Legal Ethics

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • September 26, 2024

    Colo. Justices Pause Discovery In Hospital Lien Suit

    The Colorado Supreme Court on Wednesday stayed discovery in a class action against hospital company Centura Health, as it decides whether to take up the plaintiff's challenge to a Denver judge's second attempt at deciding what documents the plaintiff must produce.

  • September 26, 2024

    Atty Can't Shield Bank Records In Judge Romance Probe

    A former Jackson Walker LLP lawyer on Thursday lost her bid to torpedo a subpoena from the U.S. Trustee's Office seeking her bank records in connection with an inquiry into her secret relationship with a former Texas federal bankruptcy judge, court records show.

  • September 26, 2024

    Jailed 'Rust' Armorer Accuses Prosecutor Of 'Lying, Cheating'

    Prosecutorial misconduct that tanked the "Rust" shooting case against actor Alec Baldwin should also unravel the involuntary manslaughter conviction of the Western film's armorer, her lawyer told a New Mexico state judge during a hearing Thursday.

  • September 26, 2024

    Pa. Justices Say State Lawmakers Can't Impeach Philly DA

    The clock ran out for the Pennsylvania Senate's planned trial on the impeachment of Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, the state's highest court ruled in an opinion published Thursday.

  • September 26, 2024

    Conn. Atty's Suit Against Willkie Partner Tossed

    A Connecticut state court has dismissed a solo practitioner's lawsuit that alleged a partner at Willkie and his wife abused the court process by suing him over his contribution to an unflattering New York Post story about the couple.

  • September 26, 2024

    Seton Hall, Ex-Prez Point Fingers On Who Broke Deal First

    Seton Hall University urged a New Jersey state judge Thursday to toss a whistleblower lawsuit by the school's former president, contending that the very filing of the suit broke his separation agreement that both sides willingly signed.

  • September 26, 2024

    NJ Atty Rips AG For 'Grossly Distorted' Power Broker Case

    A New Jersey attorney charged in the state's sweeping indictment against power broker George E. Norcross III accused the Attorney General's Office on Thursday of "attempting to criminalize the routine practice of law" with its charges against him.

  • September 26, 2024

    Immigrant Legal Aid Group Sues Over Texas AG's Probe

    The nonprofit legal services provider Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday accusing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton of trying to chill protected activity — suing two days before it was due to turn over information from the low-income immigrants it serves to the AG.

  • September 26, 2024

    Atty Sheehan Owes $144K Fees For 'Frivolous' Big Lots Suit

    Prolific New York-based consumer advocate attorney Spencer Sheehan of Sheehan & Associates PC must cover the approximately $144,000 tab for attorney fees incurred amid the "frivolous" coffee labeling suit he brought against national retailer Big Lots Inc., a Florida federal judge has ordered.

  • September 26, 2024

    Fla. Bar Says Atty's 'False Narrative' Warrants Suspension

    The Florida Bar has fired back at a Georgia-based attorney's bid to avoid a suspension for disparaging an opponent running for 20th Judicial Circuit state attorney in 2018, urging the state Supreme Court to reject his First Amendment defense in the disciplinary matter.

  • September 26, 2024

    GOP Senator Blocks Fast-Tracking Of DC Judges

    A Republican senator has blocked the fast-tracking confirmation of two nominees to become Washington, D.C., judges, even though former President Donald Trump previously nominated them.

  • September 26, 2024

    DC Court Disbars Giuliani After License Revoked In NY

    Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani has lost his law license in Washington, D.C., after he was also disbarred in New York for his work aiding former President Donald Trump's attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

  • September 25, 2024

    Sullivan & Cromwell Didn't Ignore FTX 'Red Flags,' Report Says

    The Chapter 11 examiner appointed in the bankruptcy case of fallen cryptocurrency exchange FTX Trading determined Wednesday that debtor law firm Sullivan & Cromwell didn't ignore any "red flags" about FTX's misconduct related to a $500 million purchase of stock in financial service and digital trading platform Robinhood Markets Inc.

  • September 25, 2024

    NYC Mayor Adams Vows To Fight Looming Federal Charges

    New York City Mayor Eric Adams said Wednesday that he believed "the federal government intends to charge" him with crimes following an investigation by Manhattan prosecutors into an alleged scheme to funnel illegal donations from the Turkish government into his 2021 campaign.

  • September 25, 2024

    Wash. Judge Says Co., Firm Seem To Share Sanctions Blame

    A Washington appeals court judge said Wednesday that a climbing equipment manufacturer and its former trial counsel, Sinars Slowikowski Tomaska LLC, appear to share blame for discovery violations in a product liability lawsuit and that a trial court appeared to have the authority to issue sanctions.

