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Legal Ethics
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October 08, 2024
House Oversight Chair Targets Khan's 'Political Activities'
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., put Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina M. Khan on blast Tuesday for participating in official events held by Democratic lawmakers running for reelection or higher office, castigating the leader of the FTC's Democratic majority for "partisan political activities."
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October 08, 2024
Ex-Clients Say BakerHostetler Can't Keep Suit In Fed. Court
Former clients of BakerHostetler strengthened their request to send to Georgia state court a suit alleging the firm mishandled their patent application for a smart wardrobe system, arguing that the case doesn't raise patent law questions and thus shouldn't remain in federal court.
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October 08, 2024
Ex-Judge Can Testify In Suit Against Blank Rome Attys, 2 Cos.
An attorney suing three Blank Rome LLP lawyers, an aircraft motor manufacturer and its parent company was unable to persuade a Pennsylvania federal court to stop a former judge from testifying for the defense as an expert witness in a retaliation case stemming from her decision to switch from representing companies to doing plaintiffs work.
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October 08, 2024
Convicted Fla. Atty Suspended Over Theft In Court Clerk Post
The Florida Supreme Court has suspended the law license of the onetime clerk of courts for Jefferson County after he was convicted of grand theft and sentenced to 18 months behind bars.
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October 08, 2024
Divorced-Dads Firm Beats Fired Paralegal's Retaliation Suit
A Kansas federal jury on Monday sided with a law firm that bills itself as an advocate for divorced fathers, shutting down a suit from a paralegal who claimed she was fired for speaking up about sexual harassment by one of the firm's attorneys.
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October 08, 2024
Pa. Judge Misused COVID Funds To Pay Firm Staff, Feds Say
A York County Common Pleas judge faces more than 30 federal counts, including fraud, witness tampering and obstruction of justice, over allegations of using federal unemployment benefits to pay staff members of his law office while they remained employed at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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October 08, 2024
Conn. Ethics Board Tosses Grievance Against Ex-Town Atty
A Connecticut ethics panel has dismissed a grievance at the heart of a former town attorney's claims that the tax assessor spread lies about his conduct and character, finding that the lawyer broke no professional conduct rules and concluding no further investigation was warranted.
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October 08, 2024
NJ Judge Suspended For 'Admittedly Vulgar' TikTok Videos
The New Jersey Supreme Court has suspended a state Superior Court judge for three months for posting "admittedly vulgar" TikTok videos of himself lip-syncing songs with sexual content in his chambers and sometimes in his robes.
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October 08, 2024
NJ Ethics Panel Lays Out Rules For Liens And Disputed Funds
New Jersey lawyers holding client funds may be compelled to pay certain liens including for child support payments and some medical bills, the state Supreme Court's Advisory Committee on Professional Ethics said in back-to-back opinions clarifying rules on safekeeping property that also help guide attorneys on how to navigate money disputes.
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October 08, 2024
9th Circ. Affirms Atty Fee Reduction In Cathode Suit
A three-judge Ninth Circuit panel on Monday upheld a lower court's decision to cut more than $2 million from plaintiff's firm Cooper & Kirkham's $3.45 million fee award in a multidistrict litigation settlement over alleged cathode ray tube price-fixing litigation.
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October 08, 2024
In-House Attys Urged To Spearhead Creation Of AI Policies
In-house lawyers should craft a single artificial intelligence governance policy for their organizations, build cross-functional teams to assess AI needs and risks and audit and update their AI policy frequently to keep pace with the technology's rapid evolution, according to experts on an Association of Corporate Counsel conference panel.
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October 08, 2024
Texas Class Wants Funding Firms To Face Hurricane Ad Suit
A Texas magistrate judge was wrong to recommend dropping litigation funding companies from a suit alleging a law firm deceptively advertised to hurricane victims, with a proposed class of storm victims arguing the funders must have been aware of the scheme when they loaned the firm $20 million.
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October 08, 2024
Ga. Firm Says 'Right To Petition' At Stake In HOA Row
An Atlanta-area real estate law firm urged the Georgia Court of Appeals Tuesday to stand by a trial court's decision to kill a lawsuit filed by two property owners who lost to the firm in court some 17 years ago.
