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Legal Ethics
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September 19, 2024
Mich. Judge Can't End Probe Over Alleged Lies
Michigan's judicial misconduct watchdog on Wednesday rejected a recommendation to dismiss an ethics probe of a Detroit judge accused of lying to investigators about another judge's alleged misconduct, finding that a public hearing is necessary to determine the merits of the case.
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September 19, 2024
Disbarred Fla. Atty Sentenced To Jail Time For Contempt
A disbarred Florida attorney has been sentenced to time in jail followed by probation and ordered to pay a nearly $24,000 fine for indirect criminal contempt and continuing to practice law even after his license was revoked.
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September 19, 2024
Philly Legal Org Fights Attorney's Race Bias Claims
The Defender Association of Philadelphia says a Black former public defender has no basis for racial bias allegations stemming from her allegedly discriminatory firing, arguing that her claims were investigated and rejected by the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission.
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September 19, 2024
Quinn Emanuel Role Must Face Scrutiny, Djibouti Tells DC Circ.
The Republic of Djibouti has told the D.C. Circuit that there is no need to take a second look at a panel's July opinion that sent a dispute involving a $470 million-plus arbitral award back to the trial court to determine whether Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP had authority to represent a port operator in a long-running legal battle.
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September 18, 2024
Stonewalling Justifies Cab Co. Atty's Deposition, Court Rules
A Florida appeals court ruled Wednesday that counsel for Yellow Cab Co. can be deposed after the company's president stonewalled a personal injury plaintiff by answering "I have no idea" to virtually every question at his deposition, saying "exceptional circumstances" warrant the second deposition.
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September 18, 2024
Fla. Judge Won't Sanction Circle K Over Late-Produced Docs
A Florida judge Wednesday declined to sanction Circle K for failing to disclose the name of the contractor that inspected the gas pump where a woman was later killed, finding that the woman's family had failed to convincingly show that the company had deliberately schemed to hide the information.
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September 18, 2024
Wynn Resorts To Pay Investors $70M Over Misconduct Claims
Wynn Resorts, its former CEO Stephen Wynn and others have reached a $70 million settlement in Nevada federal court to end an investor class action accusing the hotel and casino giant of deceiving shareholders by covering up allegations of Wynn's sexual misconduct, according to a Tuesday filing.
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September 18, 2024
Georgia High Court Won't Hear Missed Patent Deadline Case
The highest court in Georgia has decided not to take up an appeal from a neurosurgeon in his nearly $102 million lawsuit, letting stand a lower court's finding that a patent docketing contractor used by remote law firm FisherBroyles can't be held liable for a missed patent application deadline.
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September 18, 2024
Texas AG Ran Voter Intimidation Campaign, Dem County Says
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton used his office for voter suppression, Travis County officials claim in a suit filed Tuesday in Texas federal court, saying that Paxton launched an "intimidation campaign" against them to discourage voter registration of those he doesn't agree with politically.
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September 18, 2024
SEC Settles Latest Covington Info Theft Case For $33K
A New Jersey man will pay a $33,000 civil penalty to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for insider trading on confidential merger tips that his cousin stole from a Covington & Burling LLP lawyer, according to a settlement filed in New York federal court on Wednesday.
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September 18, 2024
IP Firm Prevails In Malpractice Suit Over Dueling Patent Apps
A Boston intellectual property law firm on Wednesday ducked a legal malpractice suit brought by a Colorado technology company alleging the firm betrayed it while filing patents on behalf of another client, after a Massachusetts federal judge found an absence of attorney-client relationship sunk the claims.
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September 18, 2024
Toshiba Loses Bid To Sanction Mich. Energy Cos. Over Depo
A Michigan federal judge has rejected Toshiba and its subsidiary's request for sanctions against the state's largest energy companies despite Toshiba's claim that their witness failed to answer certain questions at a deposition, ruling Toshiba didn't properly lay out what it wanted the witness to talk about and that his other answers were appropriate.
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September 18, 2024
Texas Firm, Marketing Biz Settle 'Click To Call' Ad Scheme Suit
A Houston-based personal injury firm has reached a settlement with an Oklahoma-based marketing company it accused in a federal lawsuit of diverting clients and business to competitors through misleading advertisements in a click-to-call scheme.
