Try our Advanced Search for more refined results
Legal Ethics
-
July 23, 2024
NY Judge OKs Public Disclosure In Atty Misconduct Cases
A New York federal judge ruled Monday that the First Amendment does allow those who filed grievances against attorneys to access disciplinary hearings before the Appellate Division's Second Judicial Department, records related to those hearings and some of the grievance committee's final dispositions.
-
July 24, 2024
UPDATED: NJ Firm Malpractice Dismissal Order Filed In Error
A New Jersey state court has deleted an order dismissing a malpractice suit against Nurick Law Group LLC, saying Tuesday it was "uploaded in error."
-
July 23, 2024
Ga. Judge Slams Ethics Charges As Demands For 'Perfection'
A Georgia state judge has denied violating ethical rules, arguing that her call to a personal friend about a pending child custody case — and other actions — shouldn't amount to public sanctions and said the judicial ethics watchdog's charges violate the state's constitution.
-
July 23, 2024
Schnader Harrison Must Face Ex-Firm Atty's Class Action
The former equity partners of defunct law firm Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis LLP must face a proposed class action accusing them of improperly spending employee money intended for the firm's retirement plan, after a Pennsylvania federal judge shot down their motion to dismiss.
-
July 23, 2024
Brennan Center Gets $30M For High Court Reform Unit
The Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law announced Tuesday that philanthropist and businessman Jim Kohlberg has committed $30 million for the establishment of a new unit focused on U.S. Supreme Court reform.
-
July 23, 2024
Chamber Rips Multibillion-Dollar Atty Fee Bid In Musk Pay Suit
The nation's largest business organization has urged Delaware's Court of Chancery to adopt sweeping curbs to jumbo plaintiff attorney fee awards, declaring a multibillion-dollar fee bid following the cancellation of Tesla CEO Elon Musk's stock-based pay plan "shocks the conscience."
-
July 23, 2024
Firm Says Rival's Trademark Merely 'Common Spanish Phrase'
A Houston-based immigration law firm wants claims trimmed in a suit brought by a rival Washington state firm claiming unfair competition and trademark violation, also filing a counterclaim for declaratory judgment that calls the supposed trademark a "common Spanish phrase."
-
July 23, 2024
11th Circ. Should Uphold Tax Court Protection, IRS Says
The Eleventh Circuit should uphold a U.S. Tax Court ruling that denied a widow tax relief and also rejected her claim that Tax Court judges have unconstitutional job protection, the Internal Revenue Service told the circuit court.
-
July 22, 2024
Chicago Firm Seeks $2M For Ex-Atty's Alleged Client Poaching
Chicago firm Loftus & Eisenberg Ltd. has filed suit in Illinois state court accusing a former attorney's new firm of helping the lawyer poach clients by encouraging them to leave with him, even though the new firm couldn't support his practice.
-
July 22, 2024
Wash. Atty Accused Of Offering Witness Incentive Resigns
A Washington attorney has resigned after he was accused of offering a witness a substantial financial incentive to back his clients who were seeking millions of dollars in damages in a civil suit, according to a Washington State Bar Association document.
-
July 22, 2024
LegalForce Says Legal Finance Group Is Infringing Its Logo
LegalForce RAPC Worldwide PC has filed a federal trademark infringement suit against Law Finance Group Inc. in the San Francisco Bay Area, accusing it of violating the firm's "LF" trademark in providing legal services.
-
July 22, 2024
Lack Of 'Smoking Gun' Sinks J&J's Bid To DQ Beasley Allen
The Beasley Allen Law Firm may represent plaintiffs in multicounty talc injury litigation in New Jersey state court, after a judge found Johnson & Johnson failed to show a former Faegre Drinker outside counsel shared information he learned representing the company in earlier talc litigation.
-
July 22, 2024
Judge Limits Girardi Clients' Injury Details In Upcoming Trial
Jurors in former celebrity lawyer Tom Girardi's upcoming fraud trial will be spared detailed testimony about the severe injuries that drove his alleged victims to hire his law firm, a Los Angeles federal judge has ruled, saying the former clients' injuries are a key part of their stories, but graphic details are not necessary.
