Legal Ethics

  • July 29, 2024

    Vaccine Co. Was Sanctioned For Deliberately Hiding Testing

    U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director Kathi Vidal backed sanctions for Longhorn Vaccines & Diagnostics' "egregious abuse" of the Patent Trial and Appeal Board system because of the patent owner's "deliberate scheme to hide" harmful evidence from the board, she said in an opinion made public Friday.

  • July 29, 2024

    Firm Partners Ask Fla. Court To Toss Investor's Derivative Suit

    Two partners in a law firm have asked a Florida court to dismiss a derivative lawsuit brought by an investor claiming that they orchestrated a litigation funding fraud, arguing that the investor has no right to bring the suit without a vote from the other members of the company.

  • July 29, 2024

    Amex Inks $3M Deal To Settle Girardi Bankruptcy Suit Claims

    American Express reached a $3 million deal to settle claims brought by the Girardi Keese bankruptcy trustee accusing the credit giant's banking unit and another subsidiary of enabling $50.25 million in fraudulent transfers as part of the now-defunct law firm's scheme to defraud creditors.

  • July 29, 2024

    Calif. Panel Weighs Guidance On Judges' School Fundraising

    On Monday, the California Supreme Court Committee on Judicial Ethics Opinions released its latest draft opinion, soliciting public input in proposed guardrails for judicial officers' personal participation in their children's school fundraising efforts.

  • July 29, 2024

    Hunter Biden Attys Say They Didn't Mislead Judge In Tax Case

    Hunter Biden's attorneys told a Los Angeles federal judge that while several statements in their motion to dismiss tax charges against the president's son were worded "perhaps inartfully," they never intended to mislead the court in a way that would merit sanctions.

  • July 29, 2024

    Immigration Firm Wants Injunction In Trade Secret Fight

    A Washington-based immigration law firm is arguing that a Colombian ex-employee helped a Houston immigration law firm poach its offshore employees in Colombia and copy its business model for building a large-scale firm, and that the court must declare a preliminary injunction to stop "irreparable harm."

  • July 29, 2024

    DeSantis Wants To Ax Suit Over Fla. Prosecutor Suspension

    Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis moved on Friday to dismiss an amended complaint regarding his suspension of elected prosecutor Monique Worrell, arguing that voters have no right to see an elected official serve an entire term.

  • July 29, 2024

    Firm, Ex-Client Brief Conn. High Court In Punitive Award Case

    McCarter & English LLP and ex-client Jarrow Formulas Inc. are weighing in as the Connecticut Supreme Court decides whether a federal court can award law firms punitive damages in suits for breach of contract, as the firm seeks a punitive payout after winning multimillion-dollar judgments in a contract dispute.

  • July 29, 2024

    ABA's 1st Generative AI Opinion Points Attys To Ethical Duties

    The American Bar Association ethics committee published on Monday its first formal opinion on attorney use of generative artificial intelligence tools, saying lawyers should consider their ethical obligations, including those related to model rules on competency, confidentiality and fees.

  • July 29, 2024

    Mich. AG Drops Remaining Case Against Carhartt Heiress Atty

    Prosecutors will not retry a Michigan attorney they claim stole from his wealthy client, the late Carhartt company heiress Gretchen Valade, and have agreed to toss similar embezzlement charges in a separate case. 

  • July 29, 2024

    Judge Narrows Ex-Worker's Claims Against Bronx DA's Office

    A New York federal judge has trimmed claims in an employment suit lodged against the Bronx district attorney's office by a woman who worked there, holding that others alleging discrimination under the Family and Medical Leave Act and a racially driven promotion could move forward.

  • July 29, 2024

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    Litigation linked to Elon Musk sparked several filings in Delaware's Court of Chancery last week, including a call for sanctions and hand-wringing about a proposed multibillion-dollar attorney fee. Here, Law360 looks at this and other highlights from last week in Delaware's Chancery Court.

  • July 29, 2024

    Ga. Prosecutors Fight DQ Bid Over Secret Meeting In YSL Trial

    Georgia prosecutors said Friday it would be "egregious abuse" of the court's discretion to grant Atlanta rapper Young Thug's request to have them disqualified from the racketeering trial because of a secret meeting with the judge and a witness, arguing that this is an unwarranted request that seeks to delay the already longest trial in Peach State history.

