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Legal Ethics
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July 09, 2024
Young Thug Wants To DQ Prosecutors Over Secret Meeting
Atlanta rapper Young Thug has called for the removal of two Fulton County prosecutors from his racketeering trial, arguing that a transcript of a secret meeting involving those prosecutors, a Georgia state judge and a key witness has revealed they unethically persuaded the witness to reconsider and testify against the rapper.
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July 09, 2024
Ousted Fla. Atty Pushes 11th Circ. To Speed Up Review
Suspended Florida prosecutor Andrew Warren is once again asking the Eleventh Circuit to expedite a mandate to a lower court to reconsider his case against Gov. Ron DeSantis, arguing that a single judge has stopped it from moving forward for nearly six months.
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July 09, 2024
Alaska Senators Condemn District Judge After Resignation
Alaska's two Republican senators reprimanded the federal judge from their state who was found by a special committee to have created a hostile work environment and had an "inappropriately sexualized relationship" with one of his clerks, and has resigned.
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July 09, 2024
Davis Malm, Partner Dropped From Investor Suit
Davis Malm & D'Agostine PC and one of its partners have been dropped from a suit alleging a former client of the firm convinced a group of investors to back a startup, then misused their funds.
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July 09, 2024
Texas Judge Gets Warning For Sexually Harassing Colleague
A Fort Worth trial judge has been issued a public warning and ordered to attend demeanor and sexual harassment instruction over findings that he "engaged in a pattern of sexually harassing conduct" toward a fellow judge, according to a decision by the Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct.
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July 09, 2024
Estate Atty Settles Claims She Stole From Incarcerated Man
A previously incarcerated man has dismissed malpractice claims he filed in Michigan federal court against an attorney, alleging she skimmed money he received from his mother's estate.
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July 09, 2024
Newman Loses Suit Against Fed. Circ. Over Suspension
A D.C. federal judge on Tuesday dismissed the lawsuit Federal Circuit Judge Pauline Newman filed against her colleagues over her suspension for refusing to undergo medical tests, saying she failed to prove the judicial conduct law at issue is unconstitutional.
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July 09, 2024
NJ Power Broker, Firm CEO Deny Racketeering Charges
Powerful New Jersey businessman George E. Norcross III, his prominent attorney brother and others on Tuesday denied that they schemed to acquire waterfront property in the distressed city of Camden by threatening to ruin the business reputations and finances of key stakeholders.
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July 08, 2024
Resigning US Judge Had 'Sexualized Relationship' With Clerk
U.S. District Judge Joshua Kindred of the District of Alaska, who abruptly announced his resignation last week, had a "sexualized relationship" with his clerk, including sexual encounters with her shortly after she left her clerkship and joined the U.S. Attorney's Office, according to an order issued Monday by the Judicial Council of the Ninth Circuit.
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July 08, 2024
Holland & Hart Dodges Deposition Order In Discovery Spat
A Washington federal judge said from the bench Monday that she would not order the deposition of High 5 Games LLC's defense team for alleged discovery misconduct in a class action accusing the company of targeting gambling addicts, ruling the depositions were not crucial to make a case for sanctions.
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July 08, 2024
Judge's Error Reverses Med Mal Atty Sanctions, Panel Rules
A Pennsylvania Superior Court ruled Monday that a Philadelphia trial court erred by imposing sanctions on counsel in a long-running medical malpractice suit against a hospital, saying sanctions can't be based on a broad courtwide policy attempting to speed up medical malpractice cases.
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July 08, 2024
Fla. Judge Facing Reprimand For Spreading Campaign Gossip
A Florida judge has agreed to a public reprimand for disseminating unreliable allegations about her opponent for a judicial seat that insinuated the opponent fraudulently obtained money from the Paycheck Protection Program, according to documents filed Monday.
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July 08, 2024
Biotech Co. Alleges Arbitrator Conflict In Patent Award Fight
Pennsylvania-based biotechnology company Renmatix Inc. is urging the Delaware Court of Chancery to nix an arbitral award favoring Finnish company UPM-Kymmene Corp. in a long-running patent dispute, pointing to an allegedly undisclosed conflict of interest involving the Finnish company's counsel at DLA Piper.
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July 08, 2024
3rd Circ. Doubts SEC Properly Served Ponzi Scheme Suspect
The Third Circuit on Monday appeared skeptical of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's bid to maintain a default judgment against a Swiss resident accused of operating a $1.4 million Ponzi scheme, peppering the agency with questions about how the complaint was served.
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July 08, 2024
Credit Repair Law Firm Only Made Problems Worse, Suit Says
A purported credit repair organization faces a Michigan customer's allegations that the company further damaged her credit at a price of "tens of thousands of dollars" over months in violation of state and federal law.
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July 08, 2024
NJ Cops Claim Retaliation After Uncovering Prosecutor Fraud
A detective and a lieutenant with the Warren County Prosecutor's Office have launched a whistleblower lawsuit in New Jersey state court alleging retaliation for their part in uncovering an alleged fraud scheme to improperly collect state grant funds, as detailed in an April special investigator's report.
