Legal Ethics

  • January 28, 2025

    Morgan & Morgan Keeps Win To Arbitrate Malpractice Claims

    A Georgia federal judge on Tuesday declined to reconsider a ruling granting Morgan & Morgan PA's bid to compel arbitration in a former client's legal malpractice case or to send the dispute back to state court.

  • January 28, 2025

    Mich. Steakhouse Drops $2M Negligence Suit Against Atty

    A Michigan steakhouse has dropped its malpractice suit against its former attorney after claiming the lawyer made mistakes in franchise agreements that cost it more than $2 million, according to a stipulated order Tuesday.

  • January 28, 2025

    Colo. Atty Hits DC-Area Law Firm With Bias Suit Over Firing

    A Colorado attorney has sued the Washington, D.C.-area firm Volkov Law Group, alleging it discriminated against her based on age and gender when she was "abruptly and unlawfully fired" in October 2023 at the age of 56, and accusing the firm of wrongfully withholding wages.

  • January 28, 2025

    Berry Appleman, Ex-Tech Lead Resolve Disability Bias Suit

    Berry Appleman & Leiden struck a deal to end a former software tech lead's suit claiming the global immigration firm fired him because side effects from new medication caused him to ask for a reprieve from his demanding workload, according to a filing in Texas federal court.

  • January 27, 2025

    Proud Boys Atty Calls Researcher Copyright Claim A 'Ruse'

    A Texas-based researcher laid out her case against an attorney she accuses of violating her copyright and skipping out on his bill, claiming that her firm foundered after the lawyer, who was defending a Proud Boy accused of attacking the U.S. Capitol, didn't tell her he couldn't pay.

  • January 27, 2025

    Feds' Madigan Informant Is A 'Malignant Tumor,' Jury Told

    An attorney for ex-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan took aim Monday at the former Chicago alderman called as the government's star witness in Madigan's criminal racketeering trial, calling him "a malignant tumor at the heart of this case" and urging jurors not to trust his testimony as they prepare to deliberate on his client's fate.

  • January 27, 2025

    Judge Orders Litigation Funder To Give Docs To Netflix

    A Virginia federal judge said AiPi LLC, an intellectual property strategy service, has to hand over certain documents that Netflix Inc. requested relating to patent litigation claims against the streaming giant.

  • January 27, 2025

    Ga. Appeals Panel Revives Malpractice Suit Against Law Firm

    The Georgia Court of Appeals partly reinstated a malpractice suit accusing a Georgia law firm and one of its former attorneys of failing to show up at a client's bench trial that ended with a $100,000 judgment against the client.

  • January 27, 2025

    Tesla Too Late To DQ Judge In Crash Suit, Court Told

    A woman suing Tesla Inc. over a crash that resulted in the amputation of her legs is urging a California federal court not to disqualify the judge assigned to her product liability case, saying the automaker has no excuse for waiting nearly a year and a half, until just before trial, to call for his disqualification.

  • January 27, 2025

    Arrested Atty Can't Sue Sheriff's Office Either, Pa. Judge Says

    A Pennsylvania federal judge on Monday dismissed the last of a group of Allegheny County government officials and entities named as defendants in a lawsuit filed by two brothers who claimed they were unlawfully detained when they failed to meet discovery deadlines in a separate case.

  • January 27, 2025

    Buzbee Seeks Sanctions In Ex-Client's Fraud Suit

    Amid his high-profile battles with music moguls Sean "Diddy" Combs and Shawn "Jay Z" Carter, Houston personal injury lawyer Tony Buzbee is seeking sanctions against the lawyers pursuing a separate fraud suit against him, saying they brought up unrelated accusations to harass Buzbee and damage his reputation.

  • January 27, 2025

    Fla. Judge Accused Of Bias In Energy Drink Co. Ch. 11

    A Florida federal bankruptcy judge overseeing the Chapter 11 case of the company that makes Bang energy drinks was sued by its founder, who alleged the judge was biased throughout the proceedings and made several rulings that financially harmed him and the company.

  • January 27, 2025

    SCOTUSblog Publisher Pleads Not Guilty To Tax Crimes

    U.S. Supreme Court advocate and SCOTUSblog co-founder Tom Goldstein pled not guilty in Maryland federal court on Monday to charges that he schemed to evade taxes and used funds from his boutique law firm to cover gambling debts.

