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Legal Ethics
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February 19, 2025
Trump Media Co. Sues Brazilian Supreme Court Justice
President Donald Trump's media company and online video sharing platform Rumble Inc. filed suit Wednesday, accusing a Brazilian Supreme Federal Court justice of illegally suppressing political speech in the United States by ordering X and other social media platforms to block accounts spreading disinformation.
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February 18, 2025
Law Schools, Attys Defend Judiciary Amid Gov't Attacks
More alarm bells rang Tuesday over the Trump administration's recent remarks questioning the judiciary's authority to keep the executive branch's power in check, as more than 2,000 American lawyers and a group representing U.S. law schools voiced concern about the need to uphold the country's constitutional democracy.
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February 18, 2025
Jury Won't Tour Living Room Where Calif. Judge Shot Wife
A California state judge facing trial this week on charges of murdering his wife lost his bid to have jurors tour the living room of the house where she was shot to death, after a Los Angeles County judge ruled Tuesday that there's sufficient photographic evidence of the scene.
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February 18, 2025
Reed Smith Removed In $102M Shipping Group Award Fight
A New York federal judge granted a request by the purported new owners of Eletson Holdings Inc. and removed Reed Smith LLP as counsel in a $102 million breach of contract suit the firm brought on behalf of the international shipping group in 2023.
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February 18, 2025
Car Dealer Can't Depose Government In 'Deceptive' Price Suit
A Nissan dealer cannot depose the Federal Trade Commission or the state of Connecticut in a dual enforcement action alleging that it charged consumers "deceptive" price add-ons, a federal magistrate judge has ruled, agreeing that the government had already provided all relevant discovery or was planning to do so.
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February 18, 2025
Convicted Pharma Exec Seeks Trial Redo, Citing Feds' Error
A former pharmacy executive convicted on criminal charges over a healthcare scheme that defrauded the government of $160 million has urged a Texas federal court to grant him a new trial, arguing an admission of error by the federal government necessitates a redo.
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February 18, 2025
Judiciary Dems Denounce Ethics Watchdog Changes At DOJ
Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday objected to what they said is a plan for political appointees at the Department of Justice to oversee agency ethics decisions instead of career officials.
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February 18, 2025
NY High Court Upholds Ethics Commission In Cuomo Case
New York's highest court on Tuesday affirmed the constitutionality of the state's recently revamped ethics commission in an order reversing a lower court ruling that sided with embattled former Gov. Andrew Cuomo amid an investigation related to his use of government employees to help him publish and promote a book.
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February 18, 2025
Ex-BigLaw Atty Who Killed Wife Joins Fray Over Deal Funds
The former BigLaw partner who fatally shot his wife has entered a Georgia state court dispute over the distribution of wrongful death proceeds related to her death, saying he was required to assign the proceeds to his wife's godson as part of his plea deal but took no position on the validity of that assignment.
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February 18, 2025
Georgia Justices Revive Defamation Suit Against Atty
An orthopedic surgeon in Georgia will get another chance to prove he was defamed by a defense attorney, after the Supreme Court of Georgia found a state appellate court mistakenly used the well-known "actual malice" standard to toss the case instead of the relevant state law standard.
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February 18, 2025
Baker Botts Partner Says Inventor's Atty Is Threatening Her
A Baker Botts LLP lawyer being sued over her comments in a news article about a patent suit against Starbucks Corp. accused opposing counsel of threatening her in an email exchange over the details of a deposition.
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February 18, 2025
Ga. Atty Chastised For Pasting Judge's Signature On Order
The Georgia Supreme Court on Tuesday reprimanded an attorney who cut and pasted a judge's signature on a proposed order in a case, in a move the lawyer later claimed was done in the name of "increasing the efficiency" of his filings.
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February 18, 2025
NJ High Court Rejects Ban On Out-Of-State Atty Referral Fees
The New Jersey Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that state-certified attorneys are allowed to pay referral fees to out-of-state lawyers even if they are not licensed in the Garden State, overturning an ethics committee's advisory opinion that said the payments were forbidden.
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February 18, 2025
Adams, Feds Ordered To Explain Dismissal Bid At Hearing
A Manhattan federal judge demanded details Tuesday and scheduled a hearing after the Justice Department asked to dismiss criminal charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, signaling that the court would not rubber-stamp the request following allegations of a corrupt bargain and mass resignations of prosecutors in protest.
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February 14, 2025
DaBaby Gets Fla. Atty Sanctioned For 'Frivolous' Claims
A Florida federal judge has sanctioned a Florida lawyer for "objectively frivolous" civil conspiracy claims brought against rapper DaBaby following an alleged altercation that happened before a scheduled performance, saying that his conduct "causes the court to question whether [he] should be appearing before any court in our district or state."
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February 14, 2025
Almost Everyone Hates The Judiciary's Amicus Rule Revamp
Policymakers for the federal judiciary Friday did what often seems impossible in a polarized nation, uniting powerful advocates for defense counsel, trial lawyers, corporations and consumers on a controversial issue. Unfortunately for the policymakers, those advocates were united by antipathy for major rule changes affecting amicus brief filers.
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February 14, 2025
FTC Political Appointees Told To Break Up With 'Leftist' ABA
Federal Trade Commission Chair Andrew N. Ferguson told agency staff in a letter that political appointees cannot hold leadership positions in the American Bar Association, attend its events or renew their memberships, citing the ABA's "leftist advocacy and its recent attacks" on the Trump administration's agenda.