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September 18, 2024
Ex-Gunster Client Says Firm Can't Shake Data Breach Suit
A former client urged a Florida federal court Tuesday to reject a bid from Gunster Yoakley & Stewart PA to toss a proposed class action related to a data breach in 2022.
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September 18, 2024
Calif. Atty Can't Escape Billing Scandal's Hacking Claim
A San Fernando Valley attorney will have to face his ethics case that alleges he tried to hire "Israeli military hackers" to access personal accounts of a judge overseeing a public utility class action, after the California State Bar court rejected his motion to dismiss.
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September 18, 2024
Texas Criminal Court Pauses Paxton Prosecutor Fee Ruling
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on Tuesday agreed to pause a lower court ruling that would allow Collin County to pay a lower amount to the special prosecutors appointed to oversee the securities fraud case against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, putting the county's victory on ice while it considers the dispute.
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September 18, 2024
Real Estate Atty Pleads Guilty To Ga. COVID Funds Fraud
The former operator of a Georgia-based real estate law firm has pled guilty to two fraud charges totaling about $500,000, including fraudulently obtaining nearly $300,000 in COVID-19 government relief funds, as part of an agreement that blocks the U.S. attorney in Atlanta from bringing any additional related charges.
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September 18, 2024
Sidley Can't Escape Malpractice Suit In Ga. Over Tax Scheme
A Georgia federal judge has found that Sidley Austin LLP must face its former clients' legal malpractice claims alleging they participated in a tax scheme under the firm's guidance, but threw out indemnity claims seeking reimbursement for paying the IRS $7 million over the scheme.
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September 17, 2024
DOJ Investigating Alaska US Atty's Office, Murkowski Says
Sen. Lisa Murkowski revealed Tuesday that the U.S. Department of Justice is investigating the U.S. attorney's office in Anchorage following the resignation of an Alaska federal judge who reportedly had an "inappropriately sexualized relationship" with a law clerk even after she joined the prosecutors' office.
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September 17, 2024
Fla. Panel Told Boies Schiller Film Co. Had Proper Fraud Claim
A financier for the Natalie Portman movie "Jane Got A Gun" told a Florida state appellate panel Tuesday that a lower court wrongly denied a fraud claim against a co-funder, saying the law was misapplied in determining that misrepresentations couldn't be relied upon for loaning money to complete filming.
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September 17, 2024
Ga. Atty Disbarred For Mishandling Injury Settlement Funds
The Georgia Supreme Court on Tuesday stripped an Atlanta attorney of his law license for mishandling personal injury settlement funds in three cases, including by using some of the money for his personal use and failing to promptly pay a medical clinic for its related claims.
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September 17, 2024
In-House Atty Brings Bias Suit Over Firing After Miscarriage
A former in-house attorney at chemicals company Arxada has launched a discrimination lawsuit in New Jersey state court accusing the business of unlawfully terminating her in the days after she showed interest in going on leave to recover from a miscarriage.
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September 17, 2024
Duane Morris Atty Asks Court To Keep Proposed Class Alive
A Duane Morris LLP attorney asked a California federal court to keep her proposed class action against the firm alive, alleging the BigLaw firm is mischaracterizing her claims that it underpaid and misclassified employees.
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September 17, 2024
Ex-Plexus Lawyer Suspended For Misleading Client, Insurer
A former solicitor at Plexus Legal LLP, the now-defunct law firm, has been suspended after she filed a misleading witness statement at court and failed to disclose that a defense and counterclaim had been struck out, a London tribunal has ruled.
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September 17, 2024
Holland & Knight Slams Suit Over Ex-Atty's Client Info Access
Holland & Knight LLP urged a Pennsylvania federal judge on Monday to throw out what it called a "scattershot and vague" lawsuit alleging that a former firm partner unlawfully accessed a client's confidential documents in order to gain an upper hand in the partner's contentious divorce proceeding.
Expert Analysis
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How To Grow Marketing, Biz Dev Teams In A Tight Market
Faced with fierce competition and rising operating costs, firms are feeling the pressure to build a well-oiled marketing and business development team that supports strategic priorities, but they’ll need to be flexible and creative given a tight talent market, says Ben Curle at Ambition.
