Legal Ethics

  • January 16, 2025

    Ex-Law Student Asks 11th Circ. To Revive Suit Against Judge

    A former law student asked the Eleventh Circuit on Thursday to revive his lawsuit accusing U.S. District Judge Federico Moreno and three government attorneys of conspiring to ruin his job prospects and reputation, arguing that they are not immune from suit because they acted outside the scope of their employment.

  • January 16, 2025

    SCOTUSblog Publisher Tom Goldstein Indicted In Tax Case

    Tom Goldstein, a publisher of SCOTUSblog and one of the most experienced U.S. Supreme Court lawyers in the country, was indicted Thursday in Maryland federal court on charges he schemed to evade paying taxes for years and used funds from his boutique law firm to cover gambling debts. 

  • January 16, 2025

    'Complete Lack Of Respect' For Privilege DQs NH Prosecutor

    A New Hampshire judge has disqualified the lead prosecutor and a financial expert in the state attorney general's criminal case against a casino owner, finding that they had negligently viewed material protected under attorney-client privilege.

  • January 16, 2025

    Defense Fights Privilege Waiver In $250M COVID Fraud Case

    A Minnesota nonprofit director accused of orchestrating a $250 million fraud scheme using funds from a COVID-19 federal food program has told a federal judge that prosecutors are wrong to argue that her lawyer's testimony at her impending trial will waive her attorney-client privilege, since the lawyer would be discussing facts, not advice.

  • January 16, 2025

    Paxton Seeks To Nix Ethics Case After Deputy Beats Suit

    Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton asked the Texas Supreme Court to toss an ethics case against him over a lawsuit challenging 2020 election results, saying the matter fails on the same separation of powers grounds that the court recently cited in nixing a similar case against his first assistant.

  • January 16, 2025

    1st Circ. Vacates Most Of Atty's Marijuana Bribe Conviction

    The First Circuit vacated a pair of fraud convictions for a Massachusetts attorney charged in a marijuana bribery scheme, finding that sending an iMessage through an Apple cellphone is not enough to satisfy the wire fraud element requiring interstate communication.

  • January 16, 2025

    Giuliani Settles NY Asset Turnover Case After Trial No-Show

    Rudy Giuliani on Thursday settled claims that he must turn over assets to fund a $148 million judgment for defaming two Georgia poll workers, after his failure to show up in court delayed the start of a scheduled bench trial.

  • January 15, 2025

    Colo. Panel Mulls If Atty Violations Can Nix Gov't Immunity

    A Colorado appellate panel on Wednesday pressed a utility regulator staffer who accused state lawyers of smearing her at work, questioning whether nixing the lawyers' governmental immunity based on alleged professional misconduct would go too far.

  • January 15, 2025

    Davis Wright Atty Says Firm Is Trying To Push Him Out

    An attorney employed by Davis Wright has launched a pro se employment discrimination lawsuit in Washington state court, accusing the firm of trying to "strong-arm" him into leaving after he reported what he described as misconduct by a partner and banishing him from its Seattle office when he threatened legal action.

  • January 15, 2025

    Boeing Vexes Judge In 737 Max Records Flap With Airline

    The Boeing Co. can't use a now-defunct South African airline's loss of records to dodge a suit over fallout from a 737 Max airplane deal, a Washington federal judge has said, chiding the aerospace giant for offering thin circumstantial evidence of intent without any "smoking gun."

  • January 15, 2025

    9th Circ. Won't Review Nixed Deductions For Disbarred Atty

    The Ninth Circuit on Wednesday rejected a disbarred California attorney's requests to review its December decision to uphold a U.S. Tax Court ruling denying his bid to take business deductions for the cost of challenging his disbarment and a court's declaration that he is a "vexatious litigant."

  • January 15, 2025

    Judge OKs More Fees In Calif. Debt Relief Firm's Bankruptcy

    A California bankruptcy judge has tentatively approved an additional $2.1 million in professional fees in the bankruptcy case of a troubled debt relief firm, despite the amount of professional fees already exceeding the amount paid out to creditors so far.

  • January 15, 2025

    NJ Prosecutors Can Shield Certain Docs In Atty Bribe Cases

    New Jersey prosecutors won't have to turn over certain documents related to investigations involving potential crimes committed by a tax attorney who was a cooperating witness in a bribery case against three former public officials, a state appeals panel has ruled.

