Legal Ethics

  • November 04, 2024

    Ex-Dentons Atty Blamed For Failed $54M Currency Deal

    A Venezuelan lawyer blamed a former Dentons US LLP attorney Monday for a $54 million loss in a bolivar-to-dollars currency swap, telling a Miami jury that the attorney never communicated that the buyer of the bolivars had not agreed to deposit the U.S. dollars into escrow and instead proceeded with a doomed transaction.

  • November 04, 2024

    Hurricane Zeta MDL Judge Orders Mediation Amid DQ Battle

    A Houston judge overseeing a multidistrict litigation created to handle claims from crew members who say they were injured while weathering Hurricane Zeta on a Transocean drilling rig ordered the parties to mediation Friday in the midst of a bitter disqualification battle between their feuding firms.

  • November 04, 2024

    NJ Justice Vexed By Judge's Stance On Thigh Touch Claim

    New Jersey Chief Justice Stuart Rabner grilled a municipal judge Monday about apparently contradictory positions he took in response to accusations that he inappropriately touched the thigh of a law clerk during an alcohol-fueled day at his home — an action the jurist characterized as a "pat" despite previously appearing to agree that it was a "rub."

  • November 04, 2024

    Colo. Justices Say Expert Testimony OK Without Formalities

    The Colorado Supreme Court held Monday that the formal offer and acceptance of an expert isn't required for that expert's testimony to be admissible, finding in a published opinion that there's no actual state requirement for courts to use such a practice.

  • November 04, 2024

    Judge Cites Tesla Stock, Friendship In SpaceX Firing Recusal

    A California federal judge on Monday recused herself from a hostile work environment and retaliation suit brought by a group of former SpaceX employees, saying she owns Tesla stock and is friends with a SpaceX human resource executive's mother-in-law.

  • November 04, 2024

    Justices Remand Atty Privilege Case After Judge Admits Gaffe

    The Colorado Supreme Court has remanded a case over whether communications between an insurance company's outside lawyer and the experts it hired to study an alleged construction defect are privileged, after some justices said the appeal was "half-baked" because the trial judge had already admitted she was wrong.

  • November 04, 2024

    Tesla Fights Sanctions Bid Over Atty's Mediation Appearance

    Tesla Inc. has pushed back against a widow's sanctions bid over allegations a company in-house attorney appeared at a mediation in her wrongful death case despite lacking settlement authority, saying her attorneys improperly disclosed the contents of confidential mediation communications.

  • November 04, 2024

    Suspended Fla. Atty Seeks Leniency Over Missing Precedent

    A suspended Florida attorney urged the Florida Supreme Court to reduce the punishment it doled out last month, including a 1-year suspension of his law license, arguing that the state Supreme Court's decision "cites no precedent," so it should use its discretion to hand out "lessor sanctions."

  • November 04, 2024

    Atty Moves To Oust DA Who Cleared Cops In Brother's Death

    A Littler Mendelson PC shareholder's effort to remove the Massachusetts district attorney who absolved officers in the 2021 fatal shooting of his brother left justices on the state's highest court grappling with the reach of a seldom-used state statute allowing them to oust government officials for "the public good."

  • November 04, 2024

    Mortgage Co. Accused Of 'Bad Faith' In Settlement With Atty

    A former staff attorney with a mortgage company has accused the business of "bad faith" for purportedly trying to renegotiate the terms of a settlement to resolve her Texas state lawsuit alleging she was fired after she witnessed inappropriate sexual behavior by a deputy general counsel.

  • November 04, 2024

    Ford Gets New Trial In $1.7B Rollover Case In Georgia

    The Georgia Court of Appeals on Friday ordered a new trial in a record-setting $1.7 billion rollover case against Ford Motor Co., saying it was "reluctantly" vacating the jury's verdict after finding that a trial court wrongly imposed issue preclusion sanctions that "almost completely prevented Ford from presenting a defense as to liability."

  • November 04, 2024

    Feds Slam Ozy Media CEO's 'Last-Ditch' Effort To DQ Judge

    Prosecutors have pushed back against Ozy Media CEO Carlos Watson's "last-ditch effort" to get his fraud and identity theft convictions undone, insisting that investments owned by the New York federal judge overseeing his case are in hedge funds and not in Watson's victims, and are too small to matter.

