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Legal Ethics
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October 04, 2024
Colo. Attys May Release Files Without Waiving Lien On Clients
A Colorado appellate panel has found that attorneys who hold liens on documents due to unpaid client bills will not waive their rights to enforcement if they release certain files, issuing a precedential opinion designed to help trial courts determine when such liens are enforceable and when they might be lifted.
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October 04, 2024
Justices Accept Ex-Chicago Alderman's False Statement Case
The U.S. Supreme Court said Friday that it would review the conviction of an ex-Burke Warren MacKay & Serritella PC attorney and former Chicago alderman under a federal statute that prohibits making false statements to influence certain financial institutions.
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October 03, 2024
Trump Says Justices' Jan. 6 Ruling Shields Him From Charges
Former President Donald Trump on Thursday told a Washington, D.C., federal judge that charges accusing him of scheming to subvert the 2020 election results cannot stand after the U.S. Supreme Court limited prosecutors' use of an obstruction statute against defendants accused of storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
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October 03, 2024
WilmerHale Hired For DHS IG's Retaliatory Probe, Report Says
U.S. Department of Homeland Security Inspector General Joseph Cuffari at one point tapped WilmerHale to conduct a retaliatory investigation into three staffers who complained about him, an abuse of his authority and waste of funds, a watchdog alleged in a report Wednesday.
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October 03, 2024
Counties Say Foreclosure Attys Trying To Quash Competition
Michigan counties facing a proposed class action over profits they kept from foreclosures of tax-delinquent properties questioned Wednesday the aim and legality of their opposing counsel's quest to rein in a previous rival's outreach to people who have experienced foreclosures.
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October 03, 2024
Colo. Billionaire's Brief Sparks Call For Gorsuch Recusal
A Colorado billionaire once hired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch as a budding young lawyer, later campaigned for the future justice's first judicial appointment and subsequently urged the court to loosen requirements for federal environmental reviews — all of which has sparked a call for the justice to bow out of one of the upcoming term's key cases.
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October 03, 2024
Del. Vice Chancellor Slams Fee Terms In Advancement Case
A Delaware vice chancellor balked Thursday at "success fee" terms in a fee advancement case that she suggested made the clients a "human shield" in litigation over attorney expenses in connection with a New Jersey legal malpractice case.
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October 03, 2024
Wash. AG Wants Albertsons Sanctioned In Opioid Suit
Washington state's attorney general has accused Albertsons of using a state-court-ordered stay to shield itself from discovery in a consumer protection suit that accuses Rite Aid and grocery store pharmacies of exacerbating the opioid epidemic, seeking the appointment of a "discovery referee" in a new sanctions motion.
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October 03, 2024
Fla. Judge Facing Discipline For 'Intemperate' Conduct
A Florida state judge is facing disciplinary action for his behavior in multiple matters, including occasions when he allegedly acted "intemperately" and lacked "the patience, dignity, and courtesy required by the Code of Judicial Conduct," a judicial ethics panel said.
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October 03, 2024
Conn. Justices OK Bar Input On Banking Probe Into Lawyers
The Connecticut Supreme Court will allow the National Creditors Bar Association and the Connecticut Creditors Bar Association to weigh in on a case that questions whether the state banking commissioner violated the constitution's separation of powers doctrine by launching a probe into a law firm and its associated debt negotiation group.
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October 03, 2024
Cos. Want Federal Rule On Litigation Funding Disclosure
The federal courts should adopt a uniform process for the disclosure of third-party litigation funding in federal cases, a host of companies, including Johnson & Johnson and Google, told the judiciary's Rules Committee.
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October 03, 2024
Allred Feud With Ex-Tenant Over 'Large Rodent' Puzzles Judge
Gloria Allred's long-running dispute with a former tenant — who said he fled rats in her Manhattan apartment eight years ago — spilled into New York federal court Monday, leaving the judge to wonder aloud why the celebrity attorney was still suing the man over a $25,000 claim as he sought bankruptcy protection.
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October 03, 2024
NJ Mogul's Brother Says Lawyering Isn't Racketeering
Parker McCay PA shareholder Philip A. Norcross is urging a New Jersey state judge to toss the sweeping indictment against him, his power broker brother and others over an alleged extortion scheme to acquire riverfront property in a distressed city, arguing that none of the targeted conduct is criminal.