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October 08, 2024
Trump Held Back FBI's 2nd Kavanaugh Probe, Report Says
The FBI's follow-up investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation process in September 2018 was restrained by the Trump White House, according to a report released by a Democratic senator on Tuesday.
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October 07, 2024
Missed Deadline Ends Ga. Nightclub's Appeal Of Atty DQ
The Georgia Court of Appeals said it won't hear a challenge to a Fulton County judge's decision to disqualify a lawyer from a property dispute after it was revealed the attorney advised one of the defendants to carry out alleged property destruction central to the case.
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October 07, 2024
Mich. Supreme Court Snapshot: Insulin Prices, Disney Audit
The Michigan Supreme Court's first oral argument session of the 2024-25 term promises to be a busy one, involving an investigation into Eli Lilly's insulin prices with big implications for the scope of Michigan's consumer protection law and Disney's appeal of an order to turn over decades-old uncashed checks to the state treasurer.
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October 07, 2024
New Bill Would Enact 'Commonsense' Litigation Disclosures
A top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee announced Monday he introduced legislation to require the disclosure of parties receiving payments in civil lawsuits, a phenomenon known as "third-party litigation financing," in order to prevent abuses in the legal system.
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October 07, 2024
5 Decisions To Know By Outgoing Mass. Chief Judge
Chief Massachusetts U.S. District Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV, who announced Monday that he will step back from full-time judicial service next summer, has presided over numerous significant cases in recent years, including a dispute over the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's disgorgement powers and a birth defects suit against GlaxoSmithKline.
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October 07, 2024
Trio Of 1st Circ. Criminal Cases Turned Away By Top Court
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to review three white collar cases on appeal from the First Circuit, including challenges to a cryptocurrency founder's conviction for investor theft and an Illinois attorney's fraud and money laundering conspiracy verdict.
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October 07, 2024
US Trustee Pans Guo Ch. 11 Trustee's Secret Deal For Firm
The U.S. Trustee's Office on Monday objected to a Chapter 11 trustee's attempt to file under seal a deal with a law firm in the sprawling $374 million bankruptcy of convicted Chinese exile Miles Guo, saying voluminous case law prevents shrouding such settlements with secrecy.
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October 07, 2024
Whistleblower Must Show Docs In Fla. House-Flipping Scheme
A Florida state court judge Monday ordered a woman who uncovered a house-flipping scheme allegedly run by the husband of a former Miami city attorney to produce documents in the case, including communications with journalists, in an attempt to show whether any misconduct occurred over the course of the investigation.
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October 07, 2024
9th Circ. Nixes Judicial Complaint Over Atty 'Disbar' Threat
The Ninth Circuit has rejected a judicial misconduct complaint against a judge who allegedly suggested that he could "disbar" a lawyer.
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October 07, 2024
Lin Wood Denies Lying About Assets In Fight With Ex-Partners
Former attorney Lin Wood pushed back Friday on his former partners' allegations that he concealed a $4 million asset and lied about being unable to post a cash bond during his appeal of the $3.75 million defamation verdict against him, saying they "fundamentally misunderstand the facts."
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October 07, 2024
Apple, Amazon Urge Sanctions For Absent Antitrust Plaintiff
A no-show named plaintiff should be sanctioned for ignoring discovery obligations in a putative antitrust class action over Apple and Amazon's third-party vendor restrictions for iPhone and iPad sales, the two tech giants have told a Washington federal judge.
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October 07, 2024
Ga. Judge Faces Ethics Charges Over Yearslong Case Delays
A Georgia probate court judge faces multiple ethics charges for supposedly delaying a series of cases, the most severe of which has sat open for more than seven years.
Expert Analysis
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Opinion
History Reveals Folly Of Absolute Presidential Immunity
As a federal appeals court grapples with former President Donald Trump’s claims that he’s immune from prosecution on election interference charges, it’s a fitting time for lawyers to reflect on the rule of law — from 13th century jurisprudence to Watergate and the Clinton impeachment — and how the idea of absolute presidential immunity is unwise, says attorney Steven Reske.
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Where Justices Stand On Chevron Doctrine Post-Argument
Following recent oral argument at the U.S. Supreme Court, at least four justices appear to be in favor of overturning the long-standing Chevron deference, and three justices seem ready to uphold it, which means the ultimate decision may rest on Chief Justice John Roberts' vote, say Wayne D'Angelo and Zachary Lee at Kelley Drye.
