Legal Ethics

  • July 19, 2024

    Calif. Firm Beats Rival's Claims In 'Sweet Justice' TM Fight

    A California federal court on Thursday nixed a personal injury firm's countersuit against its rival in a battle over the trademark use of the term "Sweet Justice," ruling that the firm's counterclaims are a "mirror-image" of the underlying suit.

  • July 19, 2024

    2nd Circ. Upholds Ax Of Ex-Ropes & Gray Clerk's Bar Exam Suit

    A former Ropes & Gray LLP attorney who was fired after twice failing the New York bar exam can't sue the state agency that administers the test for failing to accommodate her disabilities, the Second Circuit ruled Friday, finding the agency is protected by sovereign immunity.

  • July 19, 2024

    DOJ Fights Bid For Recording Of Biden's Hur Interview

    An audio recording of President Joe Biden's interview with special counsel Robert Hur is protected by executive privilege, and so is exempt from the Freedom of Information Act, despite what conservative organizations and media outlets have said, the U.S. Department of Justice told a Washington, D.C., federal judge.

  • July 19, 2024

    Draft Constitutional Amendment Would Ax Trump Immunity

    Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, on Friday released a draft of a constitutional amendment that would ensure no one is above the law, following the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling that former President Donald Trump has immunity from official acts as president.

  • July 18, 2024

    CoComelon Seeks Atty Fees And Sanctions After $23M IP Win

    The company behind the popular children's YouTube channel CoComelon urged a California federal judge Thursday to follow up its $23.4 million copyright trial win by ordering a Chinese rival to pay an additional $6.5 million in attorney fees and costs, plus $1 million more for the rival's litigation misconduct.

  • July 18, 2024

    Texas IP Firm Fights Microsoft With Dueling Sanctions Bid

    Prolific patent litigator Bill Ramey has pushed back against Microsoft's bid to sanction his law firm in Texas federal court, filing his own sanctions motion that claims the tech giant and its attorney "gleefully" filed an improper declaration in the case to defame him and his firm.

  • July 18, 2024

    Vidal Backs 'Egregious Abuse' Findings Against Vaccine Maker

    U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director Kathi Vidal has upheld a Patent Trial and Appeal Board decision to punish Longhorn Vaccines & Diagnostics for "egregious abuse of the PTAB process," a status report in a Utah federal case indicates.

  • July 18, 2024

    Atty Says Golf Malpractice Row Already Ran Its Course

    An attorney seeking summary judgment in a legal malpractice suit told a New York federal judge that, five years and three courts later, the owners of the Foothills Club West Golf Court have still failed to produce evidence to support their allegations.

  • July 18, 2024

    Creek Citizenship Case Paused Amid Tribal Court Controversy

    The Muscogee (Creek) Nation Supreme Court has paused a dispute between descendants of those once enslaved by the tribe and its citizenship board after the two plaintiffs accused the tribe's national council of illegally appointing special justices to the panel as part of a targeted campaign against them.

  • July 18, 2024

    FordHarrison Accused Of Terrorizing Conn. Library Workers

    Multistate employment law firm FordHarrison LLP has been dragged into existing feuds between a Connecticut library and two of its employees, with new state court lawsuits accusing the firm of misrepresenting state law and inflicting emotional distress by demanding the employees retract claims allegedly made at a public hearing.

  • July 18, 2024

    NY Courts Limit Access To Ethics Data, Violating Own Rules

    After a decade of widespread noncompliance with income and gift reporting rules, the New York court system's Ethics Commission has refused to publicly release all judges' annual financial disclosures, which safeguard against conflicts of interest, corruption and ethics lapses.

  • July 18, 2024

    Attorney, Businessman Acquitted Of Crash Report Scheme

    A Michigan federal judge on Tuesday cited insufficient evidence and ordered the cancellation of jury convictions against a lawyer and a medical business owner in an alleged scheme to obtain unreleased police crash reports illegally and use the reports to solicit clients.

  • July 18, 2024

    Colo. Injury Firm, Insurer End Bad Faith Suit

    Two months after a Colorado personal injury firm and insurer settled a dispute over coverage of litigation costs, the two sides have agreed to dismiss the firm's lawsuit against a former firm attorney accused of trying to steal its entire class action department.