-
July 22, 2024
Ex-NJ Judge Wants Chief Justice Deposed In Pension Suit
A former Bergen County Superior Court judge told a New Jersey state court that she must be allowed to depose Chief Justice Stuart Rabner of the New Jersey Supreme Court because he has information about the state's decision to deny her disability benefits application that no one else has.
-
July 22, 2024
Morgan & Morgan Unit Faces Malpractice Class Claims
Personal injury giant Morgan & Morgan PA's Jacksonville, Florida, unit allegedly misled a Georgia deputy sheriff in his back injury case, costing him potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to a proposed class action the firm has removed to federal court.
-
July 22, 2024
Ex-Fed. Judge's Misconduct Prompts New Criminal Trial Bid
Alleged misconduct by former Alaska federal Judge Joshua Kindred and a prosecutor he had a relationship with should undo a defendant's recent cyberstalking conviction in the judge's court, that defendant has said.
-
July 22, 2024
After Kindred Case, Questions Linger About Clerk Safeguards
When Alaska federal Judge Joshua Kindred resigned, it was the culmination of an 18-month inquiry into a hostile and inappropriate work environment he'd fostered in chambers. During that investigation, it seems he continued to supervise law clerks. Experts say that may signal a gap in protections for clerks.
-
July 19, 2024
Utility, Attys 'Colluded' On $178M Ore. Wildfire Deal, Court Told
Berkshire Hathaway-owned utility PacifiCorp is facing allegations from plaintiffs firms that it "colluded" with a trio of other law firms to reach a "paltry" $178 million settlement with survivors of deadly Oregon wildfires allegedly sparked by the utility's equipment, according to a filing in Oregon state court.
-
July 19, 2024
Bankruptcy Judge's Affair Sank Barge Company, Ex-CEO Says
The former CEO of a now-defunct barge company claims that a Houston bankruptcy judge's affair with a Jackson Walker attorney helped destroy his business, saying that Jackson Walker shouldn't escape racketeering claims because it hid its part in the lucrative relationship.
-
July 19, 2024
'Texit' Atty Sues State Rep., Judge Over Defamation Fees
A civil rights attorney who has represented the group behind the "Texit" movement filed a lawsuit against a state representative and court officials in a North Texas county, accusing the group of colluding to run up attorney fees against him in a defamation case connected to the pro-Texas-secession group.
-
July 19, 2024
Tweeting Holdout Ga. Juror's Removal Demands New Trial
The Georgia Court of Appeals on Thursday ordered a new trial for a man convicted of child molestation, ruling that the trial judge wrongly replaced a holdout juror even though he'd described himself on social media as "walking grounds for a mistrial."
-
July 19, 2024
McCarter & English Pushes To End Biotech Malpractice Row
McCarter & English LLP faced accusations Friday in New Jersey state court that it was making "fictitious" defenses in a malpractice suit by a biotechnology company, saying in response that it was being treated as a "scapegoat."
-
July 19, 2024
NYC Bar OKs Attys' Financial Stakes In Alternative Biz Entities
A new ethics committee report says a New York City lawyer may hold a financial interest in alternative business structures in jurisdictions that let them provide legal services, provided the lawyer is merely a financial investor, not practicing law through the entity.
-
July 19, 2024
DOJ Seeks Probe Of Ex-Fed. Judge After 9th Circ. Report
The U.S. Department of Justice has asked its internal watchdog to look into allegations made by the Ninth Circuit that now-resigned Alaska federal Judge Joshua Kindred had inappropriate relationships with several attorneys and created a hostile work environment, the DOJ confirmed to Law360 Friday.
-
July 19, 2024
Judge Recuses As Tech Firm Slams Dow Chemical's Request
An Ohio federal judge has recused himself from a trade secrets case brought against Dow Chemical Co. after the technology firm that sued it showed the court a settlement offer without approval that would grant Dow Chemical's recusal motion, which the tech firm said was a "cavalier approach to a drastic remedy."
Expert Analysis
-
To Hire And Keep Top Talent, Think Beyond Compensation
Firms seeking to appeal to sophisticated clients and top-level partners should promote mentorship, ensure that attorneys from diverse backgrounds feel valued, and clarify policies about at-home work, says Patrick Moya at Quaero Group.