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October 03, 2024
Jones Day Parental Leave Bias Claims Must Go To Jury
Jones Day will have to defend its family leave policy at trial against claims from married ex-associates who say it is discriminatory and violates District of Columbia law, a D.C. federal judge said Thursday in concluding such bias allegations were a close call.
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October 03, 2024
Brokerage Made 'Mockery' Of Courts, Texas Justices Told
A Dallas law firm urged the Texas Supreme Court at a hearing Thursday to uphold an appellate court's ruling that tossed a $22 million malpractice verdict against the firm in a dispute with a real estate brokerage, accusing the company of changing positions "depending on where the money lies."
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October 03, 2024
Sham Law Firm Employee Gets 5 Years For Foreclosure Fraud
A Virginia man was sentenced to five years in prison and hit with a $159,000 fine for what a D.C. federal judge called Thursday the "horrendous" crime of using a Manassas law firm to defraud homeowners facing foreclosure.
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October 03, 2024
Judicial Picks From 3 States Remain Hearing-Less
With a dwindling number of days left on the Senate's 2024 calendar, Democrats are pushing to confirm more judges so President Joe Biden can meet or exceed former President Donald Trump's record.
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October 03, 2024
Newest High Court Reform Bill Would Cap Gifts At $50
A group of Democratic senators has introduced new legislation that would place price caps and other restrictions on gifts received by U.S. Supreme Court justices in an effort to bring the court's ethical rules closer in line with those followed by federal employees and members of Congress.
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October 03, 2024
Conn. Atty May Face Discipline, Again, Over Probate Case
A Connecticut attorney with an extensive disciplinary history is again in hot water with ethics regulators by failing to file a case in probate court following the death of a woman whose relatives he represented.
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October 03, 2024
Western Pa. DA Accused Of Abusing Power To Attack Rivals
A former district attorney and the chief detective for Greene County, Pennsylvania, have been accused by the state attorney general of abusing their office by investigating political rivals, circumventing county officials' guidelines and attempting to create their own SWAT team.
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October 03, 2024
Giuliani's Fla. Condo Is Not Off Limits, Ga. Poll Workers Say
Two Georgia women who Rudy Giuliani accused of committing ballot fraud in the 2020 presidential election say his $3.5 million Florida condominium should be sold to help cover their $148 million defamation win against him, arguing he never established a "homestead" there before they brought a lien.
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October 02, 2024
Kirkland Accuses Ex-IP Atty Of Delaying Bias Suit Discovery
Kirkland & Ellis LLP told a California federal magistrate judge Wednesday that a former Kirkland intellectual property associate has delayed discovery production in her discrimination lawsuit against the firm, arguing that her discovery responses cite an erroneous legal standard, are non-committal and are "not even close to being proper."
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October 02, 2024
Atty 'Malfeasance' Upends NY Manslaughter Conviction
A New York state judge reversed a manslaughter conviction against a man who says he mistakenly killed his friend, ordering a retrial after it was revealed his then-attorney concealed information he obtained about the trial judge's concerns with the defense's case.
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October 02, 2024
Ex-Federal Judge's Sex Misconduct Spurs New Criminal Trial
The sexual misconduct scandal that toppled a federal judge in Alaska has now caused a criminal conviction to be overturned, despite prosecutors' insistence that the judge's "out-of-court judicial misconduct" had no effect on the trial.
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October 02, 2024
Convicted Judge Owes Feds Retirement Funds, 7th Circ. Says
A former Illinois judge convicted of running a $1.4 million mortgage fraud scheme must cough up assets from her retirement accounts to cover her restitution obligations, the Seventh Circuit ruled Wednesday, agreeing with a Chicago district court that the government can access her retirement savings to satisfy that debt.
Expert Analysis
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Opinion
Legal Profession Gender Parity Requires Equal Parental Leave
To truly foster equity in the legal profession and to promote attorney retention, workplaces need to better support all parents, regardless of gender — starting by offering equal and robust parental leave to both birthing and non-birthing parents, says Ali Spindler at Irwin Fritchie.
