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Menendez Appeal Could Make Hay From Bribery Case Law
Sen. Robert Menendez's planned "aggressive" appeal will almost certainly include broadsides against his novel foreign-agent conviction and attempt to capitalize on the U.S. Supreme Court's proven appetite for bribery cases, experts say.
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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.
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Federal Judges Walk Ethics Tightrope With Clerk Boycotts
Federal judges may be running afoul of ethics rules in boycotting law clerks from certain schools over political activity related to the Israel-Hamas war, a move that could erode confidence in the courts, exacerbate inequities in the clerk-hiring process, and ripple out to law firms and their clients, experts say.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Meet The Atty Fighting Ex-Conn. Chief Defender's Dismissal
The former chief public defender in Connecticut is gearing up for battles in state and federal court challenging her June dismissal from her role, with an attorney who successfully argued before the U.S. Supreme Court at the helm.
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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.
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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.
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Special Counsel To Appeal Ax Of Trump Classified Docs Case
Special Counsel Jack Smith told a Florida federal court Wednesday that he was challenging U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon's order earlier this week tossing the classified documents criminal case against Donald Trump, according to a notice of appeal.
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Colo. Federal Judge Tells Attys To Focus On Fundamentals
U.S. District Judge S. Kato Crews told a room of attorneys Wednesday he's concerned by the sloppiness of veteran lawyers he's witnessed in the past year, prompting him to be more of a stickler on procedure than when he was a magistrate judge.
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'Rust' Fiasco Shows Harm Of Gatekeeping Evidence, Attys Say
The dismissal of Alec Baldwin's criminal charges in the "Rust" movie shooting serves as a "glaring example" of how a case can tumble off the rails when prosecutors decide whether evidence is valuable to the defense, experts say.
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Ex-Cognizant Execs Bemoan Access Woes In Bribery Case
Former Cognizant executives accused of authorizing a bribe to a government official in India have told a New Jersey federal court that obstacles to their access to evidence and overseas witnesses undermine their right to a fair trial and could warrant the dismissal of the case.
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Two Days In, New Judge In Young Thug Trial Bails Out
Just days after taking over the long-running racketeering trial of rapper Young Thug after its last judge was forced out over bias concerns, the case's new judge said Wednesday she was stepping down due to one of her former deputies' romantic involvement with a co-defendant.
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Judge Says Atty Shouldn't Be Deported For Crash Scheme
A Michigan federal judge on Wednesday urged federal officials not to deport a Canadian attorney sentenced for his involvement in an illegal crash victim solicitation scheme, saying that outside of the scheme, the attorney has a "hell of a lot" to offer the community.
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Former Las Vegas Rep Charged In Charity Fraud Scheme
A former Las Vegas city councilwoman and current justice of the peace for Nye County, Nevada, has been charged with defrauding donors through a fake charity she set up to honor police officers killed on duty.
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Ex-Fed. Judge Likely Conflicted In 23 Cases, Say Prosecutors
Disgraced District of Alaska Judge Joshua Kindred presided over at least 23 criminal cases in which attorneys appearing before him may have had inappropriate relationships with the judge, according to an email sent by federal prosecutors and obtained Wednesday by Law360.
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Calif. Judge Admonished For Saying Victim Smelled Of Pot
A California state judge was publicly admonished for making a series of inappropriate remarks in court, including one instance where he said a victim smelled of marijuana, according to a decision by the California Commission on Judicial Performance.
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High Court Rulings Don't Nix Judge Romance Suit, Court Told
An investor suing Jackson Walker LLP over an ex-employee's secret romantic relationship with a former Texas bankruptcy judge told the court Tuesday that, despite what the firm says, recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions on standing do not change the fact that he suffered real harm from the firm.
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Justices Rarely Use Racial Terms In Race-Based Cases
U.S. Supreme Court justices rarely use racial terminology like "Black," "Hispanic" or "Asian" at oral arguments, even in cases that explicitly hinge on race, according to a new study that asks whether "racial anxiety" may be hindering a more open and honest discussion of these issues in the nation's highest court.
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Chief Deputy SDNY Bankruptcy Clerk To Be Bankruptcy Judge
The chief deputy clerk for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York — a former Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP attorney who served as the lead law clerk on the liquidation of Bernie Madoff's investment securities company — is set to become a U.S. bankruptcy judge in Poughkeepsie.
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After #MeToo, Report Suggests Judiciary Workplace Reforms
A report released on Wednesday makes 34 suggested reforms for the federal judiciary to better protect its approximately 30,000 employees, including clerks, building off changes made following the #MeToo movement.
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Ex-Partners Fight 'Cynical' Lin Wood's Judge DQ Attempt
Former colleagues of retired Georgia attorney Lin Wood slammed a bid to have the judge presiding over a defamation trial next month disqualified over his ties to Alston & Bird LLP, calling the effort "another last-minute, 'Hail Mary' attempt to delay the upcoming trial."