  • July 18, 2024

    NJ Sen. President Settles Suit Over Filing After Client Died

    New Jersey State Senate President Nick Scutari settled a malpractice case this week with a woman who claimed that he botched a personal injury case on behalf of her brother by waiting until months after her brother had died to file suit.

  • July 18, 2024

    Healthcare Co. Says Fired In-House Atty Lacks Standing To Sue

    Kidney care company Panoramic Health has urged a Colorado federal judge to toss a former assistant general counsel's lawsuit that claims she was fired for raising concerns about violations of federal anti-kickback statutes.

  • July 18, 2024

    Pa. Office Blasts Atty's Blown Deadlines, Deflections Of Blame

    A disbarred Philadelphia attorney shouldn't be reinstated because his missed deadlines and deflections of blame indicated that he had not moved on from the behavior that lost him his licenses to practice in Pennsylvania and Florida, the Office of Disciplinary Counsel told a state panel Thursday.

  • July 18, 2024

    Girardi Denied Bid To Delay Client Theft Trial To October

    A California federal judge rejected disgraced lawyer Tom Girardi's motion to have his closely watched wire fraud trial moved to October from its current August start date, determining that he was unable to provide a genuine reason as to why proceedings should be pushed back two months.

  • July 18, 2024

    Ex-Pa. DA Suspended Over Alleged Prosecutorial Misconduct

    The former district attorney of Bedford County, Pennsylvania, had her law license suspended Tuesday after multiple cases she oversaw during her time in office ended up being dismissed due to prosecutorial misconduct.

  • July 18, 2024

    DeSantis Blasts Ousted Atty's 3rd Bid To 'Rush' 11th Circ. Call

    Suspended Florida prosecutor Andrew Warren should not be allowed to "rush" the Eleventh Circuit's consideration of the prosecutor's case, which could have "sweeping implications" for Florida's government, Gov. Ron DeSantis told the appellate court Thursday.

  • July 18, 2024

    Judge With Lake Property Exits $217M Dam Repair Tax Suit

    A Michigan federal judge said he would step aside in a fight over a $217 million tax assessment to fund dam reconstruction because he's part of the assessment district, though he warned that hundreds of plaintiffs could have their own conflicts.

  • July 18, 2024

    NJ Law Firm Accused Of Botching Official Misconduct Case

    A former sergeant in the Mercer County Sheriff's Office has launched a malpractice suit against a Passaic, New Jersey-based law firm, alleging that its attorneys caused him to lose thousands per month in disability benefits by mishandling his legal defense against misconduct charges.

  • July 18, 2024

    Del. Justices Asked To Undo Firm's 'Malicious' Suit Escape

    Applied Energetics is asking the Delaware Supreme Court to revive a complaint alleging Gusrae Kaplan Nusbaum PLLC and a former partner filed a frivolous federal securities fraud suit in order to hobble other litigation against the company's former chief executive officer.

  • July 18, 2024

    Defense Attys Raised Cash For New Judge In Young Thug Trial

    Three defense attorneys in the long-running and tumultuous prosecution of rapper Young Thug hosted a campaign fundraiser in 2022 for the third and latest judge assigned to the case this week, adding yet another potential hiccup to the bench's game of musical chairs.

  • July 18, 2024

    Colo. Judge Ends Voter Intimidation Case Midtrial

    A Colorado federal judge on Thursday put an abrupt end to a bench trial in a lawsuit accusing members of a 2020 election denier group of illegal voter intimidation, concluding there was not enough evidence to back up the claims brought by voting rights groups.

  • July 18, 2024

    Ex-BigLaw Atty Gets Nearly 2 Years For Election Crimes

    A former BigLaw attorney was sentenced to 21 months in prison Thursday after being convicted of campaign finance violations tied to a failed run for U.S. Congress, with a Boston federal judge citing the defendant's legal acumen and experience as a law clerk as evidence he "should have known" better.

Expert Analysis

  • What Large Language Models Mean For Document Review

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    Courts often subject parties using technology assisted review to greater scrutiny than parties conducting linear, manual document review, so parties using large language models for document review should expect even more attention, along with a corresponding need for quality control and validation, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Series

    Participating In Living History Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My role as a baron in a living history group, and my work as volunteer corporate counsel for a book series fan association, has provided me several opportunities to practice in unexpected areas of law — opening doors to experiences that have nurtured invaluable personal and professional skills, says Matthew Parker at the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.

