Legal Ethics

  • October 31, 2024

    Latham Hit With Sanctions In Banc of California Securities Suit

    A California federal judge found Latham & Watkins LLP and its ex-client, former Banc of California CEO Steven A. Sugarman, in civil contempt for "flagrant violations" of a protective order covering discovery produced by investment firm Muddy Waters Capital in a securities fraud class action, according to an order unsealed this week.

  • October 31, 2024

    $268K Fee Challenge Nixed In 9th Circ. Chevron Award Suit

    The Ninth Circuit on Wednesday refused to reconsider its order slapping a six-figure fine against a Seattle attorney for fabricating a news article to bolster his clients' efforts to enforce an allegedly fraudulent $18 billion arbitral award against Chevron, effectively ending the long-running saga for now.

  • October 31, 2024

    Seyfarth Argues Against DQ From Amazon COVID Pay Case

    Seyfarth Shaw urged a Colorado federal judge on Wednesday to reject a bid to disqualify the law firm from representing Amazon in a putative class action after representing former managers who are allegedly presumed class members, arguing there was no real harm since its attorneys quickly dropped the former employees after discovering potential conflicts.

  • October 31, 2024

    Scott + Scott Sues Robins Kaplan For $5M In Swipe Deal Fees

    Scott + Scott Attorneys at Law LLP alleged in a New York state court lawsuit that Robins Kaplan LLP, its co-counsel in antitrust litigation over Visa Inc. and Mastercard's interchange fees, is withholding $5 million in promised payouts from the case's $5.6 billion settlement.

  • October 31, 2024

    Judge Axes Disbarred NC Atty's Suit After Late Objection

    A North Carolina federal judge has thrown out a disbarred attorney's suit against the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, stating that the former lawyer failed to timely object to a recommendation that the case be dismissed and that his stated reason for missing the deadline was "not credible."

  • October 31, 2024

    Oversight GOP Reps. Take Big Swing At FTC Chair

    House Republicans on Thursday accused Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan of becoming a "political tool" of the Biden administration, which they say has undermined the independent nature of the agency.

  • October 31, 2024

    Combs 'Grasping At Straws' In Leak & Gag Motions, Feds Say

    Manhattan federal prosecutors rejected Sean "Diddy" Combs' arguments that his sexual assault accusers should be forbidden from speaking out and that the government had leaked grand jury secrets, saying his motions lack evidence or any proper legal basis.

  • October 31, 2024

    Jones Day Pushes To Shield Memo In Parental Leave Case

    As two former Jones Day associates who are challenging the firm's family leave policy prepare to potentially go to trial in late 2025, Jones Day has told a D.C. federal court that a memorandum stating business reasons for a personnel decision shouldn't lose its status as privileged communication just because it references legal issues.

  • October 31, 2024

    Suit Against Indicted NJ Power Broker Sent To Biz Court 

    A New Jersey state court on Wednesday granted indicted Garden State power broker George E. Norcross III's request to transfer the civil racketeering suit brought against him and his attorney brother by a Philadelphia developer to the state's complex business litigation program.

  • October 31, 2024

    Conn. Firm Beats Ex-Client's Negligence, Conversion Claims

    Connecticut law firm Evans & Lewis PC and partner Douglas J. Lewis have prevailed in a professional negligence lawsuit in state court alleging that their incompetence caused a former client's home to go into foreclosure and that they pocketed a $1,500 fee for services that they didn't provide.

  • October 31, 2024

    NJ High Court Sets Rules For Judges' Social Media Use

    The New Jersey Supreme Court approved a new social media policy for judges in the state this week in the aftermath of a Superior Court judge being suspended for posting vulgar lip-syncing TikToks.

  • October 31, 2024

    3rd Circ Rejects Charter Co. Exec's Ineffective Counsel Claims

    The co-founder and former executive of a now-defunct public air charter operator has lost a bid to escape a fraud conviction on the grounds her lawyers provided ineffective counsel in her criminal trial, with a unanimous Third Circuit panel determining the jury would not have been swayed by a different trial strategy.

  • October 31, 2024

    The 2024 Law360 Pulse Leaderboard

    Check out the Law360 Pulse Leaderboard to see which firms made the list of leaders in all-around excellence this year.

  • October 31, 2024

    Firms' Hiring Strategies Are Evolving In Fight For Top Spot

    Competition for top talent among elite law firms shows no signs of slowing down, even amid economic uncertainty, with financially strong firms deploying aggressive strategies to attract and retain skilled professionals to solidify their market position.