-
Ethics Issues For Mainland Firms Involved In Maui Fire Suits
Before law firms located outside of Hawaii represent clients affected by the Lahaina wildfires, they must be aware of local ethics rules and regulatory gray areas, as any any ethical missteps could have major ramifications for the firm's practice in its home jurisdiction, says Ryan Little at Klinedinst.
-
Perspectives
More States Should Join Effort To Close Legal Services Gap
Colorado is the most recent state to allow other types of legal providers, not just attorneys, to offer specific services in certain circumstances — and more states should rethink the century-old assumptions that shape our current regulatory rules, say Natalie Anne Knowlton and Janet Drobinske at the University of Denver.
-
Identifying Trends And Tips In Litigation Financing Disclosure
Growing interest and controversy in litigation financing raise several salient concerns, but exploring recent compelled disclosure trends from courts around the country can help practitioners further their clients' interests, say Sean Callagy and Samuel Sokolsky at Arnold & Porter.
-
Attorneys Using AI Shouldn't Worry About Waiving Privilege
As large language models become more advanced, attorneys may be concerned that sending confidential data to companies like OpenAI risks waiving attorney-client or work-product privilege, but there’s nothing about such tools that would negate the reasonable expectation of privacy, say John Tredennick and William Webber at Merlin.
-
Series
The Pop Culture Docket: Judge Elrod On 'Jury Duty'
Though the mockumentary series “Jury Duty” features purposely outrageous characters, it offers a solemn lesson about the simple but brilliant design of the right to trial by jury, with an unwitting protagonist who even John Adams may have welcomed as an impartial foreperson, says Fifth Circuit Judge Jennifer Elrod.
-
NJ Justices Clarify Bribery Law Scope, But Questions Remain
The New Jersey Supreme Court’s recent State v. O'Donnell decision clarified that the state’s bribery law unambiguously applies to candidates for public office, but there are still unresolved questions about how the ruling may affect lobbyists, undeclared candidates and political speech, says Scott Coffina at Pietragallo Gordon.
-
4 Business-Building Strategies For Introvert Attorneys
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Introverted lawyers can build client bases to rival their extroverted peers’ by adapting time-tested strategies for business development that can work for any personality — such as claiming a niche, networking for maximum impact, drawing on existing contacts and more, says Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein.
-
Opinion
3 Ways Justices' Disclosure Defenses Miss The Ethical Point
The rule-bound interpretation of financial disclosures preferred by U.S. Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas — demonstrated in their respective statements defending their failure to disclose gifts from billionaires — show that they do not understand the ethical aspects of the public's concern, says Jim Moliterno at the Washington and Lee University School of Law.
-
Trump's 'I Thought I Won' Jan. 6 Defense Is Unlikely To Prevail
Since being indicted for his alleged attempts to overthrow the 2020 presidential election, former President Donald Trump’s legal team has argued that because he genuinely believed he won, his actions were not fraudulent — but this so-called mistake of fact defense will face a steep uphill battle for several key reasons, says Elizabeth Roper at Baker McKenzie.
-
Caregiver Flexibility Is Crucial For Atty Engagement, Retention
As the battle for top talent continues post-pandemic, many firms are attempting to attract employees with progressive hybrid working environments — and supporting caregivers before, during and after an extended leave is a critically important way to retain top talent, says Manar Morales at The Diversity & Flexibility Alliance.
-
How Judicial Privilege Shields Attys Facing Wiretap Violations
A recent ruling from the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, as well as past rulings across the country, indicates that the judicial privilege is applicable to alleged violations of wiretapping laws, so attorneys presented with audio evidence beneficial to their case should not fear being sued, says David Scott at Kang Haggerty.
-
In-Office Engagement Is Essential To Associate Development
As law firms develop return-to-office policies that allow hybrid work arrangements, they should incorporate the specific types of in-person engagement likely to help associates develop attributes common among successful firm leaders, says Liisa Thomas at Sheppard Mullin.
-
Perspectives
A Judge's Pitch To Revive The Jury Trial
Ohio state Judge Pierre Bergeron explains how the decline of the jury trial threatens public confidence in the judiciary and even democracy as a whole, and he offers ideas to restore this sacred right.
-
How To Recognize And Recover From Lawyer Loneliness
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.