  • July 29, 2024

    Irked Judge Says Late Filing 'Sandbagged' Conn. Firm

    A Connecticut state court judge on Monday chided attorneys for an eleventh-hour filing and other missed deadlines on behalf of a couple lodging malpractice claims against Evans & Lewis LLC, blocking the wife from testifying to fight the firm's attempt to throw her husband out of the lawsuit.

  • July 29, 2024

    Biden Support Adds Heat To Calls For Supreme Court Reform

    President Joe Biden endorsed significant U.S. Supreme Court reform on Monday, calling on Congress to pass legislation that would impose term limits and an enforceable code of conduct on the justices and to adopt a constitutional amendment that would reverse the court's decision granting former presidents broad immunity for crimes committed in office.

  • July 29, 2024

    8 Ex-Employees Say NJ Firm Didn't Pay OT, Paid Women Less

    Davis Saperstein & Salomon PC has been hit with a pair of lawsuits in New Jersey state court alleging the Bergen County-based personal injury firm didn't pay overtime wages, paid its female employees less than their male colleagues and subjected a pregnant woman to a hostile work environment.

  • July 29, 2024

    NC Attys Dismissed From Malpractice Suit Over Missed Filing

    A pair of North Carolina-based attorneys involved in a legal malpractice suit filed by the parents of two children who died in a car fire were voluntarily dismissed from the family's suit against their former firm.  

  • July 29, 2024

    Mich. Justices Say Subbed Atty Can't Be Sanctioned

    Michigan's Supreme Court has ruled state statute doesn't require all attorneys representing a sanctioned party "be held jointly responsible for frivolous conduct," reversing a decision that imposed sanctions on an attorney who joined a real estate contract dispute after sanctionable conduct occurred.

  • July 29, 2024

    Reebok Rips Shoe Rival's 'Underhanded' Conduct In TM Case

    Reebok asked a Massachusetts federal judge to sanction an Italian shoemaker and strike nearly three dozen witnesses who were disclosed at the last minute in a trademark case, the latest claim by the shoe and apparel giant of "underhanded" tactics.

  • July 26, 2024

    'Low-Grade Lawyering': Quinn Emanuel Attys Draw Judge's Ire

    A California federal judge considering Guardant Health's sanctions bid in a false advertising case against rival Natera said Friday that representations to the court by Natera's attorneys from Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP regarding a proposed expert witness were "less than forthright" and "pretty low-grade lawyering."

  • July 26, 2024

    SEC Sues Banker And Ex-Prosecutor Alleging $1.6M Fraud

    A Georgia banker fraudulently bilked approximately $1.6 million from unsuspecting investors for "furs and furniture" and other expenses while a former Florida prosecutor ignored several red flags when holding on to the investments, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission told a Georgia federal court.

  • July 26, 2024

    Girardi Can't Show Ex-CFO's Spending Habits In Fraud Trial

    Jurors in Tom Girardi's upcoming fraud trial won't hear details about the spending habits of Girardi Keese's former CFO, who's accused of a "side fraud" that bilked millions without Girardi's knowledge, after a California federal judge agreed with prosecutors Friday that the evidence appears more prejudicial than probative.

  • July 26, 2024

    Ex-Magistrate Judge Picked To Oversee Texas Insurance Fight

    A New York federal judge has appointed a former magistrate judge to oversee a dispute between a Texas school district and several insurers who allegedly stiffed the district $17 million in damages following Hurricane Hanna.

  • July 26, 2024

    Insurer Says It Needn't Cover Divorce Attys In Malpractice Suit

    Hanover Insurance Group asked a federal court Friday to rule that it doesn't have to defend a pair of Houston-area divorce attorneys in a legal malpractice suit alleging they botched a divorce case.

  • July 26, 2024

    Assa Abloy Resolves DOJ Merger Monitor Dispute

    Assa Abloy told a D.C. federal judge that it's agreed "in principle" on how a monitoring trustee will review its compliance with a U.S. Department of Justice merger lawsuit settlement, resolving a simmering dispute over its complaints of an open-ended multimillion-dollar investigation.

