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Legal Ethics
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September 30, 2024
'Rust' Armorer's Conviction Stands Despite Evidence Scandal
A New Mexico judge on Monday refused to throw out "Rust" armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed's involuntary manslaughter conviction or order a new trial based on allegations of prosecutorial misconduct that tanked the state's high-profile case against actor-producer Alec Baldwin.
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September 27, 2024
Fla. Timeshare Biz Wins $1.3M Fee Award In False Ad Suit
A Florida federal judge has awarded more than $1.3 million in attorney fees to a timeshare company that prevailed in a lawsuit against a Wyoming company over a false advertising scheme encouraging customers to stop paying for their properties, after agreeing the marketers pursued an "exceptionally weak case" that would not succeed.
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September 27, 2024
Giuliani Keeps Condo If He's In Fla. 'State Of Mind,' Judge Told
Rudy Giuliani's lawyer told a New York federal judge Friday that whether the ex-New York City mayor's Florida condo can be taken to help satisfy a $148 million defamation trial bill hinges not on whether he spends any time in Florida but on his residency "state of mind."
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September 27, 2024
Ex-Conn. Police Chief Drops Atty Fee Ask After Lawsuit Win
The former police chief in Newington, Connecticut, dropped his demand for attorney fees after defamation claims against him were dropped and a state court judge ordered that, in order to collect, his lawyer may have to testify at an upcoming hearing.
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September 27, 2024
Texas Judge Lets Paxton Probe Of Immigration Nonprofit Go On
Nonprofit legal services provider Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center lost a bid on Friday to halt the Texas attorney general's investigation of the organization's activities, with a federal judge saying the group waited too long to file its complaint.
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September 27, 2024
Valve Corp. May Continue Wash. 'Patent Troll' Claims
Video game patent holder Leigh Rothschild, his company Rothschild Broadcast Distribution Systems LLC and his legal team from Meyler Legal PLLC cannot escape a federal suit alleging they violated the state of Washington's anti-troll laws in pursuing bogus patent claims against video game maker and online game store operator Valve Corp.
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September 27, 2024
Disbarred Ex-DA Must Face Rival's Malicious Prosecution Suit
A Colorado federal judge on Thursday declined to throw out a malicious prosecution claim by a former elected district attorney alleging his disbarred successor falsely charged him with felony embezzlement, concluding that the disbarred prosecutor is not entitled to absolute or qualified immunity.
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September 27, 2024
Calif. Atty's Fee Bid Against LegalMatch Denied At Appeal
A California state appeals court has affirmed a trial court ruling denying a Torrance-based lawyer's bid for $940,000 in attorney fees in his suit against attorney referral service LegalMatch.
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September 27, 2024
Texas Bar Seeks Non-Atty Rule Changes To Fill Justice Gap
The State Bar of Texas on Friday laid out a series of proposed changes to pending rules set forth by the state Supreme Court for allowing non-attorneys to perform some legal services, citing the need to increase the educational requirements and prohibit certain fee arrangements.
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September 27, 2024
Honigman Not Conflicted Out Of $40M Detroit Embezzling Suit
A Michigan state judge said Friday that the law firm that investigated suspected fraud at the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy can also represent the organization in its civil suit against its former chief financial officer, who is accused of embezzling $40 million.
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September 27, 2024
Ex-Partners Blast Lin Wood's Constitutional Fight Over Fees
Former law partners of retired Georgia attorney L. Lin Wood said Wood can't escape being on the hook for their attorney fees after he was hit with a $3.75 million defamation verdict, saying that Wood's argument calling the fees unconstitutional flies in the face of 150 years of the state's case law.
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September 27, 2024
Lawyer Wields Blank Rome Atty Voicemail To Bolster DQ Bid
An attorney who is suing three lawyers from Blank Rome LLP and has asked a federal court to disqualify the firm's other attorneys from representing their colleagues — alleging they contacted one of her witnesses — told the court Friday she accessed a phone message that strengthens her arguments.
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September 27, 2024
Insurer Says No Coverage For Conn. Firm's Data Breach
A Connecticut personal injury firm's insurance company says it won't foot the bill for claims stemming from a hacker breaking into the firm's email system and stealing over $750,000 from a client, saying the firm's professional liability policy excluded "cyber security events."
