Legal Ethics

  • October 07, 2024

    Steam Gamer Wants Sheppard Mullin Atty Back As Arbitrator

    A Los Angeles man who joined an antitrust action against Valve Corp., the company behind online video-game store Steam, has brought a petition in Los Angeles Superior Court seeking to reinstate a Sheppard Mullin lawyer as arbitrator for dozens of California litigants, arguing his disqualification came too late and was otherwise unfounded.

  • October 07, 2024

    Defiant Philly Judge Gets Suspended For Political Posts

    A Pennsylvania judge who flouted conduct rules by making political posts was suspended without pay Monday, a matter the state's judicial ethics court called historic because of the jurist's repeated defiance of warnings.

  • October 07, 2024

    Justices Won't Review Feds' Warrant On Trump's Twitter DMs

    The U.S. Supreme Court declined on Monday to review a court order that allowed special counsel Jack Smith to obtain messages from Donald Trump's account on the X social media platform while barring X Corp. from alerting the former president beforehand.

  • October 07, 2024

    Justices Won't Review Judge's Non-Recusal In Al-Qaida Case

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to probe whether a D.C. Circuit judge, previously a government attorney, should have recused himself from a former al-Qaida member's appeal of a life sentence for terrorism and war crimes.

  • October 04, 2024

    Top 5 Supreme Court Cases To Watch This Fall

    The U.S. Supreme Court will hear several cases in its October 2024 term that could further refine the new administrative law landscape, establish constitutional rights to gender-affirming care for transgender minors and affect how the federal government regulates water, air and weapons. Here, Law360 looks at five of the most important cases on the Supreme Court's docket so far.

  • October 04, 2024

    Mondelez, BCLP Ink $750K Deal To End Data Breach Suits

    Mondelez Global LLC workers on Friday asked an Illinois federal judge to greenlight a $750,000 settlement that would resolve proposed data privacy class actions against their employer and Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP stemming from a 2023 data breach.

  • October 04, 2024

    Attys Tried To Coerce Client For Larger Fee, Texas Court Rules

    A Texas appeals court found that two attorneys tried to finagle a higher fee out of their client by threatening her with a lawsuit if she didn't fork over a larger amount than was specified in their contract, with the three-judge panel overruling all the attorneys' issues.

  • October 04, 2024

    Arnold & Itkin's Zeta DQ Bid 'Disappointing,' Ex-Clerk Testifies

    A Harris County judge began mulling Arnold & Itkin LLP's bid to disqualify Transocean's counsel from Hurricane Zeta litigation after a marathon hearing Friday that included testimony from a former Arnold & Itkin law clerk-turned-defense-lawyer who said she watched the contentious proceeding with "bitter amusement" and "disappointment."

  • October 04, 2024

    Circle K Avoids Trial, Settles Suit Over Gas Pump Death

    The family of a woman who was killed at a Circle K gas pump that caught fire has settled its claims against the convenience store and gas station company and its attorneys on the eve of trial, an attorney confirmed Friday.

  • October 04, 2024

    Atty Who Defied License Ban Asks Court To Rethink Jail Time

    A disbarred attorney asked the Florida Supreme Court on Friday to reconsider its decision to send him to jail for 60 days for allegedly repeatedly practicing law without a license, including continuing to market himself as a licensed attorney.

  • October 04, 2024

    Genasys Seeks Sanctions For Destroyed Evidence In IP Case

    Genasys Inc. has asked a California federal court to issue terminating sanctions against two former employees for allegedly destroying evidence in a case where the long-range acoustic device company is accusing them of stealing trade secrets to form a competing business.

  • October 04, 2024

    Fed. Circ. Topples Verdict In Tire Design IP Litigation

    The Federal Circuit on Friday determined that a federal court in Chicago had it wrong about what kind of conduct in litigation is granted "absolute litigation privilege," upending a multimillion-dollar jury verdict on liability over language in settlement agreements in a dispute over tire designs.

  • October 04, 2024

    Election Litigation Looms Over New Supreme Court Term

    The U.S. Supreme Court justices return to the bench Monday for a new term, even as the dust continues to settle from the shifts in administrative law and foundational changes to presidential immunity that headlined their last sitting. But experts say any hope that this term may be calmer is wishful thinking, in large part due to all-but-certain litigation over the presidential election.

