Try our Advanced Search for more refined results
Legal Ethics
-
August 16, 2024
Atty Who Reported Client Can't Get SEC Award, DC Circ. Says
The D.C. Circuit was not moved by an attorney's attempt to claim a potential multimillion-dollar award for reporting his client to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, saying the attorney could not have reasonably believed that blowing the whistle on the $44 million fraud was in his client's best interest.
-
August 16, 2024
Jury Says Lin Wood Must Pay $750K In Defamation Case Fees
A day after returning a $3.75 million verdict against retired Atlanta defamation attorney Lin Wood in the defamation case brought against him by three of his former law partners, a Georgia federal jury on Friday said he must also pay $750,000 toward their attorney fees and costs.
-
August 16, 2024
Colo. Judge Orders Attys To Leave Assumptions At The Door
A Colorado trial judge is one of the first in the country to require parties to use gender-neutral terms until a person has identified their pronouns. Drawing on his experiences putting on a straight "costume" as a young, gay attorney, he says the aim is to make the courtroom a welcoming space for all involved.
-
August 16, 2024
NC Legislation To Watch In 2024: A Midyear Report
College "prop bets" are on the line, and a public face mask requirement could be torpedoed — at least in some situations — under two proposals being considered by the North Carolina General Assembly.
-
August 16, 2024
NC Litigation Highlights Of 2024: A Midyear Report
Several-high profile cases in North Carolina came to a close in the first half of the year, from a second bribery conviction against an insurance magnate beset by legal woes, to the anticlimactic withdrawal of a state Supreme Court justice's much-watched free speech suit. Here, Law360 looks at those and other notable rulings so far in North Carolina.
-
August 15, 2024
Amicus Beef: Judiciary Kicks Off Heated Transparency Debate
The federal judiciary's main policy panel Thursday floated a major overhaul of mandatory financial disclosures in appellate amicus briefs, a move that's being fueled by perceptions of shadowy "judicial lobbying" and already coming under siege by big business.
-
August 15, 2024
Tom Girardi Has Dementia, USC Neurologist Tells Calif. Jury
A University of Southern California neurology professor testified Thursday in Tom Girardi's California federal criminal trial that she diagnosed him with mild-to-moderate dementia months after his law firm collapsed, although the lawyer insisted at the time that his memory was fine and that he was still busily working at his firm.
-
August 15, 2024
Colo. Atty Sues Bank, Opposing Counsel Over Hack Attack
A Colorado attorney and conservative radio personality is suing Wells Fargo and opposing counsel in a divorce proceeding over their alleged role in a hacking incident that apparently caused him to wire $375,000 for a client's divorce settlement to Hong Kong.
-
August 15, 2024
Bloom Firm Settles False Claims Act Suit Over Virus PPP Loan
Civil rights attorney Lisa Bloom, her Calabasas, California-based firm and her husband have agreed to pay a combined $274,000 to settle a rival law firm's False Claims Act suit alleging they provided false information to obtain a federal Paycheck Protection Program loan during the COVID-19 pandemic.
-
August 15, 2024
Conn. Library Avoids Legal Threat Suit, But Must Face Another
A Connecticut federal judge overseeing two lawsuits brought by former library employees has thrown out one alleging that the plaintiff's public comments during a city budget meeting led to improper legal threats from her employer, while keeping another, similar case alive.
-
August 15, 2024
Collin County Gets Win In Ken Paxton Prosecution Fee Fight
A Texas appeals court handed Collin County a victory Thursday in a long-running fight over how much special prosecutors should get paid for the criminal case against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, ordering the trial court to vacate its past orders awarding attorney fees to the prosecutors.
-
August 15, 2024
Lin Wood Must Pay Ex-Partners $3.75M, Ga. Jurors Say
A Georgia federal jury said Thursday that controversial ex-attorney Lin Wood must pay $3.75 million to his three former law partners and cover their attorney fees and costs, with the exact amount of those fees to be determined Friday morning.
-
August 15, 2024
SEC Defendants Fight Ex-Latham Atty For Whistleblower Docs
A credit reporting agency at the center of a $73 million U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission lawsuit is seeking to force a retired Latham & Watkins LLP partner to hand over his discussions with a pair of SEC whistleblowers, arguing that the attorney's work for the tipsters isn't privileged.
-
August 15, 2024
Developer Loses Attempt To Get Damages From Carlton Fields
A Miami developer suing the Carlton Fields law firm for $10 million can't recover damages arising from an underlying finding of civil theft against him, a Florida state judge ruled Thursday.
-
August 15, 2024
No Dismissal Yet In Dispute Over Education Law Firm TM
A Philadelphia-based education law firm's suit seeking to cancel registration for its competitor's trademark "The Education Lawyers" must continue because open questions remain, a Pennsylvania federal judge said.
