Legal Ethics

  • March 18, 2025

    Pa. Atty, Funder Can't Escape Litigation Funding Scheme Suit

    A Pennsylvania lawyer and a litigation funder must face a racketeering and negligence suit, as a Pennsylvania federal judge declined to dismiss claims brought by a client accusing his former lawyer of engaging in a conspiracy to improperly charge him inflated legal fees to cover high-interest litigation loans.

  • March 18, 2025

    Chief Justice Speaks Out After Trump's Impeachment Push

    U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. issued a rare statement Tuesday saying "impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision" after President Donald Trump called for impeaching a judge who blocked the deportation of Venezuelans.

  • March 17, 2025

    Ex-Avenatti Clients Resolve Fight Over Seized Honda Jet

    Two of Michael Avenatti's former clients have settled their dispute over ownership interest and an insurance policy covering a $4.4 million Honda jet that the disgraced attorney allegedly purchased with stolen client funds, according to a notice filed in California federal court.

  • March 17, 2025

    Wayne Gretzky Suing Co-Investor For Malicious Prosecution

    NHL legend Wayne Gretzky and his wife filed a lawsuit in California state court against a co-investor in a failed weight-loss business, whom he alleges lodged a meritless suit against him in 2022 to "score a quick payday" after accusing him of contributing to the demise of the company.

  • March 17, 2025

    'Jailhouse Lawyer' Admits Firing Off Error-Filled Filings

    A convicted fraudster accused of duping people into paying him for legal work told a Manhattan federal jury on Monday that he "wanted to help people," before a prosecutor showed evidence that he "cut and pasted" often-sloppy court papers in rapid-fire fashion.

  • March 17, 2025

    X Corp. Says Dismissal, Sanctions Go Together In Bonus Suit

    A former X Corp. senior director of compensation engaged in "vexatious conduct" that should not allow him to drop his suit claiming unpaid bonuses without sanctions, the social media platform told a California federal judge.

  • March 17, 2025

    20 Law Firms Face EEOC Demands For DEI Employment Info

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has written to 20 law firms seeking information about their diversity, equity and inclusion-related employment practices, the agency announced Monday.

  • March 17, 2025

    NJ Justices Take On Nonclients' Malpractice Case Against Atty

    The New Jersey Supreme Court has agreed to hear a challenge to an appellate court decision tossing part and keeping part of a malpractice suit brought against an estate attorney by plaintiffs who were never his clients.

  • March 17, 2025

    Arnold & Itkin Says Houston Firm 'Renting' Its Name For Clout

    Texas-headquartered trial firm Arnold & Itkin LLP has sued a small personal injury firm in Houston, accusing it of unlawfully capitalizing on the firm's well-earned reputation and success by misdirecting web searches to its website through the purchase of certain search keywords.

  • March 17, 2025

    Georgia Justices Urged To Revive Trump Election Charges

    Prosecutors argued that the Georgia Supreme Court should reinstate certain criminal charges against President Donald Trump, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and others alleging interference in the 2020 presidential election, saying lower courts wrongly dismissed the charges because of the indictment's purported lack of detail.

  • March 17, 2025

    Wright Looked To 'Bankrupt' Accusers With Suit, Filing Claims

    Former Federal Trade Commission member and ex-law professor Joshua Wright sought to "bankrupt" two women who publicly accused him of sexual misconduct and "make their lives hell" by filing a since-dropped $108 million defamation lawsuit against them, according to a filing Friday by one defendant seeking sanctions against Wright.

  • March 17, 2025

    Feds Defend Prof's Deportation As Arnold & Porter Withdraws

    Government lawyers told a Massachusetts federal judge Monday they did not disobey a court order halting the deportation of a Brown University doctor and professor with an H-1B visa, as a team of Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP lawyers who lobbed that claim abruptly withdrew from the case.

  • March 17, 2025

    Seeger Weiss Atty Tapped To Lead Depo-Provera Plaintiffs

    A Florida federal judge on Sunday selected Christopher Seeger of Seeger Weiss LLP to lead the team representing plaintiffs in the multidistrict litigation claiming Pfizer Inc. failed to adequately warn patients and doctors about the risk of brain tumors associated with the hormonal contraceptive drug Depo-Provera.

  • March 17, 2025

    Pa. Judge Facing Fraud Charges Asks For Trial Delay

    The York County, Pennsylvania, Court of Common Pleas judge under indictment for fraud, witness tampering and obstruction of justice related to his allegedly misusing unemployment relief funds to pay his law firm's employees during the COVID-19 pandemic has asked a federal court to delay his trial until at least June in order to review discovery.