  • Opinion

    Private Equity Owners Can Remedy Law Firms' Agency Issues

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    Nonlawyer, private-equity ownership of law firms can benefit shareholders and others vulnerable to governance issues such as disparate interests, and can in turn help resolve agency problems, says Michael Di Gennaro at The Law Practice Exchange.

  • How To Protect Atty-Client Privilege While Using Generative AI

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    When using generative artificial intelligence tools, attorneys should consider several safeguards to avoid breaches or complications in attorney-client privilege, say Antonious Sadek and Christopher Campbell at DLA Piper.

  • How New Lawyers Can Leverage Feedback For Growth

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    Embracing constructive criticism as a tool for success can help new lawyers accelerate their professional growth and law firms build a culture of continuous improvement, says Katie Aldrich at Fringe Professional Development.

  • Twitter Legal Fees Suit Offers Crash Course In Billing Ethics

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    X Corp.'s suit alleging that Wachtell grossly inflated its fees in the final days of Elon Musk’s Twitter acquisition provides a case study in how firms should protect their reputations by hewing to ethical billing practices and the high standards for professional conduct that govern attorney-client relationships, says Lourdes Fuentes at Karta Legal.

  • ABA's Money-Laundering Resolution Is A Balancing Act

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    While the American Bar Association’s recently passed resolution recognizes a lawyer's duty to discontinue representation that could facilitate money laundering and other fraudulent activity, it preserves, at least for now, the delicate balance of judicial, state-based regulation of the legal profession and the sanctity of the attorney-client relationship, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.

  • Law Firm Professional Development Steps To Thrive In AI Era

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    As generative artificial intelligence tools rapidly evolve, professional development leaders are instrumental in preparing law firms for the paradigm shifts ahead, and should consider three strategies to help empower legal talent with the skills required to succeed in an increasingly complex technological landscape, say Steve Gluckman and Anusia Gillespie at SkillBurst Interactive.

  • Nev. Insurance Law May Mean Turmoil In Liability Market

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    Nevada's new law prohibiting insurers from issuing or renewing defense-within-limits liability policies in the state could cause professional liability insurers to withdraw certain products or prohibitively increase premiums — and while an emergency regulation allows for exceptions, the situation remains fluid, says Joshua Leach at Atheria Law.

  • Lessons From High-Profile Witness Tampering Allegations

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    As demonstrated by recent developments in the cases against former President Donald Trump and FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, allegations of witness tampering can carry serious consequences — but attorneys can employ certain strategies to mitigate the risk that accusations arise, says Kenneth Notter at MoloLamken.

  • Covington Ruling Strengthens SEC's Enforcement Powers

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    A Washington, D.C., federal court’s recent order that Covington & Burling provide the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission with the identities of its clients in response to a subpoena reinforces the agency’s broad authority to investigate cybersecurity violations, and suggests law firms must take steps to strengthen data privacy, say Elisha Kobre and Ryan Dean at Bradley Arant.

  • 'Blind Side' Family Case Is A Cautionary Tale For Attorneys

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    Former NFL player Michael Oher's recent allegations against Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy that they never legally adopted him and tricked him into conservatorship — which paint a very different picture than the 2009 film "The Blind Side" — demonstrate the importance of attorney due diligence and safeguards against abuse of process, says Roland Weekley at Smith Gambrell.

  • The Basics Of Being A Knowledge Management Attorney

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Michael Lehet at Ogletree Deakins discusses the role of knowledge management attorneys at law firms, the common tasks they perform and practical tips for lawyers who may be considering becoming one.

  • To Hire And Keep Top Talent, Think Beyond Compensation

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    Firms seeking to appeal to sophisticated clients and top-level partners should promote mentorship, ensure that attorneys from diverse backgrounds feel valued, and clarify policies about at-home work, says Patrick Moya at Quaero Group.

  • Ethics Issues For Mainland Firms Involved In Maui Fire Suits

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    Before law firms located outside of Hawaii represent clients affected by the Lahaina wildfires, they must be aware of local ethics rules and regulatory gray areas, as any any ethical missteps could have major ramifications for the firm's practice in its home jurisdiction, says Ryan Little at Klinedinst.

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