Legal Ethics

  • July 30, 2024

    Judge Refuses To DQ Attys In Group Home Sex Abuse Case

    A Washington federal judge rejected a group home's bid to disqualify counsel representing former residents alleging sexual abuse, ruling Tuesday that any conflicts between alleged victims now at odds with one another would not harm the group home.

  • July 30, 2024

    Young Thug's 3rd Judge Denies Mistrial For Bench Swaps

    A Georgia judge who recently became the third presider in rapper Young Thug's sprawling racketeering trial ruled Tuesday there will be no mistrial on grounds of judge substitution, but said rulings on other mistrial motions are still to come.

  • July 30, 2024

    Sidney Powell Settles Dominion Exec's Election Lies Suit

    Sidney Powell, a former attorney to Donald Trump, has settled a defamation lawsuit brought by a former executive for Dominion Voting Systems accused of taking part in unfounded 2020 election conspiracy theories.

  • July 30, 2024

    NJ Judge Off The Bench For Cursing, Gifting Giants Tickets

    A New Jersey municipal judge accused of using profanity in the courtroom, fraternizing with police officers at a Hooters restaurant and gifting New York Giants tickets to the town's code enforcement officer has been removed from the bench, the state Supreme Court said Tuesday.

  • July 30, 2024

    Fed. Circ. Backs Ga. ALJ's Firing For 'Unbecoming' Conduct

    The Federal Circuit has upheld the removal of a Georgia administrative law judge over a pattern of "deficiencies" uncovered in his rulings, insubordination, and a workplace tirade in which he reportedly told a supervisor she was "worse than a Nazi," the court said Tuesday.

  • July 30, 2024

    Lewis Brisbois Settles One LA Bias Suit, Another Continues

    Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP has ended a former partner's race and disability bias suit, announcing a settlement in Los Angeles Superior Court, while continuing to push for arbitration in a separate discrimination suit, also filed in Los Angeles, where a former equity partner has accused the firm of gender discrimination and "unethical billing."

  • July 30, 2024

    GAO Says Courts Should Improve Staff Complaint Collection

    The federal judiciary, which has over 30,000 employees, has taken actions to address misconduct in the workplace since 2017, but one area in need of improvement is its data collection, according to a U.S. Government Accountability Office report released Tuesday.

  • July 30, 2024

    Dominion Again Pushes DQ Bid For Ex-Overstock CEO Atty

    Attorneys for Dominion Voting Systems are again urging a D.C. federal judge to disqualify a Michigan attorney from representing former Overstock.com CEO Patrick Byrne in a defamation lawsuit, saying she and her client "lack any respect for the rule of law" and pose risks to Dominion employees.

  • July 30, 2024

    Atty Smuggled Marijuana-Soaked Papers To Inmate, Feds Say

    A Massachusetts solo practitioner has been charged with using her status as an attorney to try to smuggle papers soaked in synthetic cannabis to an inmate at a Rhode Island detention center, federal prosecutors announced Tuesday.

  • July 30, 2024

    Quinn Emanuel Must Prove Authority In $486M Award Fight

    A divided D.C. Circuit panel ruled Tuesday that a lower court should have determined whether Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP had authority to represent Doraleh Container Terminal SA before deciding whether to enforce a $486 million arbitral award issued against Djibouti.

  • July 29, 2024

    8th Circ. Tosses 'Windfall' $79M Legal Fee In T-Mobile Suit

    The Eighth Circuit on Monday threw out a $78.7 million attorney fee award for plaintiffs' attorneys who negotiated a $350 million settlement with T-Mobile over a massive data breach in 2021, saying the award amounts to a "windfall" for class counsel.

  • July 29, 2024

    Live Nation Judge Tightens In-House Counsel's Access To Docs

    A New York federal judge imposed new restrictions Monday on Live Nation in-house counsel's access to documents and testimony from witnesses from its rivals in the U.S. Department of Justice's antitrust lawsuit, tightening a days-old two-tiered system after hearing concerns from those competitors.

  • July 29, 2024

    Fla. Judge Pauses Part Of $20M Suit Between Ex-Law Partners

    A Florida judge on Monday paused part of a $20 million dispute between former law partners after finding that some of the claims involved are related to those that he has already sent to arbitration last month.