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February 14, 2025
NJ Appeals Court Confirms Officials' Votes Were Conflicted
A New Jersey state appeals court on Friday ruled a trial court was right to find local officials were in conflict when they voted to terminate an attorney because the trio had defamed him during their campaigns.
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February 14, 2025
Pa. Injury Firm Botched Burger King Suit Service, Suit Says
A Pennsylvania woman has sued the law firm previously representing her in a slip-and-fall case against a local Burger King for legal malpractice after the state Supreme Court held that her former attorneys' attempts to have the complaint served were insufficient.
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February 14, 2025
Fla. Criminal Defense Atty Accused Of Bribing DEA Agent
New York federal prosecutors have charged a Florida criminal defense attorney with a scheme to bribe a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent in exchange for nonpublic law enforcement information, which the lawyer used to recruit and represent clients, in an indictment unsealed on Friday.
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February 14, 2025
Diddy, Jay-Z Rape Lawsuit Dropped Amid Legal Ethics Battle
An anonymous woman dropped her New York federal court lawsuit accusing Sean "Diddy" Combs and Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter of raping a teenager together, claims that launched a bitter ethics feud between personal injury attorney Tony Buzbee and Jay-Z's lawyers at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP.
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February 14, 2025
House Dems Amplify ABA Decision On High Court Ethics
Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee's courts panel urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday to adopt a binding and enforceable code of ethics after the American Bar Association's policy-making body advocated for such.
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February 14, 2025
Feds Hit With Brady Claims As Implant Kickback Trial Looms
Two defendants nearing trial on medical device kickback claims say Boston federal prosecutors are begrudgingly sharing mountains of exculpatory materials they should have provided years ago.
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February 14, 2025
Buchalter, Parker Milliken Get Stay In $19M Theft Suit
A California judge on Friday granted a stay to Buchalter PC and Parker Milliken Clark O'Hara & Samuelian APC while the law firms appeal a decision denying their bid to arbitrate a lawsuit accusing them of conspiring to help their client bilk nearly $20 million from some trusts in a Ponzi scheme.
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February 14, 2025
Tulsa County 'On Notice' In Jurisdiction Dispute, Suit Says
The Muscogee (Creek) Nation is asking a federal district court to block Tulsa County, Oklahoma, its sheriff and a district attorney from asserting criminal jurisdiction on its reservation, arguing they continue to defy a 2020 Supreme Court ruling that held that they lack such authority.
Expert Analysis
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After A Brief Hiccup, The 'Rocket Docket' Soars Back To No. 1
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.
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Recruitment Trends In Emerging Law Firm Frontiers
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.
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Series
Glassblowing Makes Me A Better Lawyer
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.
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Money, Money, Money: Limiting White Collar Wealth Evidence
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.
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How Associates Can Build A Professional Image
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.
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Firms Must Rethink How They Train New Lawyers In AI Age
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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Think Like A Lawyer: Always Be Closing
When a lawyer presents their case with the right propulsive structure throughout trial, there is little need for further argument after the close of evidence — and in fact, rehashing it all may test jurors’ patience — so attorneys should consider other strategies for closing arguments, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.
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Series
Playing Chess Makes Me A Better Lawyer
There are many ways that chess skills translate directly into lawyer skills, but for me, the bigger career lessons go beyond the direct parallels — playing chess has shown me the value of seeing gradual improvement in and focusing deep concentration on a nonwork endeavor, says attorney Steven Fink.
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Litigation Inspiration: Attys Can Be Heroic Like Olympians
Although litigation won’t earn anyone an Olympic medal in Paris this summer, it can be worthy of the same lasting honor if attorneys exercise focused restraint — seeking both their clients’ interests and those of the court — instead of merely pursuing every advantage short of sanctionable conduct, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.
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Lean Into The 'Great Restoration' To Retain Legal Talent
As the “great resignation,” in which employees voluntarily left their jobs in droves, has largely dissipated, legal employers should now work toward the idea of a “great restoration,” adopting strategies to effectively hire, onboard and retain top legal talent, says Molly McGrath at Hiring & Empowering Solutions.
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Series
Fishing Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Atop the list of ways fishing makes me a better lawyer is the relief it offers from the chronic stress of a demanding caseload, but it has also improved my listening skills and patience, and has served as an exceptional setting for building earnest relationships, says Steven DeGeorge at Robinson Bradshaw.
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A Healthier Legal Industry Starts With Emotional Intelligence
The legal profession has long been plagued by high rates of mental health issues, in part due to attorneys’ early training and broader societal stereotypes — but developing one’s emotional intelligence is one way to foster positive change, collectively and individually, says attorney Esperanza Franco.
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To Make Your Legal Writing Clear, Emulate A Master Chef
To deliver clear and effective written advocacy, lawyers should follow the model of a fine dining chef — seasoning a foundation of pure facts with punchy descriptors, spicing it up with analogies, refining the recipe and trimming the fat — thus catering to a sophisticated audience of decision-makers, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.
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Circuit Judge Writes An Opinion, AI Helps: What Now?
Last week's Eleventh Circuit opinion in Snell v. United Specialty Insurance, notable for a concurrence outlining the use of artificial intelligence to evaluate a term's common meaning, is hopefully the first step toward developing a coherent basis for the judiciary's generative AI use, says David Zaslowsky at Baker McKenzie.
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Perspectives
Trauma-Informed Legal Approaches For Pro Bono Attorneys
As National Trauma Awareness Month ends, pro bono attorneys should nevertheless continue to acknowledge the mental and physical effects of trauma, allowing them to better represent clients, and protect themselves from compassion fatigue and burnout, say Katherine Cronin at Stinson and Katharine Manning at Blackbird.