  • October 04, 2024

    Retired Judge Says Unpaid Services Suit's Claims 'Untimely'

    Retired U.S. Circuit Judge Richard A. Posner asked an Indiana federal court on Friday to grant him a summary judgment win in litigation alleging he stiffed a man out of a six-figure salary after hiring him to run a now-defunct pro bono legal services organization, saying the suit's claims are "untimely."

  • October 04, 2024

    Oversight Dems Probe Chief Justice On Jan. 6 Case Handling

    Two House Democrats on the oversight committee questioned U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts Friday on recent reporting he replaced Justice Samuel Alito as the author of a decision on a Jan. 6 case after the public learned the latter justice's wife flew flags at their homes with ties to the "Stop the Steal" movement.

  • October 04, 2024

    Fla. Firm Wins Wage Dispute After Paralegal Abandons Suit

    A federal judge threw out a paralegal's lawsuit alleging that a West Palm Beach, Florida, law firm underpaid her and then retaliated against her by cutting her hours when she complained, saying she has refused to continue to participate in the litigation.

  • October 04, 2024

    EB-5 Partner Accuses NC Atty Of Aiding Investor Coup

    A company created to protect an investment project supporting green card applications for Chinese nationals accused a North Carolina attorney in state court of helping shareholders try to place the company into receivership and take control of a $30 million fund.

  • October 04, 2024

    Epic Doubts Apple's Privilege Assertions In Antitrust Fight

    Epic Games told a California federal magistrate judge overseeing discovery in its antitrust compliance fight with Apple on Friday that it's concerned Apple has wrongly asserted privilege in more than half the documents it has declined to produce, while adding "we don't want to spend months here duking this out."

  • October 04, 2024

    RI Atty Faces Discipline For Unauthorized Practice In Conn.

    An attorney from Rhode Island is facing possible disciplinary action in Connecticut after she represented a client in a juvenile court matter in the Constitution State without being licensed to practice in the state.

  • October 04, 2024

    Up First At High Court: Civil Rights, Ghost Guns, Atty Fees

    The U.S. Supreme Court reconvenes Monday to start a brand-new term, with the justices first hearing arguments related to prerequisites for litigating federal rights in state courts, ghost gun regulations, and whether a death row inmate is entitled to a new trial after a state admits that prosecutorial misconduct might have led to his conviction.

  • October 04, 2024

    Panel Agrees Atty 'Acted Incompetently' In Filing Slipup

    Connecticut's Statewide Grievance Committee had clear and convincing evidence that civil litigation attorney John W. Mills of Mills & Cahill LLC acted incompetently in failing to name his client's business as a plaintiff in a lawsuit against her accountant's estate or provide proof of her individual damages, a state appellate panel ruled Friday.

  • October 04, 2024

    Why There's No Mistrial Yet In 'Messed Up' Young Thug Case

    Legal experts told Law360 that concerns about sunk cost and the possibility of defendants claiming double jeopardy may be the reasons why Young Thug's long and troubled racketeering trial has continued in Georgia despite more than 40 mistrial motions filed by defendants arguing prosecutorial misconduct and judicial bias.

  • October 04, 2024

    Holtec Sues Former GC Over Alleged Embezzlement Scheme

    Energy technology company Holtec International has launched a New Jersey state lawsuit accusing its former general counsel and others of taking part in an embezzlement scheme to dupe the company into paying more than $700,000 to an entity they owned.

  • October 04, 2024

    Ex-Judge Jones Says Judicial Acts Bar Atty Romance Claims

    Former bankruptcy judge David R. Jones said judicial immunity bars claims over his undisclosed romantic relationship with a former Jackson Walker LLP attorney because the purported harm to the onetime head of a now-shuttered barge company stemmed from official acts.

  • October 04, 2024

    NJ Court Removes Judge Who Admitted Sex Harassment

    The New Jersey Supreme Court has removed a municipal judge and barred him from holding judicial office in the state again after accusations that he sexually harassed female court staff members after becoming drunk at an office party.

Expert Analysis

  • Law Firm Strategies For Successfully Navigating 2024 Trends

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    Though law firms face the dual challenge of external and internal pressures as they enter 2024, firms willing to pivot will be able to stand out by adapting to stakeholder needs and reimagining their infrastructure, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Consultants.