  • September 25, 2024

    Arnold & Itkin DQ Bid Says Zeta Defense Atty Is Ex-Employee

    Arnold & Itkin has asked a Harris County judge to disqualify the law firm representing a drilling rig owner in litigation spurring from Hurricane Zeta, alleging a defense lawyer previously worked for Arnold & Itkin and improperly sent herself confidential information about the litigation before leaving the firm.

Expert Analysis

  • How To Recognize And Recover From Lawyer Loneliness

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    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.

  • Noncompetes Hold Atty Privilege Pitfalls For Health Industry

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    Providers negotiating with medical professionals bound by enforceable restrictive covenants must tread carefully due to not only risk of breaching physicians' covenants but also risk of wrongful conduct that pierces attorney-client privilege, says Scott O'Connell at Holland & Knight.

  • Opinion

    Litigation Funding Disclosure Should Be Mandatory

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    Despite the Appellate Rules Committee's recent deferral of the issue of requiring third-party litigation funding disclosure, such a mandate is necessary to ensure the even-handed administration of justice across all cases, says David Levitt at Hinshaw.

  • Recalling USWNT's Legal PR Playbook Amid World Cup Bid

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    As the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team strives to take home another World Cup trophy, their 2022 pay equity settlement with the U.S. Soccer Federation serves as a good reminder that winning in the court of public opinion can be more powerful than a victory inside the courtroom, says Hector Valle at Vianovo.

  • Opinion

    Guardrails Needed Against Politically Motivated Atty Discipline

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    As illustrated by revelations about disbarred attorney Tom Girardi’s influence, there is a need to revamp attorney discipline to protect the public, but any reforms to misconduct rules must also consider how bar-directed disciplinary hearings are increasingly used as a political weapon, says Deborah Winokur at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Groundbreaking Nev. Law May Alter Insurance Landscape

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    The Nevada Legislature recently passed a law prohibiting insurers from issuing liability policies with eroding limits provisions that has the potential to create massive shifts in the marketplace — and specifically in areas like professional liability, cyber, and directors and officers insurance, says Will Bennett at Saxe Doernberger.

  • Perspectives

    Mallory Gives Plaintiffs A Better Shot At Justice

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    Critics of the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Mallory v. Norfolk Southern claim it opens the door to litigation tourism, but the ruling simply gives plaintiffs more options — enabling them to seek justice against major corporations in the best possible court, say Rayna Kessler and Ethan Seidenberg at Robins Kaplan.

  • Durham Hearing Shows Common Cross-Examination Errors

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    Trial attorneys can glean several key cross-examination lessons from the mistakes made by several members of the U.S. House of Representatives during a recent hearing on special counsel John Durham’s FBI probe, say Luke Andrews and Asha Laskar at Poole Huffman.

  • Opinion

    When Corporate Self-Disclosure Threatens Individuals' Rights

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    The prosecution of former Cognizant executives in New Jersey federal court demonstrates how the U.S. Department of Justice’s corporate enforcement policy can contravene the constitutional rights of individual defendants who are employed by cooperating companies, says Gideon Mark at the University of Maryland.

  • Pitfalls Of Attorney AI Use In Brief Prep Has Judges On Alert

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    Some lawyers are attempting to leverage generative artificial intelligence as a brief drafting tool, which may serve to greatly reduce the burden of motion practice, but several recent cases show that generative AI is not perfect and blind reliance on this tool can be very risky, say Matthew Nigriny and John Gary Maynard at Hunton.

  • Courts Can Overturn Deficient State Regulations, Too

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    While suits challenging federal regulations have become commonplace, such cases against state agencies are virtually nonexistent, but many states have provisions that allow litigants to bring suit for regulations with inadequate cost-benefit analyses, says Reeve Bull at the Virginia Office of Regulatory Management.

  • Tales From The Trenches Of Remote Depositions

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    As practitioners continue to conduct depositions remotely in the post-pandemic world, these virtual environments are rife with opportunities for improper behavior such as witness coaching, scripted testimony and a general lack of civility — but there are methods to prevent and combat these behaviors, say Jennifer Gibbs and Bennett Moss at Zelle.

  • Insurance Coverage For ChatGPT Legal Fiasco: A Hypothetical

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    William Passannante at Anderson Kill draws on the recent case of an attorney sanctioned by the Southern District of New York for submitting a ChatGPT-authored brief to discuss what the insurance coverage for the attorney's hypothetical claim might look like.

  • Level Up Lawyers' Business Development With Gamification

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    With employee engagement at a 10-year low in the U.S., there are several gamification techniques marketing and business development teams at law firms can use to make generating new clients and matters more appealing to lawyers, says Heather McCullough at Society 54.

  • Mallory Ruling Leaves Personal Jurisdiction Deeply Unsettled

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    In Mallory v. Norfolk Southern Railway, a closely divided U.S. Supreme Court recently rolled back key aspects of its 2017 opinion in Daimler AG v. Bauman that limited personal jurisdiction, leaving as many questions for businesses as it answers, say John Cerreta and James Rotondo at Day Pitney.

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