  • November 04, 2024

    Georgia Bar Forms 23-Person AI Special Committee

    The State Bar of Georgia has announced the formation of a special committee that will explore and make recommendations on how the state's professional conduct rules cover developments in legal technology, particularly tools involving artificial intelligence.

  • November 01, 2024

    Manufacturer Says Atty Turned Tiff Into 'Slow Motion Disaster'

    A Colorado electronics manufacturer says a law firm turned a minor dispute into a "slow motion disaster," resulting in a $1 million bill that threatens to sink the business, filing a malpractice suit one day before seeking bankruptcy protections.

  • November 01, 2024

    Atty Suing Ex-Partner Asks Judges For 'Fairly Nominal' Bond

    An attorney suing his ex-CEO over the breakup of their law firm has asked a Connecticut Superior Court judge to clear up two orders from different jurists by explaining how much bond he'll be required to post, saying a "fairly nominal" bond would ensure he keeps the case on track.

  • November 01, 2024

    Fitbit Knocks Out Cellspin Litigation Campaign At Fed. Circ.

    Fitbit and others defeated a pair of appeals on Friday in patent litigation over ideas involving programming automatic social media posts, with the Federal Circuit ruling to reject arguments that a California federal judge should have decided patent suits differently and should have recused herself anyway because of her husband's ties to Fitbit parent Google.

  • November 01, 2024

    Judge Skeptical Of NYC Mayor's Bid To Dismiss Bribery Count

    A Manhattan federal judge on Friday voiced skepticism of New York City Mayor Eric Adams' motion to dismiss his bribery charge, and set an April trial date in a case accusing the mayor of taking travel perks from Turkish officials in exchange for official favors.

  • November 01, 2024

    GRSM50 Won't Be Disqualified In Detroit Hotel Firing Suit

    A Michigan federal judge has refused to disqualify Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani LLP from representing an upscale Detroit hotel in a retaliation suit filed by three fired employees, but flagged the firm for being "negligent" in its handling of discovery in the case.

  • November 01, 2024

    What Happens To Ga. Election Case If Trump Wins?

    The fate of the Georgia election interference case against former President Donald Trump is on the ballot this November, according to legal experts, who told Law360 that a Trump victory would likely mean any trial would have to wait until he completes his term in office.

  • November 01, 2024

    Ex-Mohawk IT Exec Cops To $1.8M Ripoff Of Flooring Co.

    Days before he was set to face trial, flooring giant Mohawk's former head of information technology pled guilty Friday to eight wire fraud and conspiracy charges for running a third-party vendor scheme that ripped off his employer to the tune of $1.8 million.

  • November 01, 2024

    Judge In Philly Inquirer Data Sharing Case Won't Join Class

    The Pennsylvania federal judge overseeing a consolidated action accusing the Philadelphia Inquirer of sharing subscribers' video viewing habits with Meta is eligible to join the class, but has decided to renounce his right to class membership in order to continue being the judge.

  • November 01, 2024

    How 2024 Election Litigation May Look Different From 2020

    Courts are fielding a flood of lawsuits over the 2024 presidential election, with more certainly to come, but those suits may have some significant differences from the ones that played out in 2020, according to experts.

  • November 01, 2024

    Jackson Walker Rips Trustee's Judge Romance Fee Clawback

    The U.S. Trustee's Office is exceeding its authority as a "watchdog" in seeking to claw back money paid to Jackson Walker LLP in bankruptcy cases because the judge presiding over those cases was having a secret relationship with a firm partner, the firm told a Texas federal bankruptcy court.

  • November 01, 2024

    Dentons, Boies Schiller Want Out Of 'Absurd' $300M RICO Suit

    Dentons and Boies Schiller Flexner LLP have asked a Manhattan federal court to toss a $300 million racketeering lawsuit brought against them by a former client and his companies following what they called a botched power plant contract in Senegal, with Dentons further requesting Rule 11 sanctions against the plaintiffs and their counsel for bringing "frivolous" claims.

  • November 01, 2024

    Danish Tax Agency To Settle With Atty In $2.1B Tax Fraud Suit

    Denmark's tax authority has agreed to settle with an attorney whom it has accused of helping clients claim fraudulent tax refunds in a sprawling $2.1 billion case, according to a letter by its attorney in New York federal court.

Expert Analysis

  • Striking A Balance Between AI Use And Attorney Well-Being

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    As the legal industry increasingly adopts generative artificial intelligence tools to boost efficiency, leaders must note the hidden costs of increased productivity, and work to protect attorneys’ well-being while unlocking AI’s full potential, says Ed Sohn at Factor.