  • The Most-Read Legal Industry Law360 Guest Articles Of 2023

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    A range of legal industry topics drew readers' attention in Law360's Expert Analysis section this year, from associate retention strategies to ethical billing practices.

  • Attorneys' Busiest Times Can Be Business Opportunities

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    Attorneys who resolve to grow their revenue and client base in 2024 should be careful not to abandon their goals when they get too busy with client work, because these periods of zero bandwidth can actually be a catalyst for future growth, says Amy Drysdale at Alchemy Consulting.

  • In The World Of Legal Ethics, 10 Trends To Note From 2023

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    Lucian Pera at Adams and Reese and Trisha Rich at Holland & Knight identify the top legal ethics trends from 2023 — including issues related to hot documents, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity — that lawyers should be aware of to put their best foot forward.

  • Opinion

    Animal Rights Are About Saving Nature, And Our Own Future

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    The climate crisis makes it clear that animal law — conceived of as an ecocentric approach to protecting the most vulnerable nonhumans who depend on the natural environment — is essential to restoring the Earth and safeguarding the future of humanity, says Carter Dillard at the Fair Start Movement.

  • The Ethics Of Accepting Advanced Legal Fees In Crypto

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    State and local bar associations have been weighing in on whether attorneys may accept cryptocurrency as a form of payment in advance of providing legal services, but the answer is frequently a fact-specific inquiry that demands close reading of the rules of professional conduct, say Matthew Feinberg and Jeffrey Cunningham at Goldberg Segalla.

  • How Attorneys Can Be More Efficient This Holiday Season

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    Attorneys should consider a few key tips to speed up their work during the holidays so they can join the festivities — from streamlining the document review process to creating similar folder structures, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • 5 Gifts That May Run Afoul Of Government Ethics Rules

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    As the holiday season ramps up, it’s essential to keep in mind that government officials and employees are all subject to specific gift rules, and related violations can lead to consequences far worse than coal in one’s stocking, say Mark Renaud and Rob Walker at Wiley.

  • 3 Defense Takeaways From The Bankman-Fried Trial

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    FTX founder and former CEO Sam Bankman-Fried’s recent fraud conviction offers several key lessons for future white collar defendants, from the changing nature of cross-examination to the continued risks of taking the stand, say Jonathan Porter and Gregg Sofer at Husch Blackwell.

  • Series

    Children's Book Writing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Becoming a children's book author has opened doors to incredible new experiences of which I barely dared to dream, but the process has also changed my life by serving as a reminder that strong writing, networking and public speaking skills are hugely beneficial to a legal career, says Shaunna Bailey at Sheppard Mullin.

  • How Clients May Use AI To Monitor Attorneys

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Artificial intelligence tools will increasingly enable clients to monitor and evaluate their counsel’s activities, so attorneys must clearly define the terms of engagement and likewise take advantage of the efficiencies offered by AI, says Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein.

  • Series

    The Pop Culture Docket: Judge D'Emic On Moby Grape

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    The 1968 Moby Grape song "Murder in My Heart for the Judge" tells the tale of a fictional defendant treated with scorn by the judge, illustrating how much the legal system has evolved in the past 50 years, largely due to problem-solving courts and the principles of procedural justice, says Kings County Supreme Court Administrative Judge Matthew D'Emic.

  • The Basics Of Law Firm Cyber Liability Insurance Applications

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    Cyber liability insurance has become a common consideration for law firms as cyber threats have escalated, but these insurance forms can be quite complicated given the nature of the industry and associated risks, so simply filling out the form won't necessarily result in an ideal policy for your firm, says Kevin Haight at WAMS.

  • Series

    Performing Music Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    The discipline of performing live music has directly and positively influenced my effectiveness as a litigator — serving as a reminder that practice, intuition and team building are all important elements of a successful law practice, says Jeff Wakolbinger at Bryan Cave.

  • Breaking Down High Court's New Code Of Conduct

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    The U.S. Supreme Court recently adopted its first-ever code of conduct, and counsel will need to work closely with clients in navigating its provisions, from gift-giving to recusal bids, say Phillip Gordon and Mateo Forero at Holtzman Vogel.

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