  • July 29, 2024

    7th Circ. OKs Sanctioning Atty For Pushing Opposing Counsel

    A Seventh Circuit panel has affirmed sanctions against a Chicago employment attorney for cursing and pushing opposing counsel who represented the Chicago Board of Education in a First Amendment dispute, finding Monday that the record supports the finding that the attorney knowingly lied when she claimed the physical contact was "unintentional."

  • July 29, 2024

    Vaccine Co. Was Sanctioned For Deliberately Hiding Testing

    U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director Kathi Vidal backed sanctions for Longhorn Vaccines & Diagnostics' "egregious abuse" of the Patent Trial and Appeal Board system because of the patent owner's "deliberate scheme to hide" harmful evidence from the board, she said in an opinion made public Friday.

  • July 29, 2024

    Firm Partners Ask Fla. Court To Toss Investor's Derivative Suit

    Two partners in a law firm have asked a Florida court to dismiss a derivative lawsuit brought by an investor claiming that they orchestrated a litigation funding fraud, arguing that the investor has no right to bring the suit without a vote from the other members of the company.

  • July 29, 2024

    Amex Inks $3M Deal To Settle Girardi Bankruptcy Suit Claims

    American Express reached a $3 million deal to settle claims brought by the Girardi Keese bankruptcy trustee accusing the credit giant's banking unit and another subsidiary of enabling $50.25 million in fraudulent transfers as part of the now-defunct law firm's scheme to defraud creditors.

  • July 29, 2024

    Calif. Panel Weighs Guidance On Judges' School Fundraising

    On Monday, the California Supreme Court Committee on Judicial Ethics Opinions released its latest draft opinion, soliciting public input in proposed guardrails for judicial officers' personal participation in their children's school fundraising efforts.

  • July 29, 2024

    Hunter Biden Attys Say They Didn't Mislead Judge In Tax Case

    Hunter Biden's attorneys told a Los Angeles federal judge that while several statements in their motion to dismiss tax charges against the president's son were worded "perhaps inartfully," they never intended to mislead the court in a way that would merit sanctions.

  • July 29, 2024

    Immigration Firm Wants Injunction In Trade Secret Fight

    A Washington-based immigration law firm is arguing that a Colombian ex-employee helped a Houston immigration law firm poach its offshore employees in Colombia and copy its business model for building a large-scale firm, and that the court must declare a preliminary injunction to stop "irreparable harm."

  • July 29, 2024

    DeSantis Wants To Ax Suit Over Fla. Prosecutor Suspension

    Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis moved on Friday to dismiss an amended complaint regarding his suspension of elected prosecutor Monique Worrell, arguing that voters have no right to see an elected official serve an entire term.

  • July 29, 2024

    Firm, Ex-Client Brief Conn. High Court In Punitive Award Case

    McCarter & English LLP and ex-client Jarrow Formulas Inc. are weighing in as the Connecticut Supreme Court decides whether a federal court can award law firms punitive damages in suits for breach of contract, as the firm seeks a punitive payout after winning multimillion-dollar judgments in a contract dispute.

  • July 29, 2024

    ABA's 1st Generative AI Opinion Points Attys To Ethical Duties

    The American Bar Association ethics committee published on Monday its first formal opinion on attorney use of generative artificial intelligence tools, saying lawyers should consider their ethical obligations, including those related to model rules on competency, confidentiality and fees.

  • July 29, 2024

    Mich. AG Drops Remaining Case Against Carhartt Heiress Atty

    Prosecutors will not retry a Michigan attorney they claim stole from his wealthy client, the late Carhartt company heiress Gretchen Valade, and have agreed to toss similar embezzlement charges in a separate case. 

  • July 29, 2024

    Judge Narrows Ex-Worker's Claims Against Bronx DA's Office

    A New York federal judge has trimmed claims in an employment suit lodged against the Bronx district attorney's office by a woman who worked there, holding that others alleging discrimination under the Family and Medical Leave Act and a racially driven promotion could move forward.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • Opinion

    Legal Profession Gender Parity Requires Equal Parental Leave

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    To truly foster equity in the legal profession and to promote attorney retention, workplaces need to better support all parents, regardless of gender — starting by offering equal and robust parental leave to both birthing and non-birthing parents, says Ali Spindler at Irwin Fritchie.