  • October 31, 2024

    Firms Fight Bid To Revive Malpractice Suit Over Liability Case

    Two firms are asking the Delaware Supreme Court to affirm the dismissal of a malpractice suit filed by parents over damages sought for their child's "catastrophic injuries," allegedly caused by contamination from a chicken plant.

  • October 30, 2024

    DC Firms Say They Must Be Allowed To Exit $120M Iraq Row

    Two boutique firms are fighting a construction company's effort to make them stay on as counsel to Iraq in a D.C. federal court case related to a nearly $120 million arbitral award, saying Wednesday the country has stopped paying fees.

  • October 30, 2024

    Judge Stops Arbitration Of Connecticut Trial Firm Breakup

    A Connecticut Superior Court judge has issued an emergency order temporarily restraining the CEO of a law firm known for high-dollar trial verdicts from arbitrating a dispute over the practice's breakup after onetime partner Andrew P. Garza filed suit late last week.

  • October 30, 2024

    Alleged Kickback Plotters Can Waive Conflict Over Attorney

    A Colorado federal judge on Wednesday concluded that a lab testing company owner charged with participating in a kickback scheme to defraud Medicare and a man who pled guilty to participating in a connected conspiracy could waive any conflicts that might arise from both using the same attorney.

  • October 30, 2024

    Ill. Atty Faces 6-Month Suspension For Creating Fake Emails

    The Illinois Supreme Court's attorney watchdog on Wednesday called for a six-month suspension of an attorney accused of creating bogus emails to bolster false claims that the insurance company he worked for had approved the denial of clients' insurance claims.

  • October 30, 2024

    No Ruling On Zeta DQ Bid After Second Marathon Hearing

    A Houston judge declined Wednesday to decide whether to disqualify Transocean's counsel from Hurricane Zeta litigation following the second hearing on a former Arnold & Itkin LLP law clerk-turned-defense-lawyer's work with the plaintiffs' firm, indicating she needed time to figure out when the parties reasonably should have learned of the potential conflict of interest.

  • October 30, 2024

    10th Circ. Upholds Sanctions Against Northwestern Law Prof

    A panel of the Tenth Circuit on Wednesday affirmed a Colorado district court's sanctions against a Northwestern University law professor for his frivolous attempt to remove a probate dispute with his sister to federal court, finding in a brief, unpublished opinion that the sanctions were not an abuse of discretion.

  • October 30, 2024

    Wash. Boys' Group Home Gets Sanctions In Sex Abuse Case

    A Washington federal judge on Tuesday sanctioned a boys' group home for failing to prepare its CEO to give evidence in a case involving sexual abuse claims dating back to the 1980s, in an order saying the home acted without court permission to limit the CEO's testimony during a deposition.

  • October 30, 2024

    US Sanctions Swiss Attys For Handling Illicit Russian Funds

    The U.S. on Wednesday hit two Swiss lawyers with sanctions for taking advantage of a loophole in Switzerland's anti-money laundering law that officials said allowed them to discreetly move cash for Russians also sanctioned for aiding Moscow's military-industrial base.

  • October 30, 2024

    Calif. Judge Scolded For Public Fight Over School Renaming

    A California state judge has been publicly disciplined for leading a monthslong crusade against the renaming of his old high school, during which he spoke at rallies and fundraisers, called opponents "morons" on social media and generally "demeaned the judicial office."

  • October 30, 2024

    Treasure Hunter Urges Atty DQ In Fla. Shipwreck Suit

    A member of an ocean salvage company urged a Florida federal court Wednesday to disqualify counsel applying to represent his opponent in a lawsuit over a claim to a Spanish galleon's sunken treasure, saying the attorney previously represented the company in a separate dispute involving the same wreckage.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • Perspectives

    Pop Culture Docket: Justice Lebovits On Gilbert And Sullivan

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    Characters in the 19th century comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan break the rules of good lawyering by shamelessly throwing responsible critical thought to the wind, providing hilarious lessons for lawyers and judges on how to avoid a surfeit of traps and tribulations, say acting New York Supreme Court Justice Gerald Lebovits and law student Tara Scown.

  • State Of The States' AI Legal Ethics Landscape

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    Over the past year, several state bar associations, as well as the American Bar Association, have released guidance on the ethical use of artificial intelligence in legal practice, all of which share overarching themes and some nuanced differences, say Eric Pacifici and Kevin Henderson at SMB Law Group.

  • 8 Childhood Lessons That Can Help You Be A Better Attorney

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    A new school year is underway, marking a fitting time for attorneys to reflect on some fundamental life lessons from early childhood that offer a framework for problems that no legal textbook can solve, say Chris Gismondi and Chris Campbell at DLA Piper.

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