  • January 27, 2025

    Widow Says Century Homebuilders' Atty Conspired To Move Assets

    The widow of Sergio Pino, the late founder and CEO of Century Homebuilders Group LLC, has sued Century Homebuilders' attorney, accusing him of setting up fraudulent transfers of the company's assets during the Pinos' contentious divorce to keep her from getting her half of the company.

  • January 27, 2025

    Fla. Judge Won't Recuse Over 'Adverse Ruling' In CBD Row

    A Florida federal magistrate judge has refused to step down from a case where she recommended sanctioning an attorney representing a franchisee in a contract dispute with CBD American Shaman LLC, saying adverse rulings are not grounds for recusal.

  • January 27, 2025

    NJ Prosecutors Shielded From Contractors' Claims, Court Told

    Ocean County, New Jersey, prosecutors urged a Garden State federal judge to toss a suit alleging they illegally targeted two contractors who were indicted for stealing customer funds over a business rivalry, arguing their prosecutorial acts are shielded from civil liability.

  • January 27, 2025

    Judge Tosses Bias Suit Over Deadlines, AI-Generated Filings

    A D.C. federal judge has dismissed the remaining age-discrimination claim in a lawsuit filed by former D.C. Department of Public Works employees after the remaining plaintiff failed to comply with discovery deadlines and submitted filings with inaccurate citations, further raising concerns about the use of AI-generated content.

  • January 27, 2025

    Oklahoma Tribes Want In On DOJ's Jurisdiction Lawsuits

    Three Native American tribes want to back the Department of Justice in its challenges to two Oklahoma district attorneys in an effort to stop them from prosecuting tribal citizens for crimes committed in Indian Country, arguing that the ongoing threat interferes with tribes' rights to enforce their own laws.

  • January 27, 2025

    Feds Want 10 Yrs. For Atty Over Attempted Embassy Bombing

    Federal prosecutors are seeking a 10-year prison sentence for a former Florida defense attorney who pled guilty to blowing up a sculpture in Texas and trying to bomb the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C., citing the extreme harm he was trying to inflict.

  • January 24, 2025

    Syngenta, Chevron Headed For October Paraquat Bellwether

    An Illinois federal judge has set an October date for Syngenta and Chevron's first trial in a multidistrict litigation alleging that the pesticide paraquat causes Parkinson's disease, after the previous dismissal of trial-selected plaintiffs and the disqualification of an expert.

  • January 24, 2025

    Feds' Madigan Theory 'Doesn't Line Up,' His Atty Tells Jury

    Counsel for former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan told an Illinois federal jury Friday that prosecutors attempting to convict him of racketeering have painted an "incomplete and misleading" picture of a crooked politician at trial, but have failed to meet their burden to prove he ever acted with corrupt intent or engaged in a "this for that" exchange for his official action.

  • January 24, 2025

    Chiles Brings Fight For Bronze Medal To Swiss Supreme Court

    U.S. gymnast Jordan Chiles is fighting to overturn a ruling stripping her of her Olympic bronze medal, arguing in her latest briefing to a Swiss court that prominent arbitrator Hamid Gharavi had a "blatant conflict of interest" and should not have been involved in the case.

  • January 24, 2025

    NJ Judge Rejects Bid For New Trial In Red Roof Inn Deal

    A New Jersey state judge has rejected a bid for a new trial over a deal gone wrong to purchase a Red Roof Inn, ruling two witnesses who asserted their Fifth Amendment rights outside of the jury's presence had no bearing on the jury's verdict.

  • January 24, 2025

    Dow Argues Tech Firm's IP Suit Over Software Is Time-Barred

    The Dow Chemical Co. has urged an Ohio federal judge to rule in its favor in a dispute over proprietary polyethylene manufacturing software, arguing that ControlSoft Inc.'s suit ignores their more than 20-year business relationship and that the technology firm waited too long to bring trade secrets and copyright infringement claims.

  • January 24, 2025

    Blank Rome Attys Fight Lawyer's Bid For New Trial

    A team of Blank Rome LLP attorneys accused another attorney in Pennsylvania federal court of "seeking another bite at the apple" by moving for a new trial after a jury rejected her malicious litigation claims against the team and an aviation company.

Expert Analysis

  • 'Fat Leonard' Case Shows High Bar For Rescinding Guilty Plea

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    Prosecutors’ recent move in the “Fat Leonard” bribery case, supporting several defendants’ motions to withdraw their guilty pleas, is extremely unusual – and its contrast with other prosecutions demonstrates that the procedural safeguards at plea hearings are far from enough, says Sara Kropf at Kropf Moseley.

