Legal Ethics

  • November 27, 2024

    Rikers Faces Federal Takeover As NYC Held In Contempt

    A Manhattan federal judge found New York City and its corrections department in civil contempt for failing to fix the "unconstitutional danger" for inmates at Rikers Island, indicating a receivership is the solution.

  • November 26, 2024

    Developer Accuses Fla. Attys Of 'Fraudulent Billing' Scheme

    A real estate developer embroiled in a dispute with Conrad & Scherer LLP over unpaid legal fees has filed a new lawsuit against two of the firm's partners, claiming they operated a "bait and switch" scheme to overbill him for their work in litigation over a loan to finance construction of a $76 million Aspen home.

  • November 26, 2024

    Fla. Bar Alleges Atty Delayed Trial Over His Broken Tooth

    The Florida Bar has launched a complaint against a criminal attorney in the Florida Supreme Court, accusing him of violating state bar rules by refusing to proceed with a jury trial because he had a broken tooth.

  • November 26, 2024

    Beasley Allen Escapes Sanctions For J&J Deposition No Show

    A Texas bankruptcy judge on Tuesday laid ground rules for documents and communications to be shared in a messy discovery phase of the Chapter 11 of Red River Talc, Johnson & Johnson's latest liability spinoff, while also saying he wouldn't sanction a Beasley Allen attorney who didn't appear at a deposition last week. 

  • November 26, 2024

    Prosecutor Defends Outside Counsel Hires To Mich. Justices

    A Michigan county's elected prosecutor told the state Supreme Court his stymied request to seek legal advice from outside law firms was valid, arguing he should be able to consult attorneys to manage risk after the county's corporation counsel refused to represent him. 

  • November 26, 2024

    Madigan Pushed Land Transfer After Law Biz Pitch, Jury Told

    A former Chicago alderman testifying against ex-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan told jurors Tuesday he connected prospective developers to Madigan, who lobbied to take on their legal work and soon after pushed legislation that would clear the way for their project.

  • November 26, 2024

    Affinity Bar Groups Decry Colo. No-Poach Restrictions

    Several attorney groups told Colorado's justices that barring lawyers from recruiting colleagues before officially leaving a firm would take away professional autonomy and harm lawyers from underrepresented backgrounds the most, filing briefs in support of a lawyer's challenge to her contract with a personal injury firm. 

  • November 26, 2024

    Law Firms' Tobacco Fee-Sharing Showdown Revived In Texas

    A split Texas appeals panel has remanded a dispute between an attorney and an ex-attorney over a fee-sharing agreement in tobacco litigation, finding that the contract was ambiguous and that a trial court was wrong to conclude otherwise.

  • November 26, 2024

    Paul Hastings Seeks GenapSys CEO Depo In Malpractice Suit

    Paul Hastings LLP has called on a California court to compel the founder and former CEO of GenapSys to sit for a deposition in a legal malpractice suit alleging that the firm improperly drafted board documents that invited an expensive lawsuit and led to the genetic sequencing company's "demise and liquidation."

  • November 26, 2024

    Texas Atty Sanctioned For Citing Bogus Cases After Using AI

    A Texas lawyer pursuing a wrongful termination lawsuit against Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. has been sanctioned for submitting a brief that included citations to nonexistent cases generated by an artificial intelligence tool, a Texas federal judge ordered this week.

  • November 26, 2024

    Fulton County DA Seeks To Reinstate Trump Election Charges

    The Fulton County District Attorney's Office told the Georgia Court of Appeals on Monday that six criminal charges against President-elect Donald Trump and others should be reinstated as they have an "abundance" of information to prepare their defense against allegations of trying to subvert the results of the November 2020 election.

  • November 26, 2024

    Ga. Law Firm Faces DQ Bid Over 'Hopeless' FCA Case Conflict

    The former employee of a tool company has called on a Georgia federal court to disqualify Smith Gilliam Williams & Miles PA and one of its attorneys from representing the company in his False Claims Act case because another firm attorney represented him in a domestic matter.

  • November 26, 2024

    Nadine Menendez's Atty Seeks Trial Delay Due To Jan. 6 Case

    Counsel for Nadine Menendez in a bribery case that toppled her husband, former U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, asked a New York federal judge to delay her January trial date because it would likely conflict with the trial of another client facing charges in March in the 2021 Capitol insurrection.

  • November 26, 2024

    NJ Law Firm Hit With Whistleblower Suit From Fired Atty

    New Jersey law firm Post Polak PA has been hit with a state whistleblower lawsuit from a former associate alleging that she was fired over her handling of a public records case against Englewood Cliffs and her disagreements with the town mayor.

  • November 26, 2024

    Ex-Faegre Drinker Atty Files Disability Bias Suit

    Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP was hit with a disability discrimination lawsuit on Monday by a Denver attorney who says she was pushed out after seeking accommodations for hip problems.

  • November 26, 2024

    Victim Shares Blame For $1.4M Scam, Connecticut Atty Says

    A New Jersey real estate development company is at least partly to blame after it transferred more than $1.4 million to a fraudster without taking proper precautions, a Connecticut attorney said Tuesday in response to a federal lawsuit that accuses her of involvement in the scam.

  • November 26, 2024

    NJ Equal Pay Law Date Will Guide Atty's Discrimination Suit

    Discovery and damages in a former Reed Smith LLP labor and employment attorney's suit claiming gender discrimination will be limited to the effective date of New Jersey equal pay law, a state judge ruled, saying the law doesn't apply retroactively.