  • January 15, 2025

    Attys Must Show They Obeyed Candor Rule In Shell Discovery

    A Delaware federal court has ordered attorneys from Heyman Enerio Gattuso & Hirzel LLP, Wachtel Lipton Rosen & Katz, and White & Case LLP to show why they should not be found in violation of professional conduct rules over their handling of discovery requests while defending corporate clients amid a Shell Chemical LP antitrust proceeding in the Netherlands.

  • January 15, 2025

    McElroy Deutsch Can Go After Ex-Exec's $1M Home

    A former business development director for McElroy Deutsch Mulvaney & Carpenter LLP, whose husband pled guilty to stealing millions of dollars from the law firm, where they were both employed, cannot duck her onetime employer's legal claim on her $1 million house, a New Jersey state court judge has ruled.

  • January 15, 2025

    Trump's AG Pick Tries To Assure Congress On Independence

    President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general attempted to assuage uneasiness from Democrats on Wednesday, saying the U.S. Department of Justice will be free of politics and will not go after perceived enemies.

  • January 15, 2025

    Elusive Cognizant Witness Ready To Testify, Gov't Says

    A witness from India whose 2023 absence on the brink of the foreign bribery trial of two former Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp. executives set off a lengthy delay is now willing to testify, federal prosecutors said, despite stating they were under no obligation to respond to defense counsel's concerns.

  • January 15, 2025

    Mass. Atty Charged In $2.5M Embezzlement Schemes

    A Massachusetts attorney blamed an addiction to prostitutes and a failed spa investment for his embezzling a total of $2.5 million from a couple and their multiple businesses, according to federal prosecutors.

  • January 15, 2025

    Boston Lawyers Accused Of Bungling Exec's Bias Claim

    A former executive at roofing manufacturer GAF Materials is accusing her former lawyers of mishandling a potential age and gender discrimination case by failing to meet a key procedural deadline, according to a lawsuit filed in Massachusetts state court.

  • January 14, 2025

    London Judge Affirms Wind Energy's Non-Liability Award

    A London judge on Tuesday refused to set aside an arbitral award finding that Thai renewable energy company Wind Energy Holding was not responsible for paying defense costs incurred by former board members in litigation that ended with a $1 billion judgment against them.

  • January 14, 2025

    Mich. Judge Won't Step Aside After Atty Turnover Quip

    A Michigan federal judge refused to step aside from overseeing a lawsuit from a pastor who alleges a township's zoning ordinance discriminates against religious entities, ruling Monday that comments he made about the number of attorneys the pastor has had or praise he gave prior counsel do not show any bias against the plaintiffs.

  • January 14, 2025

    DA Says Trump's Appeals To Intervene In NY Case Now 'Moot'

    Counsel for the Manhattan district attorney urged both a federal and a state appeals court to toss out Donald Trump's lingering invitations to intervene in his hush money case now that he's been sentenced, arguing there's no need for a "bizarre mechanism" when Trump can appeal normally.

  • January 14, 2025

    RNC Preempts Dem Attacks Ahead Of AG Nominee's Hearing

    Ahead of the confirmation hearing for President-elect Donald Trump's attorney general nominee on Wednesday, the chair of the Republican National Committee and other Trump allies brushed off concerns about Pam Bondi's possible conflicts of interest and close ties to the president-elect.

  • January 14, 2025

    Meta Atty Quits IP Case Over Zuckerberg's 'Toxic Masculinity'

    An attorney helping defend Meta Platforms in copyright litigation brought by artists who claim their content was used to train the large language model Llama has dropped the tech company as his client, citing Facebook and founder Mark Zuckerberg's "descent into toxic masculinity and Neo-Nazi madness" in a LinkedIn post.

  • January 14, 2025

    Justices Suggest 7th Circ. Revisit False Statement Decision

    Several U.S. Supreme Court justices seemed ready Tuesday to ask the Seventh Circuit to review a former Chicago alderman's conviction for lying about money he borrowed from a now-shuttered bank under a narrower standard, but the justices appeared skeptical that he would beat the case even with a fresh look.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Being A Navy Reservist Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Serving this country in uniform has not only been one of the greatest honors of my life, but it has also provided me with opportunities to broaden my legal acumen and interpersonal skills in ways that have indelibly contributed to my civilian practice, says Phillip Smith at Weinberg Wheeler.