  • March 17, 2025

    Fla. Watchdog Says Judge Can't Use Prestige To Hawk Book

    A Florida judge who co-authored a book may share an image of the book on their website along with a link to a site where the book may be purchased, the state's judicial ethics watchdog has determined, but the judge may not lend judicial prestige to the book's promotion and marketing.

  • March 14, 2025

    Trump Revokes Paul Weiss Security Clearances

    Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP became the third law firm to have workers' security clearances suspended by President Donald Trump, who signed the executive order Friday, citing the firm's DEI hiring practices and the decision by a former attorney there to assist the Manhattan district attorney's investigation of Trump.

  • March 14, 2025

    Williams Kastner Accused Of Malpractice After $128M Payout

    An insurer wouldn't have been forced to pay 64 times its policy limit after a deadly crane collapse in Seattle were it not for its attorneys at Williams Kastner, the carrier told a Washington state court, accusing its counsel of malpractice that caused it to pay $128 million.

  • March 14, 2025

    9th Circ. Axes Dershowitz Sanction, Clarifies 'Of Counsel' Law

    The Ninth Circuit on Friday rejected Alan Dershowitz's arguments that his First Amendment rights shield him from being sanctioned for filing frivolous election-related litigation as "for counsel" representing Republican Arizona candidates, but the panel nevertheless reversed sanctions against Dershowitz since it's the first time the circuit has clarified the law.

  • March 14, 2025

    Meta Digs Into Co.'s Asset Selloff As $5.5M Win Goes Unpaid

    A California federal judge Friday agreed with Meta that a Chinese information company that hasn't paid a $5.5 million default judgment in a cybersquatting case should provide details about the sale of its domain name business just days before she issued an asset freeze.

  • March 14, 2025

    Reed Smith To Fight Removal In $102M Shipping Award Suit

    A New York federal judge has paused his order removing Reed Smith LLP as counsel for the former owners of reorganized international shipping group Eletson Holdings in litigation over a $102 million arbitral award while the BigLaw firm appeals the decision to the Second Circuit.

  • March 14, 2025

    Startup Investor Says Cooley Knew About Fraud Probe

    Attorneys for a dry cleaning delivery startup knew that the founder and sole director of the company had fabricated company documents and was the subject of an active securities fraud investigation in Texas as he solicited money from investors, an ex-board member said Friday in response to the law firm's bid to toss a securities fraud lawsuit.

  • March 14, 2025

    Client Who Sent Money To Fraudster Wins Suit Against Firm

    An optometrist who claims a fraudster infiltrated her lawyer's email system and tricked her into wiring $90,586 to an incorrect account has won a lawsuit against Mancini Provenzano & Futtner LLC after a Connecticut state court judge found the firm was negligent in failing to secure its system.

  • March 14, 2025

    Class Can't Re-Contest Debt Collection, Mich. Law Firm Argues

    A law firm accused of charging unlawfully high post-judgment interest rates on debt collection actions told a Michigan federal court on Thursday that several debtors have already resolved their litigation, precluding them from pressing their federal class action, and debt collection agencies blamed the rates on the law firm.

  • March 14, 2025

    NJ Firms Accused Of Losing $146K In Client Funds In Scam

    Two Garden State law firms are accused in a New Jersey state lawsuit of falling for an email scam that led to the loss of more than $146,000 received in a medical malpractice settlement and meant for a client's special needs trust.

  • March 14, 2025

    Philly Firm Decries Ex-Holland & Knight Atty's Counterclaims

    A tawdry courtroom brawl between Pennsylvania personal injury firm Fritz & Bianculli LLC and former Holland & Knight LLP partner Patrick McCabe continues to boil, as Fritz & Bianculli denies that it is only suing McCabe for leverage in a messy divorce caused by his wife's "salacious" affair with name partner Brian Fritz.

Expert Analysis

  • 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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    Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Chevron deference standard in June, this Expert Analysis series has featured attorneys discussing the potential impact across 37 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.

  • Firms Must Rethink How They Train New Lawyers In AI Age

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    As law firms begin to use generative artificial intelligence to complete lower-level legal tasks, they’ll need to consider new ways to train summer associates and early-career attorneys, keeping in mind the five stages of skill acquisition, says Liisa Thomas at Sheppard Mullin.

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