  • Empathy In Mediation Offers A Soft Landing For Disputes

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    Experiencing a crash-landing on a recent flight underscored to me how much difference empathy makes in times of crisis or stress, including during mediation, says Eydith Kaufman at Alternative Resolution Centers.

  • Series

    Being An Artist Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My work as an artist has highlighted how using creativity and precision together — qualities that are equally essential in both art and law — not only improves outcomes, but also leads to more innovative and thoughtful work, says Sarah La Pearl at Segal McCambridge.

  • How Judiciary Can Minimize AI Risks In Secondary Sources

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    Because courts’ standing orders on generative artificial intelligence and other safeguards do not address the risk of hallucinations in secondary source materials, the judiciary should consider enlisting legal publishers and database hosts to protect against AI-generated inaccuracies, say attorneys at Lankler Siffert & Wohl.

  • How Attorneys Can Break Free From Career Enmeshment

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    Ambitious attorneys can sometimes experience career enmeshment — when your sense of self-worth becomes unhealthily tangled up in your legal vocation — but taking the time to discover and realign with your core personal values can help you recover your identity, says Janna Koretz at Azimuth Psychological.

  • Ex-Chicago Politician's Case May Further Curb Fraud Theories

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    The U.S. Supreme Court recently agreed to hear Thompson v. U.S. to determine whether a statement that is misleading but not false still violates federal law, potentially heralding the court’s largest check yet on prosecutors’ expansive fraud theories, with significant implications for sentencing, say attorneys at the Law Offices of Alan Ellis.

  • Lawyers With Disabilities Are Seeking Equity, Not Pity

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    Attorneys living with disabilities face extra challenges — including the need for special accommodations, the fear of stigmatization and the risk of being tokenized — but if given equitable opportunities, they can still rise to the top of their field, says Kate Reder Sheikh, a former attorney and legal recruiter at Major Lindsey & Africa.

  • Opinion

    Judicial Committee Best Venue For Litigation Funding Rules

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    The Advisory Committee on Civil Rules' recent decision to consider developing a rule for litigation funding disclosure is a welcome development, ensuring that the result will be the product of a thorough, inclusive and deliberative process that appropriately balances all interests, says Stewart Ackerly at Statera Capital.

  • The Strategic Advantages Of Appointing A Law Firm CEO

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    The impact on law firms of the recent CrowdStrike outage underscores that the business of law is no longer merely about providing supplemental support for legal practice — and helps explain why some law firms are appointing dedicated, full-time CEOs to navigate the challenges of the modern legal landscape, says Jennifer Johnson at Calibrate Strategies.

  • Series

    Beekeeping Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    The practice of patent law and beekeeping are not typically associated, but taking care of honeybees has enriched my legal practice by highlighting the importance of hands-on experience, continuous learning, mentorship and more, says David Longo at Oblon McClelland.

  • Opinion

    Legal Institutions Must Warn Against Phony Election Suits

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    With two weeks until the election, bar associations and courts have an urgent responsibility to warn lawyers about the consequences of filing unsubstantiated lawsuits claiming election fraud, says Elise Bean at the Carl Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy.

  • How Cos. Can Build A Strong In-House Pro Bono Program

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    During this year’s pro bono celebration week, companies should consider some key pointers to grow and maintain a vibrant in-house program for attorneys to provide free legal services for the public good, says Mary Benton at Alston & Bird.

  • Series

    Home Canning Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Making my own pickles and jams requires seeing a process through from start to finish, as does representing clients from the start of a dispute at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board through any appeals to the Federal Circuit, says attorney Kevin McNish.

  • Use The Right Kind Of Feedback To Help Gen Z Attorneys

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    Generation Z associates bring unique perspectives and expectations to the workplace, so it’s imperative that supervising attorneys adapt their feedback approach in order to help young lawyers learn and grow — which is good for law firms, too, says Rachael Bosch at Fringe Professional Development.

  • Opinion

    Congress Can And Must Enact A Supreme Court Ethics Code

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    As public confidence in the U.S. Supreme Court dips to historic lows following reports raising conflict of interest concerns, Congress must exercise its constitutional power to enact a mandatory and enforceable code of ethics for the high court, says Muhammad Faridi, president of the New York City Bar Association.

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