  • So You Want To Move Your Law Practice To Canada, Eh?

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    Google searches for how to move to Canada have surged in the wake of the U.S. presidential election, and if you’re an attorney considering a move to the Great White North, you’ll need to understand how the practice of law differs across the border, says David Postel at Henein Hutchison.

  • Promoting Diversity In The Selection Of ADR Neutrals

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Choosing neutrals from diverse backgrounds is an important step in promoting inclusion in the legal profession, and it can enhance the legitimacy and public perception of alternative dispute resolution proceedings, say attorneys at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • Series

    Playing Ultimate Makes Us Better Lawyers

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    In addition to being fun, ultimate Frisbee has improved our legal careers by emphasizing the importance of professionalism, teamwork, perseverance, enthusiasm and vulnerability, say Arunabha Bhoumik and Adam Bernstein at Regeneron. 

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Recent Rulings On Metadata

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    Several recent rulings reflect the competing considerations that arise when parties dispute the form of production for electronically stored information, underscoring that counsel must carefully consider how to produce and request reasonably usable data, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Striking A Balance Between AI Use And Attorney Well-Being

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    As the legal industry increasingly adopts generative artificial intelligence tools to boost efficiency, leaders must note the hidden costs of increased productivity, and work to protect attorneys’ well-being while unlocking AI’s full potential, says Ed Sohn at Factor.

  • Empathy In Mediation Offers A Soft Landing For Disputes

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    Experiencing a crash-landing on a recent flight underscored to me how much difference empathy makes in times of crisis or stress, including during mediation, says Eydith Kaufman at Alternative Resolution Centers.

  • Series

    Being An Artist Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My work as an artist has highlighted how using creativity and precision together — qualities that are equally essential in both art and law — not only improves outcomes, but also leads to more innovative and thoughtful work, says Sarah La Pearl at Segal McCambridge.

  • How Judiciary Can Minimize AI Risks In Secondary Sources

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    Because courts’ standing orders on generative artificial intelligence and other safeguards do not address the risk of hallucinations in secondary source materials, the judiciary should consider enlisting legal publishers and database hosts to protect against AI-generated inaccuracies, say attorneys at Lankler Siffert & Wohl.

  • How Attorneys Can Break Free From Career Enmeshment

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    Ambitious attorneys can sometimes experience career enmeshment — when your sense of self-worth becomes unhealthily tangled up in your legal vocation — but taking the time to discover and realign with your core personal values can help you recover your identity, says Janna Koretz at Azimuth Psychological.

  • Ex-Chicago Politician's Case May Further Curb Fraud Theories

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    The U.S. Supreme Court recently agreed to hear Thompson v. U.S. to determine whether a statement that is misleading but not false still violates federal law, potentially heralding the court’s largest check yet on prosecutors’ expansive fraud theories, with significant implications for sentencing, say attorneys at the Law Offices of Alan Ellis.

  • Lawyers With Disabilities Are Seeking Equity, Not Pity

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    Attorneys living with disabilities face extra challenges — including the need for special accommodations, the fear of stigmatization and the risk of being tokenized — but if given equitable opportunities, they can still rise to the top of their field, says Kate Reder Sheikh, a former attorney and legal recruiter at Major Lindsey & Africa.

  • Opinion

    Judicial Committee Best Venue For Litigation Funding Rules

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    The Advisory Committee on Civil Rules' recent decision to consider developing a rule for litigation funding disclosure is a welcome development, ensuring that the result will be the product of a thorough, inclusive and deliberative process that appropriately balances all interests, says Stewart Ackerly at Statera Capital.

  • The Strategic Advantages Of Appointing A Law Firm CEO

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    The impact on law firms of the recent CrowdStrike outage underscores that the business of law is no longer merely about providing supplemental support for legal practice — and helps explain why some law firms are appointing dedicated, full-time CEOs to navigate the challenges of the modern legal landscape, says Jennifer Johnson at Calibrate Strategies.

  • Series

    Beekeeping Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    The practice of patent law and beekeeping are not typically associated, but taking care of honeybees has enriched my legal practice by highlighting the importance of hands-on experience, continuous learning, mentorship and more, says David Longo at Oblon McClelland.

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