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September 27, 2024
NJ Atty Reprimanded For Keeping Client In Dark On Fee Hike
The New Jersey Supreme Court has reprimanded a criminal defense attorney for failing to provide a client with a retainer or any bills for over four years until notifying the client that, due to an unannounced rate change, the client owed over $170,000.
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September 27, 2024
Houston Firm Gets Time In Zeta MDL To Fend Off DQ Bid
A Texas state judge overseeing a multidistrict litigation created to handle claims stemming from Hurricane Zeta agreed Friday to give a Houston law firm more time to respond to a disqualification bid from plaintiff firm Arnold & Itkin, which says an ex-law clerk who now works for the defense improperly accessed relevant case files.
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September 27, 2024
NY Judge Resigns Amid Probe Into Jan. 6 Rally Attendance
A non-attorney New York judge resigned from the bench amid the New York Commission on Judicial Conduct's investigation into allegations that include attending former President Donald Trump's Jan. 6, 2021, rally in Washington, D.C.
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September 27, 2024
Cooley Accused Of Hiding Fraud From Startup Investors
A former board member of a dry-cleaning delivery startup has alleged in New Jersey federal court that Cooley LLP and its attorneys deliberately kept investors in the dark about fraud claims against the startup's chief executive.
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September 27, 2024
Gunster Says Absence Of Damages Sinks Data Breach Case
Gunster Yoakley & Stewart PA wants a proposed class action lawsuit against it tossed in Florida federal court, arguing plaintiffs who had their personal information compromised when the law firm fell victim to a cyberattack can't show any harm was done.
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September 27, 2024
Ill. Justices Won't Hear Baker McKenzie's London Transfer Bid
Illinois' top court has declined to take on a petition from Chicago-based Baker McKenzie urging the justices to send to London a malpractice suit accusing the firm of botching a client's bid to reacquire a Russian coal mine.
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September 26, 2024
Donziger Unveils Plan To Launch Impact Litigation Fund
Sitting before an intimate audience of environmental investors and business leaders, disbarred environmental lawyer Steven Donziger recounted his 30-year battle with Chevron Corp. and its predecessor Texaco Inc. in Manhattan on Thursday, before laying out his plan to launch an impact litigation fund.
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September 26, 2024
Keller Postman Defends Hitting Tubi With 23K Arbitration Claims
Keller Postman LLC on Wednesday defended filing arbitration demands against Tubi Inc. without waiting 45 days after providing notice of claims, and urged a D.C. federal judge to toss the TV content platform's lawsuit, arguing that arbitration is the only route its clients have to dispute the enforceability of the contractual delay.
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September 26, 2024
Judge Recommends Axing Disbarred NC Atty's FOIA Suit
A disbarred North Carolina attorney's sprawling Freedom of Information Act lawsuit over U.S. Patent and Trademark Office documents should be tossed, a magistrate judge recommended Thursday, finding the government immune and most of the claims already litigated.
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September 26, 2024
BigLaw Attys Have 'Knack' For Insulting Judges, Says Judge
A Colorado federal judge on Thursday called out BigLaw attorneys for their "uncanny knack" of insulting the court in briefs, telling employment lawyers they appear more credible when acknowledging the case law against them rather than ignoring those arguments altogether.
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September 26, 2024
Conn. Lawyer Wants Early Win In $450K Malpractice Suit
A Connecticut attorney's former client has effectively admitted that she is the one responsible for delays in responding to discovery requests in a fraudulent transfer suit that ultimately cost her $450,000, the attorney said in seeking summary judgment in a malpractice suit that she brought against him in state court.
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September 26, 2024
Fla. Court Affirms Loss For Boies' Film Co. In $20M Spat
A Florida appeals court on Thursday affirmed a private judge's decision siding with an investment firm accused by Boies Schiller & Flexner LLP Chairman David Boies' film development company of making misrepresentations to secure a $20 million investment in a movie starring Natalie Portman that later flopped at the box office.
Expert Analysis
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To Hire And Keep Top Talent, Think Beyond Compensation
Firms seeking to appeal to sophisticated clients and top-level partners should promote mentorship, ensure that attorneys from diverse backgrounds feel valued, and clarify policies about at-home work, says Patrick Moya at Quaero Group.