  • Series

    Writing Thriller Novels Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Authoring several thriller novels has enriched my work by providing a fresh perspective on my privacy practice, expanding my knowledge, and keeping me alert to the next wave of issues in an increasingly complex space — a reminder to all lawyers that extracurricular activities can help sharpen professional instincts, says Reece Hirsch at Morgan Lewis.

  • What Lawyers Must Know About Calif. State Bar's AI Guidance

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    Initial recommendations from the State Bar of California regarding use of generative artificial intelligence by lawyers have the potential to become a useful set of guidelines in the industry, covering confidentiality, supervision and training, communications, discrimination and more, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Industry Must Elevate Native American Women Attys' Stories

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    The American Bar Association's recent research study into Native American women attorneys' experiences in the legal industry reveals the glacial pace of progress, and should inform efforts to amplify Native voices in the field, says Mary Smith, president of the ABA.

  • Understanding Discovery Obligations In Era Of Generative AI

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Attorneys and businesses must adapt to the unique discovery challenges presented by generative artificial intelligence, such as chatbot content and prompts, while upholding the principles of fairness, transparency and compliance with legal obligations in federal civil litigation, say attorneys at King & Spalding.

  • Asserting 'Presence-Of-Counsel' Defense In Securities Trials

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    As illustrated by the fraud trial of FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, defense attorneys in securities trials might consider arguing that counsel had some involvement in the conduct at issue — if the more formal advice-of-counsel defense is unavailable and circumstances allow for a privilege waiver, say Joseph Dever and Matthew Elkin at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Key Takeaways From DOJ's Recent FARA Advisory Opinions

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    The U.S. Department of Justice recently published several redacted advisory opinions on the Foreign Agents Registration Act, clarifying its current thinking on when a person or entity is required to register as a foreign agent under the statute, and when they may qualify for an exemption, says Tessa Capeloto at Wiley Rein.

  • The Case For Post-Bar Clerk Training Programs At Law Firms

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    In today's competitive legal hiring market, an intentionally designed training program for law school graduates awaiting bar admission can be an effective way of creating a pipeline of qualified candidates, says Brent Daub at Gilson Daub.

  • Attorneys Have An Ethical Duty To Protect The Judiciary

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    The tenor of public disagreement and debate has become increasingly hostile against judges, and though the legislative branch is trying to ameliorate this safety gap, lawyers have a moral imperative and professional requirement to stand with judges in defusing attacks against them and their rulings, says Deborah Winokur at Cozen O'Connor.

  • AI Can Help Lawyers Overcome The Programming Barrier

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    Legal professionals without programming expertise can use generative artificial intelligence to harness the power of automation and other technology solutions to streamline their work, without the steep learning curve traditionally associated with coding, says George Zalepa at Greenberg Traurig.

  • Preparing Law Students For A New, AI-Assisted Legal World

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    As artificial intelligence rapidly transforms the legal landscape, law schools must integrate technology and curricula that address AI’s innate challenges — from ethics to data security — to help students stay ahead of the curve, say Daniel Garrie at Law & Forensics, Ryan Abbott at JAMS and Karen Silverman at Cantellus Group.

  • General Counsel Need Data Literacy To Keep Up With AI

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    With the rise of accessible and powerful generative artificial intelligence solutions, it is imperative for general counsel to understand the use and application of data for myriad important activities, from evaluating the e-discovery process to monitoring compliance analytics and more, says Colin Levy at Malbek.

  • Navigating Discovery Of Generative AI Information

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    As generative artificial intelligence tools become increasingly ubiquitous, companies must make sure to preserve generative AI data when there is reasonable expectation of litigation, and to include transcripts in litigation hold notices, as they may be relevant to discovery requests, say Nick Peterson and Corey Hauser at Wiley.

  • Finding Focus: Strategies For Attorneys With ADHD

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    Given the prevalence of ADHD among attorneys, it is imperative that the legal community gain a better understanding of how ADHD affects well-being, and that resources and strategies exist for attorneys with this disability to manage their symptoms and achieve success, say Casey Dixon at Dixon Life Coaching and Krista Larson at Stinson.

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