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Perspectives
6 Practice Pointers For Pro Bono Immigration Practice
An attorney taking on their first pro bono immigration matter may find the law and procedures beguiling, but understanding key deadlines, the significance of individual immigration judges' rules and specialized aspects of the practice can help avoid common missteps, says Steven Malm at Haynes Boone.
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Lessons From Country Singer's Personal Service Saga
Recent reports that country singer Luke Combs won a judgment against a Florida woman who didn’t receive notice of the counterfeit suit against her should serve as a reminder for attorneys on best practices for effectuating service by electronic means, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.
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Series
Baking Bread Makes Me A Better Lawyer
After many years practicing law, and a few years baking bread, I have learned that there are a few keys to success in both endeavors, including the assembly of a nourishing and resilient culture, and the ability to learn from failure and exercise patience, says Rick Robinson at Reed Smith.
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Federal Courts And AI Standing Orders: Safety Or Overkill?
Several district court judges have issued standing orders regulating the use of artificial intelligence in their courts, but courts should consider following ordinary notice and comment procedures before implementing sweeping mandates that could be unnecessarily burdensome and counterproductive, say attorneys at Curtis.
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Wachtell-X Ruling Highlights Trend On Arbitrability Question
A growing body of case law, including a California state court's recent decision in X Corp. v. Wachtell, holds that incorporation of specific arbitral body rules in an arbitration provision may in and of itself constitute clear and unmistakable evidence of delegation of arbitrability to an arbitrator, and thus such clauses should be drafted carefully, say attorneys at Norton Rose.
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7 E-Discovery Predictions For 2024 And Beyond
The legal and technical issues of e-discovery now affect virtually every lawsuit, and in the year to come, practitioners can expect practices and policies to evolve in a number of ways, from the expanded use of relevancy redactions to mandated information security provisions in protective orders, say attorneys at Littler.
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On The Edge: Lessons In Patent Litigation Financing
A federal judge's recent request that the U.S. Department of Justice look into IP Edge patent litigation, and that counsel be disciplined, serves as a reminder for parties asserting intellectual property rights — and their attorneys — to exercise caution when structuring a litigation financing agreement, say Samuel Habein and James De Vellis at Foley & Lardner.
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5 Litigation Funding Trends To Note In 2024
Over the next year and beyond, litigation funding will continue to evolve in ways that affect attorneys and the larger litigation landscape, from the growth of a secondary market for funded claims, to rising interest rates restricting the availability of capital, says Jeffery Lula at GLS Capital.
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Opinion
Stronger Attorney Rules Are Needed To Avoid A Jan. 6 Repeat
Given the key role lawyers played in the events leading up to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, the legal profession must shore up its rules before this year’s presidential election to make clear that lawyers who undermine the rule of law will face severe penalties, including disbarment, says Ray Brescia at Albany Law School.
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4 Legal Ethics Considerations For The New Year
As attorneys and clients reset for a new year, now is a good time to take a step back and review some core ethical issues that attorneys should keep front of mind in 2024, including approaching generative artificial intelligence with caution and care, and avoiding pitfalls in outside counsel guidelines, say attorneys at HWG.
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What The Law Firm Of The Future Will Look Like
As the legal landscape shifts, it’s become increasingly clear that the BigLaw business model must adapt in four key ways to remain viable, from fostering workplace flexibility to embracing technology, say Kevin Henderson and Eric Pacifici at SMB Law Group.
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4 PR Pointers When Your Case Is In The News
Media coverage of new lawsuits exploded last year, demonstrating why defense attorneys should devise a public relations plan that complements their legal strategy, incorporating several objectives to balance ethical obligations and advocacy, say Nathan Burchfiel at Pinkston and Ryan June at Castañeda + Heidelman.
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Why Fed. Circ. Affirmed Attorney Fee Award In PersonalWeb
A recent Federal Circuit decision to leave a $5.2 million fee award in place in the PersonalWeb patent case underscores district courts' discretion to sanction unreasonable arguments and litigation tactics under the U.S. Code's attorney fee provision, say attorneys at Shearman.