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Ethics Issues For Mainland Firms Involved In Maui Fire Suits
Before law firms located outside of Hawaii represent clients affected by the Lahaina wildfires, they must be aware of local ethics rules and regulatory gray areas, as any any ethical missteps could have major ramifications for the firm's practice in its home jurisdiction, says Ryan Little at Klinedinst.
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Perspectives
More States Should Join Effort To Close Legal Services Gap
Colorado is the most recent state to allow other types of legal providers, not just attorneys, to offer specific services in certain circumstances — and more states should rethink the century-old assumptions that shape our current regulatory rules, say Natalie Anne Knowlton and Janet Drobinske at the University of Denver.
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Identifying Trends And Tips In Litigation Financing Disclosure
Growing interest and controversy in litigation financing raise several salient concerns, but exploring recent compelled disclosure trends from courts around the country can help practitioners further their clients' interests, say Sean Callagy and Samuel Sokolsky at Arnold & Porter.
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Attorneys Using AI Shouldn't Worry About Waiving Privilege
As large language models become more advanced, attorneys may be concerned that sending confidential data to companies like OpenAI risks waiving attorney-client or work-product privilege, but there’s nothing about such tools that would negate the reasonable expectation of privacy, say John Tredennick and William Webber at Merlin.
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Series
The Pop Culture Docket: Judge Elrod On 'Jury Duty'
Though the mockumentary series “Jury Duty” features purposely outrageous characters, it offers a solemn lesson about the simple but brilliant design of the right to trial by jury, with an unwitting protagonist who even John Adams may have welcomed as an impartial foreperson, says Fifth Circuit Judge Jennifer Elrod.
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NJ Justices Clarify Bribery Law Scope, But Questions Remain
The New Jersey Supreme Court’s recent State v. O'Donnell decision clarified that the state’s bribery law unambiguously applies to candidates for public office, but there are still unresolved questions about how the ruling may affect lobbyists, undeclared candidates and political speech, says Scott Coffina at Pietragallo Gordon.
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4 Business-Building Strategies For Introvert Attorneys
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Introverted lawyers can build client bases to rival their extroverted peers’ by adapting time-tested strategies for business development that can work for any personality — such as claiming a niche, networking for maximum impact, drawing on existing contacts and more, says Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein.
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Opinion
3 Ways Justices' Disclosure Defenses Miss The Ethical Point
The rule-bound interpretation of financial disclosures preferred by U.S. Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas — demonstrated in their respective statements defending their failure to disclose gifts from billionaires — show that they do not understand the ethical aspects of the public's concern, says Jim Moliterno at the Washington and Lee University School of Law.
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Trump's 'I Thought I Won' Jan. 6 Defense Is Unlikely To Prevail
Since being indicted for his alleged attempts to overthrow the 2020 presidential election, former President Donald Trump’s legal team has argued that because he genuinely believed he won, his actions were not fraudulent — but this so-called mistake of fact defense will face a steep uphill battle for several key reasons, says Elizabeth Roper at Baker McKenzie.
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Caregiver Flexibility Is Crucial For Atty Engagement, Retention
As the battle for top talent continues post-pandemic, many firms are attempting to attract employees with progressive hybrid working environments — and supporting caregivers before, during and after an extended leave is a critically important way to retain top talent, says Manar Morales at The Diversity & Flexibility Alliance.
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How Judicial Privilege Shields Attys Facing Wiretap Violations
A recent ruling from the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, as well as past rulings across the country, indicates that the judicial privilege is applicable to alleged violations of wiretapping laws, so attorneys presented with audio evidence beneficial to their case should not fear being sued, says David Scott at Kang Haggerty.
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In-Office Engagement Is Essential To Associate Development
As law firms develop return-to-office policies that allow hybrid work arrangements, they should incorporate the specific types of in-person engagement likely to help associates develop attributes common among successful firm leaders, says Liisa Thomas at Sheppard Mullin.
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Perspectives
A Judge's Pitch To Revive The Jury Trial
Ohio state Judge Pierre Bergeron explains how the decline of the jury trial threatens public confidence in the judiciary and even democracy as a whole, and he offers ideas to restore this sacred right.
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How To Recognize And Recover From Lawyer Loneliness
Law can be one of the loneliest professions, but there are practical steps that attorneys and their managers can take to help themselves and their peers improve their emotional health, strengthen their social bonds and protect their performance, says psychologist and attorney Traci Cipriano.