some of my experiences as an emergency medical technician have been unusually painful and searing, the skills I’ve learned — such as triage, empathy and preparedness — are just as useful in my work as a restructuring lawyer, says Marshall Huebner at Davis Polk.
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Exploring An Alternative Model Of Litigation Finance
A new model of litigation finance, most aptly described as insurance-backed litigation funding, differs from traditional funding in two key ways, and the process of securing it involves three primary steps, say Bob Koneck, Christopher Le Neve Foster and Richard Butters at Atlantic Global Risk LLC.
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Trump Hush Money Case Offers Master Class In Trial Strategy
The New York criminal hush money trial of former President Donald Trump typifies some of the greatest challenges that lawyers face in crafting persuasive presentations, providing lessons on how to handle bad facts, craft a simple story that withstands attack, and cross-examine with that story in mind, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.
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Series
Teaching Yoga Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Being a yoga instructor has helped me develop my confidence and authenticity, as well as stress management and people skills — all of which have crossed over into my career as an attorney, says Laura Gongaware at Clyde & Co.
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A Vision For Economic Clerkships In The Legal System
As courts handle increasingly complex damages analyses involving vast amounts of data, an economic clerkship program — integrating early-career economists into the judicial system — could improve legal outcomes and provide essential training to clerks, say Mona Birjandi at Data for Decisions and Matt Farber at Secretariat.
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E-Discovery Quarterly: Recent Rulings On Text Message Data
Electronically stored information on cellphones, and in particular text messages, can present unique litigation challenges, and recent court decisions demonstrate that counsel must carefully balance what data should be preserved, collected, reviewed and produced, say attorneys at Sidley.
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'Fat Leonard' Case Shows High Bar For Rescinding Guilty Plea
Prosecutors’ recent move in the “Fat Leonard” bribery case, supporting several defendants’ motions to withdraw their guilty pleas, is extremely unusual – and its contrast with other prosecutions demonstrates that the procedural safeguards at plea hearings are far from enough, says Sara Kropf at Kropf Moseley.
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Series
Swimming Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Years of participation in swimming events, especially in the open water, have proven to be ideal preparation for appellate arguments in court — just as you must put your trust in the ocean when competing in a swim event, you must do the same with the judicial process, says John Kulewicz at Vorys.
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As Arbitrator Bias Claims Rise, Disclosure Standards Evolve
The growth in post-award challenges based on arbitrators' alleged conflicts of interest has led to the release of new guidance and new case law on the topic — both supporting the view that professional familiarity alone does not translate to a lack of impartiality, say attorneys at Skadden.
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Don't Use The Same Template For Every Client Alert
As the old marketing adage goes, consistency is key, but law firm style guides need consistency that contemplates variety when it comes to client alert formats, allowing attorneys to tailor alerts to best fit the audience and subject matter, says Jessica Kaplan at Legally Penned.
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Series
Walking With My Dog Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Thanks to my dog Birdie, I've learned that carving out an activity different from the practice of law — like daily outdoor walks that allow you to interact with new people — can contribute to professional success by boosting creativity and mental acuity, as well as expanding your social network, says Sarah Petrie at the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office.
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Think Like A Lawyer: Follow The Iron Rule Of Trial Logic
Many diligent and eager attorneys include every good fact, point and rule in their trial narratives — spurred by the gnawing fear they’ll be second-guessed for leaving something out — but this approach ignores a fundamental principle of successful trial lawyering, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.
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The Art Of Asking: Leveraging Your Contacts For Referrals
Though attorneys may hesitate to ask for referral recommendations to generate new business, research shows that people want to help others they know, like and trust, so consider who in your network you should approach and how to make the ask, says Rebecca Hnatowski at Edwards Advisory.
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Series
Being An Equestrian Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Beyond getting experience thinking on my feet and tackling stressful situations, the skills I've gained from horseback riding have considerable overlap with the skills used to practice law, particularly in terms of team building, continuing education, and making an effort to reset and recharge, says Kerry Irwin at Moore & Van Allen.
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4 Ways To Refresh Your Law Firm's Marketing Strategy
With many BigLaw firms relying on an increasingly obsolete marketing approach that prioritizes stiff professionalism over authentic connection, adopting a few key communications strategies to better connect with today's clients and prospects can make all the difference, say Eric Pacifici and Kevin Henderson at SMB Law.