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Series
Rock Climbing Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Rock climbing requires problem-solving, focus, risk management and resilience, skills that are also invaluable assets in my role as a finance lawyer, says Mei Zhang at Haynes and Boone.
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Think Like A Lawyer: Dance The Legal Standard Two-Step
From rookie brief writers to Chief Justice John Roberts, lawyers should master the legal standard two-step — framing the governing standard at the outset, and clarifying why they meet that standard — which has benefits for both the drafter and reader, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.
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Avoiding Legal Ethics Landmines In Preindictment Meetings
U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez's recent bribery conviction included obstruction charges based on his former lawyer's preindictment presentation to prosecutors, highlighting valuable lessons on the legal ethics rules implicated in these kinds of defense presentations, say Steve Miller and Hilary Gerzhoy at HWG.
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Series
Being A Luthier Makes Me A Better Lawyer
When I’m not working as an appellate lawyer, I spend my spare time building guitars — a craft known as luthiery — which has helped to enhance the discipline, patience and resilience needed to write better briefs, says Rob Carty at Nichols Brar.
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Lead Like 'Ted Lasso' By Embracing Cognitive Diversity
The Apple TV+ series “Ted Lasso” aptly illustrates how embracing cognitive diversity can be a winning strategy for teams, providing a useful lesson for law firms, which can benefit significantly from fresh, diverse perspectives and collaborative problem-solving, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.
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Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: July Lessons
In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy considers cases touching on pre- and post-conviction detainment conditions, communications with class representatives, when the American Pipe tolling doctrine stops applying to modified classes, and more.
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Opinion
Now More Than Ever, Lawyers Must Exhibit Professionalism
As society becomes increasingly fractured and workplace incivility is on the rise, attorneys must champion professionalism and lead by example, demonstrating how lawyers can respectfully disagree without being disagreeable, says Edward Casmere at Norton Rose.
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Series
Serving In The National Guard Makes Me A Better Lawyer
My ongoing military experience as a judge advocate general in the National Guard has shaped me as a person and a lawyer, teaching me the importance of embracing confidence, balance and teamwork in both my Army and civilian roles, says Danielle Aymond at Baker Donelson.
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Lawyers Must Be Careful When Using Listservs
The American Bar Association's formal opinion from May correctly states that attorneys must obtain clients' consent before posing related questions to listservs, but potential risks and drawbacks of using listservs go beyond those highlighted by the ABA, says Deborah Winokur at Cozen O'Connor.
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A Midyear Forecast: Tailwinds Expected For Atty Hourly Rates
Hourly rates for partners, associates and support staff continued to rise in the first half of this year, and this growth shows no signs of slowing for the rest of 2024 and into next year, driven in part by the return of mergers and acquisitions and the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence, says Chuck Chandler at Valeo Partners.
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Opinion
States Should Loosen Law Firm Ownership Restrictions
Despite growing buzz, normalized nonlawyer ownership of law firms is a distant prospect, so the legal community should focus first on liberalizing state restrictions on attorney and firm purchases of practices, which would bolster succession planning and improve access to justice, says Michael Di Gennaro at The Law Practice Exchange.
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Series
Solving Puzzles Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Tackling daily puzzles — like Wordle, KenKen and Connections — has bolstered my intellectual property litigation practice by helping me to exercise different mental skills, acknowledge minor but important details, and build and reinforce good habits, says Roy Wepner at Kaplan Breyer.
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Texas Ethics Opinion Flags Hazards Of Unauthorized Practice
The Texas Professional Ethics Committee's recently issued proposed opinion finding that in-house counsel providing legal services to the company's clients constitutes the unauthorized practice of law is a valuable clarification given that a UPL violation — a misdemeanor in most states — carries high stakes, say Hilary Gerzhoy and Julienne Pasichow at HWG.
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In Memoriam: The Modern Administrative State
On June 28, the modern administrative state, where courts deferred to agency interpretations of ambiguous statutes, died when the U.S. Supreme Court overruled its previous decision in Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council — but it is survived by many cases decided under the Chevron framework, say Joseph Schaeffer and Jessica Deyoe at Babst Calland.