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July 08, 2024
Trump's Mar-a-Lago Case Slowed After Immunity Ruling
The Florida federal judge overseeing Donald Trump's criminal case over retaining classified national security documents at Mar-a-Lago after leaving the White House temporarily halted some proceedings following the U.S. Supreme Court's presidential immunity ruling, and also denied a motion to dismiss the superseding indictment against Trump's personal aide.
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July 08, 2024
Trump Allies Push For Fani Willis DQ In Election Case
A pro-Donald Trump think tank has thrown its support behind the former president's bid at the Georgia Court of Appeals to have a trial court's decision reversed and Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis disqualified from prosecuting Trump and 18 co-defendants over interference in the 2020 election.
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July 08, 2024
NJ Bar Wants To Halt Ban On Out-Of-State Atty Referral Fees
The New Jersey State Bar Association has asked the state Supreme Court to pause enforcement of a new ethics rule that would bar Garden State certified trial attorneys from paying referral fees to out-of-state lawyers.
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July 08, 2024
Ex-OneTaste Staffer Says Atty Forced Her To Play The Victim
A former employee of sexual wellness company OneTaste is suing her former lawyer, saying he conspired with the FBI to present her as a victim of a forced labor conspiracy while she maintains she was not.
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July 08, 2024
Fla. Judge Who Cursed From Bench Faces 60-Day Suspension
An ethics panel on Monday again recommended a 60-day suspension for a judge's intemperate conduct on the bench that included cursing out a member of the gallery in his courtroom, despite the Florida Supreme Court's previous determination that the sanction was inadequate.
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July 08, 2024
House Hearing Postponed For Trump's NY Prosecutors
The House Judiciary Committee's hearing with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and top prosecutor Matthew Colangelo on former President Donald Trump's conviction on 34 felony counts has been postponed.
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July 08, 2024
1st Circ. Nominee Cut Teeth As 'Victim-Centered' Prosecutor
Maine Superior Court Justice and First Circuit nominee Julia Lipez spent most of her legal career prosecuting federal human trafficking cases, an experience former colleagues say demonstrates her sense of fairness and a sharp focus on the well-being of victims.
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July 08, 2024
The Biggest Patent Rulings Of 2024: A Midyear Report
The Federal Circuit issued its first en banc patent decision since 2018, a circuit judge's suspension was solidified and courts shed further light on foreign damages and skinny labels. Here's a look back at these rulings and other top patent decisions from the first half of 2024.
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July 08, 2024
Biden Says Reelection Crucial To Supreme Court Reform
President Joe Biden told congressional Democrats his reelection is crucial to bringing about "real" reforms to the U.S. Supreme Court in a letter Monday rejecting calls for him to back out of the presidential race.
Expert Analysis
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5th Circ. Ruling Reminds Attys That CBP Can Search Devices
The Fifth Circuit’s recent Malik v. Department of Homeland Security decision adds to the chorus of federal courts holding that border agents don’t need a warrant to search travelers’ electronic devices, so attorneys should consider certain special precautions to secure privileged information when reentering the U.S., says Jennifer Freel at Jackson Walker.
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Alleged $636M Deal Error Shows Value Of Old-School Methods
Though Proskauer Rose has now settled claims involving a copy-paste error in deal documents that could have resulted in $636 million in damages, the debacle reminds attorneys that classic revision methods using paper copies can help avoid drafting errors and actually save time in the long run, says Richard Leisner at Trenam.
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Twitter Sanction Highlights Privacy Law's Complexity
The D.C. Circuit's recent decision to uphold a sanction against X Corp., formerly known as Twitter, for failing to produce account records in response to a subpoena highlights the importance of understanding the Stored Communications Act, particularly when deciding to produce or not produce data, says Cary Aronovitz at Holland & Knight.
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Avoiding The Ethical Pitfalls Of Crowdfunded Legal Fees
The crowdfunding of legal fees has become increasingly common, providing a new way for people to afford legal services, but attorneys who accept crowdsourced funds must remember several key ethical obligations to mitigate their risks, say Hilary Gerzhoy and Julienne Pasichow at HWG.
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What Large Language Models Mean For Document Review
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.
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Series
Participating In Living History Makes Me A Better Lawyer
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.
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Opinion
Private Equity Owners Can Remedy Law Firms' Agency Issues
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.
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How To Protect Atty-Client Privilege While Using Generative AI
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.
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How New Lawyers Can Leverage Feedback For Growth
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.
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Twitter Legal Fees Suit Offers Crash Course In Billing Ethics
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.
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ABA's Money-Laundering Resolution Is A Balancing Act
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.
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Law Firm Professional Development Steps To Thrive In AI Era
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.
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Nev. Insurance Law May Mean Turmoil In Liability Market
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.
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Lessons From High-Profile Witness Tampering Allegations
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.
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Covington Ruling Strengthens SEC's Enforcement Powers
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.