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Massachusetts Governor Taps 5 For Superior Court Vacancies
A federal prosecutor, a criminal defense lawyer and a deputy chief in the Massachusetts attorney general's office are among five nominations to the state Superior Court announced Wednesday by Gov. Maura Healey.
Expert Analysis
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DoNotPay Cases Underscore Hurdles For AI-Fueled Legal Help
Recent legal challenges against DoNotPay’s "robot lawyer” application highlight pressing questions about the degree to which artificial intelligence can be used for legal tasks while remaining on the right side of both consumer protection laws and prohibitions against the unauthorized practice of law, says Kristen Niven at Frankfurt Kurnit.
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For The Future Of Legal Practice, Let's Learn From The Past
At some level, every practicing lawyer is experiencing the ever-increasing speed of change — and while some practice management processes have gotten more efficient, other things about the legal profession were better before supposed improvements were made, says Jay Silberblatt, president of the Pennsylvania Bar Association.
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Why All Law Firms Should Foster Psychological Capital
Law firms will be able to reap great long-term benefits if they adopt strategies to nurture four critical components of their employees' psychological wellness and performance — hope, efficacy, resilience and optimism, says Dennis Stolle at the American Psychological Association.
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ChatGPT Is A Cool Trick, But AI Won't Replace Lawyers
Generative AI applications like ChatGPT are unlikely to ever replace attorneys for a variety of practical reasons — but given their practice-enhancing capabilities, lawyers who fail to leverage these tools may be rendered obsolete, says Eran Kahana at Maslon.
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Pro Bono Work Is Valuable In IP And Continued Learning
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's recent elimination of a rule that partially counted pro bono work toward continuing legal education highlights the importance of volunteer work in intellectual property practice and its ties to CLE, and puts a valuable tool for hands-on attorney education in the hands of the states, say Lisa Holubar and Ariel Katz at Irwin.
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Increasing Public Access To Legal Services: A Practical Plan
Recommendations recently issued by a special committee of the Florida Bar represent a realistic, pragmatic approach to increasing the accessibility and affordability of legal services, at a time when the disconnect between the legal profession and the public at large has widened considerably, says Gary Lesser, president of the Florida Bar.
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Priorities For Improving The Legal Industry In Texas
To assist Texas lawyers in effectively executing their duties, we should be working on succession planning, attorney wellness, and increasing understanding of the grievance system by both bar members and the public, says Laura Gibson, president of the State Bar of Texas.
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Leading Your Law Firm's Creation Of A New Practice Group
Marjorie Peerce and Peter Jaslow at Ballard Spahr discuss the challenges of building a new law firm practice group from the ground up, and how sustained commitment, communication and collaboration are the key ingredients for success.
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Series
Ask A Mentor: How Do I Relay Shortcomings To Associates?
Michael Cohen at Duane Morris discusses the best ways to articulate how an associate is not meeting expectations, and why documentation of performance management is crucial for their growth and protecting the firm from discrimination suits.
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10 Principles For Effective Partner Reward Systems
Several forces are reshaping partners’ expectations about profit-sharing, and as compensation structures evolve in response, firms should keep certain fundamentals in mind to build a successful partner reward system, say Michael Roch at MHPR Advisors and Ray D'Cruz at Performance Leader.
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Why Interdisciplinarity Is Key To Designing The Future Of Law
The legal profession faces challenges that urgently demand new solutions, and lawyers and firms can address this by leaning on other industries that have more experience practicing, teaching and incorporating innovation into their core business and service models, says Jennifer Leonard at the University of Pennsylvania.
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Incorporating ADA Guidance Into Lawyer Wellness Movement
The Americans with Disabilities Act and rules of professional conduct may help the legal profession promote lawyer well-being by focusing on mental conditions' actual impact, rather than on associated stereotypes, says Alex Long at the University of Tennessee College of Law.
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Series
Ask A Mentor: How Can New Partners Generate Business?
Christine Wong at MoFo discusses how newly elected partners can prioritize business development by creating a strategic plan with the firm's marketing team and strengthening relationships with professional and personal networks.
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9 Writing Tips From The Justices' Opinions Last Term
Hidden in the U.S. Supreme Court’s opinions from the last term are each justice’s talents for crafting choice turns of phrase, highlighting best practices for attorneys to jump-start their own writing, says Ross Guberman at BriefCatch.
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What Web3 Means For Lawyers' Ethical Duties
As law firms embrace Web3 technologies by accepting cryptocurrency as payment for legal fees, investing in metaverse departments and more, lawyers should remember their ethical duties to warn clients of the benefits and risks of technology in a murky regulatory environment, says Heidi Frostestad Kuehl at Northern Illinois University College of Law.