Expert Analysis

  • How To Clean Up Your Generative AI-Produced Legal Drafts

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    As law firms increasingly rely on generative artificial intelligence tools to produce legal text, attorneys should be on guard for the overuse of cohesive devices in initial drafts, and consider a few editing pointers to clean up AI’s repetitive and choppy outputs, says Ivy Grey at WordRake.

  • Opinion

    A Tale Of 2 Trump Cases: The Rule Of Law Is A Live Issue

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision this week in Trump v. U.S., holding that former President Donald Trump has broad immunity from prosecution, undercuts the rule of law, while the former president’s New York hush money conviction vindicates it in eight key ways, says David Postel at Henein Hutchison.

  • Series

    Boxing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Boxing has influenced my legal work by enabling me to confidently hone the skills I've learned from the sport, like the ability to remain calm under pressure, evaluate an opponent's weaknesses and recognize when to seize an important opportunity, says Kirsten Soto at Clyde & Co.

  • Opinion

    Industry Self-Regulation Will Shine Post-Chevron

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's Loper decision will shape the contours of industry self-regulation in the years to come, providing opportunities for this often-misunderstood practice, says Eric Reicin at BBB National Programs.

  • 3 Ways Agencies Will Keep Making Law After Chevron

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    The U.S. Supreme Court clearly thinks it has done something big in overturning the Chevron precedent that had given deference to agencies' statutory interpretations, but regulated parties have to consider how agencies retain significant power to shape the law and its meaning, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

  • Roundup

    After Chevron

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    In the month since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Chevron deference standard, this Expert Analysis series has featured attorneys discussing the potential impact across 26 different rulemaking and litigation areas.

  • Opinion

    Atty Well-Being Efforts Ignore Root Causes Of The Problem

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    The legal industry is engaged in a critical conversation about lawyers' mental health, but current attorney well-being programs primarily focus on helping lawyers cope with the stress of excessive workloads, instead of examining whether this work culture is even fundamentally compatible with lawyer well-being, says Jonathan Baum at Avenir Guild.

  • Series

    Skiing And Surfing Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    The skills I’ve learned while riding waves in the ocean and slopes in the mountains have translated to my legal career — developing strong mentor relationships, remaining calm in difficult situations, and being prepared and able to move to a backup plan when needed, says Brian Claassen at Knobbe Martens.

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: June Lessons

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    In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy considers two recent decisions from the Third and Tenth Circuits, and identifies practice tips around class action settlements and standing in securities litigation.

  • Unpacking The Circuit Split Over A Federal Atty Fee Rule

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    Federal circuit courts that have addressed Rule 41(d) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure are split as to whether attorney fees are included as part of the costs of a previously dismissed action, so practitioners aiming to recover or avoid fees should tailor arguments to the appropriate court, says Joseph Myles and Lionel Lavenue at Finnegan.

  • After A Brief Hiccup, The 'Rocket Docket' Soars Back To No. 1

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    The Eastern District of Virginia’s precipitous 2022 fall from its storied rocket docket status appears to have been a temporary aberration, as recent statistics reveal that the court is once again back on top as the fastest federal civil trial court in the nation, says Robert Tata at Hunton.

  • Recruitment Trends In Emerging Law Firm Frontiers

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    BigLaw firms are facing local recruitment challenges as they increasingly establish offices in cities outside of the major legal hubs, requiring them to weigh various strategies for attracting talent that present different risks and benefits, says Tom Hanlon at Buchanan Law.

  • Series

    Glassblowing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    I never expected that glassblowing would strongly influence my work as an attorney, but it has taught me the importance of building a solid foundation for your work, learning from others and committing to a lifetime of practice, says Margaret House at Kalijarvi Chuzi.

  • Money, Money, Money: Limiting White Collar Wealth Evidence

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    As courts increasingly recognize that allowing unfettered evidence of wealth could prejudice a jury against a defendant, white collar defense counsel should consider several avenues for excluding visual evidence of a lavish lifestyle at trial, says Jonathan Porter at Husch Blackwell.

  • How Associates Can Build A Professional Image

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    As hybrid work arrangements become the norm in the legal industry, early-career attorneys must be proactive in building and maintaining a professional presence in both physical and digital settings, ensuring that their image aligns with their long-term career goals, say Lana Manganiello at Equinox Strategy Partners and Estelle Winsett at Estelle Winsett Professional Image Consulting.

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