  • November 26, 2024

    Giuliani's New Atty Faults Previous Counsel As NY Trial Nears

    A Manhattan federal judge declined Tuesday to delay a January trial over whether Rudy Giuliani must turn over his Florida condo and World Series rings to fund a $148 million defamation judgment, after the former New York City mayor's new lawyer criticized outgoing counsel.

  • November 25, 2024

    Mich. Atty's Voting Machine Criminal Trial Delayed Again

    A Michigan state judge on Monday yet again delayed the criminal trial of an attorney accused of accessing 2020 voting machines after reiterating that he would not disqualify special prosecutors from arguing the case, giving more time for others similarly charged to chime in about newly discovered evidence.

  • November 25, 2024

    Gibson Dunn Treated Crypto Client Like 'Hot Potato,' Suit Says

    Crypto trading firm Swan Bitcoin hit Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP with a malpractice lawsuit in California court Friday, alleging Gibson Dunn dumped Swan "like the proverbial 'hot potato'" in underlying trade secret litigation and tried to take on Swan's rival as a client after a lateral hire created a conflict of interest.

  • November 25, 2024

    Samsung Inks Deal In Suit Nixed Over Rival's Atty Misconduct

    Samsung has reached a settlement with patent owner Techiya, a deal that comes after Samsung defeated the $300 million patent infringement suit based on attorney misconduct by former in-house counsel that a Texas federal judge called "repugnant to the rule of law," according to a motion filed Sunday.

  • November 25, 2024

    Texas AG Loses 'Unserious' Bid For Jack Smith Doc Order

    A Texas federal judge refused Monday to enter an emergency order preserving special counsel Jack Smith's records, saying there is no reason to think the U.S. Department of Justice will not follow document retention laws and slamming Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's allegations to the contrary as "unserious."

  • November 25, 2024

    Informant Says He Brought Developers To Madigan's Law Firm

    An ex-Chicago alderman who wore a wire to meetings with former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan was back on the stand Monday describing how he arranged a meeting with developers of a Chicago apartment building at Madigan's law office, with jurors hearing a call in which Madigan said to "go ahead and process" a zoning change for that project after the alderman asked if the developer gave him legal work.

  • November 25, 2024

    Baltimore Atty Convicted Over $25M Hospital Extortion Plan

    A Baltimore federal jury on Friday convicted a prominent medical malpractice attorney on all charges in a case alleging he threatened the University of Maryland with bad publicity about "diseased" organs being transplanted into patients unless it paid him $25 million.

  • November 25, 2024

    Texas Judge Tosses Remainder Of Border Phone Search Suit

    A federal judge in Texas has tossed a lawsuit from an attorney who claimed U.S. Customs and Border Patrol officers illegally seized and searched his cellphone at the border.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • Weisselberg's Perjury At Trial Spotlights Atty Ethics Issues

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    Former Trump Organization executive Allen Weisselberg’s recent guilty plea for perjury in the New York attorney general's civil fraud trial should serve as a reminder to attorneys of their ethical duties when they know a client has lied or plans to lie in court, and the potential penalties for not fulfilling those obligations, say Hilary Gerzhoy and Julienne Pasichow at HWG.

  • Practicing Law With Parkinson's Disease

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    This Parkinson’s Awareness Month, Adam Siegler at Greenberg Traurig discusses his experience working as a lawyer with Parkinson’s disease, sharing both lessons on how to cope with a diagnosis and advice for supporting colleagues who live with the disease.

  • Why Incorporating By Reference Is Rarely Good Practice

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    The Federal Circuit’s recent ruling in Promptu Systems v. Comcast serves as a reminder that while incorporating by reference may seem efficient, it is generally prohibited by courts and can lead to sanctions when used to bypass a word count limit, says Cullen Seltzer at Sands Anderson.

  • Series

    Playing Hockey Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Nearly a lifetime of playing hockey taught me the importance of avoiding burnout in all aspects of life, and the game ultimately ended up providing me with the balance I needed to maintain success in my legal career, says John Riccione at Taft.

  • For Lawyers, Pessimism Should Be A Job Skill, Not A Life Skill

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    A pessimistic mindset allows attorneys to be effective advocates for their clients, but it can come with serious costs for their personal well-being, so it’s crucial to exercise strategies that produce flexible optimism and connect lawyers with their core values, says Krista Larson at Stinson.

  • Trump's NY Civil Fraud Trial Spotlights Long-Criticized Law

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    A New York court’s recent decision holding former President Donald Trump liable for fraud brought old criticisms of the state law used against him back into the limelight — including its strikingly broad scope and its major departures from the traditional elements of common law fraud, say Mark Kelley and Lois Ahn at MoloLamken.

  • Opinion

    Requiring Leave To File Amicus Briefs Is A Bad Idea

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    A proposal to amend the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure that would require parties to get court permission before filing federal amicus briefs would eliminate the long-standing practice of consent filing and thereby make the process less open and democratic, says Lawrence Ebner at the Atlantic Legal Foundation and DRI Center.

  • 4 Ways To Motivate Junior Attorneys To Bring Their Best

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    As Gen Z and younger millennial attorneys increasingly express dissatisfaction with their work and head for the exits, the lawyers who manage them must understand and attend to their needs and priorities to boost engagement and increase retention, says Stacey Schwartz at Katten.

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