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Series
Writing Thriller Novels Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Authoring several thriller novels has enriched my work by providing a fresh perspective on my privacy practice, expanding my knowledge, and keeping me alert to the next wave of issues in an increasingly complex space — a reminder to all lawyers that extracurricular activities can help sharpen professional instincts, says Reece Hirsch at Morgan Lewis.
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What Lawyers Must Know About Calif. State Bar's AI Guidance
Initial recommendations from the State Bar of California regarding use of generative artificial intelligence by lawyers have the potential to become a useful set of guidelines in the industry, covering confidentiality, supervision and training, communications, discrimination and more, say attorneys at Debevoise.
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Industry Must Elevate Native American Women Attys' Stories
The American Bar Association's recent research study into Native American women attorneys' experiences in the legal industry reveals the glacial pace of progress, and should inform efforts to amplify Native voices in the field, says Mary Smith, president of the ABA.
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Understanding Discovery Obligations In Era Of Generative AI
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Attorneys and businesses must adapt to the unique discovery challenges presented by generative artificial intelligence, such as chatbot content and prompts, while upholding the principles of fairness, transparency and compliance with legal obligations in federal civil litigation, say attorneys at King & Spalding.
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Asserting 'Presence-Of-Counsel' Defense In Securities Trials
As illustrated by the fraud trial of FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, defense attorneys in securities trials might consider arguing that counsel had some involvement in the conduct at issue — if the more formal advice-of-counsel defense is unavailable and circumstances allow for a privilege waiver, say Joseph Dever and Matthew Elkin at Cozen O'Connor.
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Key Takeaways From DOJ's Recent FARA Advisory Opinions
The U.S. Department of Justice recently published several redacted advisory opinions on the Foreign Agents Registration Act, clarifying its current thinking on when a person or entity is required to register as a foreign agent under the statute, and when they may qualify for an exemption, says Tessa Capeloto at Wiley Rein.
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The Case For Post-Bar Clerk Training Programs At Law Firms
In today's competitive legal hiring market, an intentionally designed training program for law school graduates awaiting bar admission can be an effective way of creating a pipeline of qualified candidates, says Brent Daub at Gilson Daub.
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Attorneys Have An Ethical Duty To Protect The Judiciary
The tenor of public disagreement and debate has become increasingly hostile against judges, and though the legislative branch is trying to ameliorate this safety gap, lawyers have a moral imperative and professional requirement to stand with judges in defusing attacks against them and their rulings, says Deborah Winokur at Cozen O'Connor.
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AI Can Help Lawyers Overcome The Programming Barrier
Legal professionals without programming expertise can use generative artificial intelligence to harness the power of automation and other technology solutions to streamline their work, without the steep learning curve traditionally associated with coding, says George Zalepa at Greenberg Traurig.
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Preparing Law Students For A New, AI-Assisted Legal World
As artificial intelligence rapidly transforms the legal landscape, law schools must integrate technology and curricula that address AI’s innate challenges — from ethics to data security — to help students stay ahead of the curve, say Daniel Garrie at Law & Forensics, Ryan Abbott at JAMS and Karen Silverman at Cantellus Group.
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General Counsel Need Data Literacy To Keep Up With AI
With the rise of accessible and powerful generative artificial intelligence solutions, it is imperative for general counsel to understand the use and application of data for myriad important activities, from evaluating the e-discovery process to monitoring compliance analytics and more, says Colin Levy at Malbek.
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Navigating Discovery Of Generative AI Information
As generative artificial intelligence tools become increasingly ubiquitous, companies must make sure to preserve generative AI data when there is reasonable expectation of litigation, and to include transcripts in litigation hold notices, as they may be relevant to discovery requests, say Nick Peterson and Corey Hauser at Wiley.
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Finding Focus: Strategies For Attorneys With ADHD
Given the prevalence of ADHD among attorneys, it is imperative that the legal community gain a better understanding of how ADHD affects well-being, and that resources and strategies exist for attorneys with this disability to manage their symptoms and achieve success, say Casey Dixon at Dixon Life Coaching and Krista Larson at Stinson.
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Attorneys, Law Schools Must Adapt To New Era Of Evidence
Technological advancements mean more direct evidence is being created than ever before, and attorneys as well as law schools must modify their methods to account for new challenges in how this evidence is collected and used to try cases, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.