  • Series

    Swimming Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Years of participation in swimming events, especially in the open water, have proven to be ideal preparation for appellate arguments in court — just as you must put your trust in the ocean when competing in a swim event, you must do the same with the judicial process, says John Kulewicz at Vorys.

  • As Arbitrator Bias Claims Rise, Disclosure Standards Evolve

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    The growth in post-award challenges based on arbitrators' alleged conflicts of interest has led to the release of new guidance and new case law on the topic — both supporting the view that professional familiarity alone does not translate to a lack of impartiality, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • Don't Use The Same Template For Every Client Alert

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    As the old marketing adage goes, consistency is key, but law firm style guides need consistency that contemplates variety when it comes to client alert formats, allowing attorneys to tailor alerts to best fit the audience and subject matter, says Jessica Kaplan at Legally Penned.

  • Series

    Walking With My Dog Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Thanks to my dog Birdie, I've learned that carving out an activity different from the practice of law — like daily outdoor walks that allow you to interact with new people — can contribute to professional success by boosting creativity and mental acuity, as well as expanding your social network, says Sarah Petrie at the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: Follow The Iron Rule Of Trial Logic

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    Many diligent and eager attorneys include every good fact, point and rule in their trial narratives — spurred by the gnawing fear they’ll be second-guessed for leaving something out — but this approach ignores a fundamental principle of successful trial lawyering, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • The Art Of Asking: Leveraging Your Contacts For Referrals

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    Though attorneys may hesitate to ask for referral recommendations to generate new business, research shows that people want to help others they know, like and trust, so consider who in your network you should approach and how to make the ask, says Rebecca Hnatowski at Edwards Advisory.

  • Series

    Being An Equestrian Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Beyond getting experience thinking on my feet and tackling stressful situations, the skills I've gained from horseback riding have considerable overlap with the skills used to practice law, particularly in terms of team building, continuing education, and making an effort to reset and recharge, says Kerry Irwin at Moore & Van Allen.

  • 4 Ways To Refresh Your Law Firm's Marketing Strategy

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    With many BigLaw firms relying on an increasingly obsolete marketing approach that prioritizes stiff professionalism over authentic connection, adopting a few key communications strategies to better connect with today's clients and prospects can make all the difference, say Eric Pacifici and Kevin Henderson at SMB Law.

  • What Law Firms Should Know Amid Rise In DQ Motions

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    As disqualification motions proliferate, law firms need to be aware of the types of conflicts that most often lead to disqualification, the types of attorneys who may be affected and how to reduce their exposure to these motions, says Matthew Henderson at Hinshaw.

  • Data Protection Steps To Consider After Biden Privacy Order

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    A recent White House executive order casts a spotlight on the criticality of securing sensitive content communications, presenting challenges and necessitating a recalibration of practices, especially for lawyers, says Camilo Artiga-Purcell at Kiteworks.

  • Surveying Legislative Trends As States Rush To Regulate AI

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    With Congress unlikely to pass comprehensive artificial intelligence legislation any time soon, just four months into 2024, nearly every state has introduced legislation aimed at the development and use of AI on subjects from algorithmic discrimination risk to generative AI disclosures, say David Kappos and Sasha Rosenthal-Larrea at Cravath.

  • How Duty Of Candor Figures In USPTO AI Ethics Guidance

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    The duty of candor and good faith is an important part of the artificial intelligence ethics guidance issued last week by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and serious consequences can visit patent and trademark applicants who violate that duty, not just their attorneys and agents, says Michael Cicero at Taylor English.

  • Series

    Whitewater Kayaking Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Whether it's seeing clients and their issues from a new perspective, or staying nimble in a moment of intense challenge, the lessons learned from whitewater kayaking transcend the rapids of a river and prepare attorneys for the courtroom and beyond, says Matthew Kent at Alston & Bird.

  • This Earth Day, Consider How Your Firm Can Go Greener

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    As Earth Day approaches, law firms and attorneys should consider adopting more sustainable practices to reduce their carbon footprint — from minimizing single-use plastics to purchasing carbon offsets for air travel — which ultimately can also reduce costs for clients, say M’Lynn Phillips and Lisa Walters at IMS Legal Strategies.

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