-
August 15, 2024
Texas Trio Willfully Stole Lewis Brisbois Name, Judge Says
A Texas mediation service that named itself after BigLaw behemoth Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP and told the firm to "come and take it" has infringed Lewis Brisbois' trademark and must pay its attorney fees from the bitter suit, which racked up over 300 docket entries in under two years, a Texas federal judge has ruled.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
Expert Analysis
-
Practicing Law With Parkinson's Disease
This Parkinson’s Awareness Month, Adam Siegler at Greenberg Traurig discusses his experience working as a lawyer with Parkinson’s disease, sharing both lessons on how to cope with a diagnosis and advice for supporting colleagues who live with the disease.
-
Why Incorporating By Reference Is Rarely Good Practice
The Federal Circuit’s recent ruling in Promptu Systems v. Comcast serves as a reminder that while incorporating by reference may seem efficient, it is generally prohibited by courts and can lead to sanctions when used to bypass a word count limit, says Cullen Seltzer at Sands Anderson.
-
Series
Playing Hockey Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Nearly a lifetime of playing hockey taught me the importance of avoiding burnout in all aspects of life, and the game ultimately ended up providing me with the balance I needed to maintain success in my legal career, says John Riccione at Taft.
-
For Lawyers, Pessimism Should Be A Job Skill, Not A Life Skill
A pessimistic mindset allows attorneys to be effective advocates for their clients, but it can come with serious costs for their personal well-being, so it’s crucial to exercise strategies that produce flexible optimism and connect lawyers with their core values, says Krista Larson at Stinson.
-
Trump's NY Civil Fraud Trial Spotlights Long-Criticized Law
A New York court’s recent decision holding former President Donald Trump liable for fraud brought old criticisms of the state law used against him back into the limelight — including its strikingly broad scope and its major departures from the traditional elements of common law fraud, say Mark Kelley and Lois Ahn at MoloLamken.
-
Opinion
Requiring Leave To File Amicus Briefs Is A Bad Idea
A proposal to amend the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure that would require parties to get court permission before filing federal amicus briefs would eliminate the long-standing practice of consent filing and thereby make the process less open and democratic, says Lawrence Ebner at the Atlantic Legal Foundation and DRI Center.
-
4 Ways To Motivate Junior Attorneys To Bring Their Best
As Gen Z and younger millennial attorneys increasingly express dissatisfaction with their work and head for the exits, the lawyers who manage them must understand and attend to their needs and priorities to boost engagement and increase retention, says Stacey Schwartz at Katten.
-
Series
Serving As A Sheriff's Deputy Made Me A Better Lawyer
Skills developed during my work as a reserve deputy — where there was a need to always be prepared, decisive and articulate — transferred to my practice as an intellectual property litigator, and my experience taught me that clients often appreciate and relate to the desire to participate in extracurricular activities, says Michael Friedland at Friedland Cianfrani.
-
Former Minn. Chief Justice Instructs On Writing Better Briefs
Former Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie Gildea, now at Greenberg Traurig, offers strategies on writing more effective appellate briefs from her time on the bench.
-
Stay Interviews Are Key To Retaining Legal Talent
Even as the economy shifts and layoffs continue, law firms still want to retain their top attorneys, and so-called stay interviews — informal conversations with employees to identify potential issues before they lead to turnover — can be a crucial tool for improving retention and morale, say Tina Cohen Nicol and Kate Reder Sheikh at Major Lindsey.
-
The Fed. Circ. In February: A Reminder On Procedure Rule 28
Because the Federal Circuit does not often issue a sua sponte precedential order emphasizing an important rule of practice, it is useful to look at how the court applied the restrictions of appellate procedure Rule 28 in Promptu v. Comcast last month, and in cases that preceded it, say Jeremiah Helm and Sean Murray at Knobbe Martens.
-
Opinion
DOJ Press Office Is Not Fulfilling Its Stated Mission
The U.S. Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs’ apparent practice of issuing press releases when someone is indicted or convicted, but not when a defendant prevails, undermines its stated mission to disseminate “current, complete and accurate” information, and has negative real-world ramifications, says Sara Kropf at Kropf Moseley.
-
Series
Spray Painting Makes Me A Better Lawyer
My experiences as an abstract spray paint artist have made me a better litigator, demonstrating — in more ways than one — how fluidity and flexibility are necessary parts of a successful legal practice, says Erick Sandlin at Bracewell.
-
Opinion
Litigation Funding Needs Regulating To Meet Ethics Standards
Third-party litigation funding can provide litigants with access to the legal system, but, as recent cases show, the funding agreements carry the potential for exploitation and may conflict with core aspects of the attorney-client relationship, making the need for a balanced regulation self-evident, says Deborah Winokur at Cozen O'Connor.
-
Opinion
Judicial Independence Is Imperative This Election Year
As the next election nears, the judges involved in the upcoming trials against former President Donald Trump increasingly face political pressures and threats of violence — revealing the urgent need to safeguard judicial independence and uphold the rule of law, says Benes Aldana at the National Judicial College.