Legal Ethics

  • 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.

  • November 25, 2024

    AG Slams Bid To 'Indoctrinate' Public In NJ RICO Case

    New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin has rebuffed attacks from businessman George Norcross and others charged in his office's sprawling racketeering case in a pair of opposition filings, accusing the defendants of attempting to try the case in the press and contending that their argument to toss the case is out of place.

  • November 25, 2024

    Berger Singerman Sued For Hurricane Insurance Malpractice

    Berger Singerman LLP and one of its attorneys have been slammed with a legal malpractice lawsuit in Florida for allegedly botching insurance claims for a timeshare company that suffered damages in Hurricanes Michael and Irma.

  • November 25, 2024

    Pashman Stein Seeks Win In Fees Dispute With NJ Atty

    Pashman Stein Walder Hayden PC has moved for summary judgment in New Jersey state court in a fee dispute with a former client who hired the firm to represent him in a fight with his former law partners about the shutdown of their previous firm.

  • November 25, 2024

    Atty Sanctioned Over Depo Misconduct In Blank Rome Suit

    An attorney's alleged personal attacks against opposing counsel, refusal to answer questions and wrongful invoking of attorney-client privilege for certain documents led a Philadelphia federal court to order sanctions against her in an order published Monday.

  • November 25, 2024

    Ex-Fox Rothschild Corp. Head Ends Bias Suit Against Firm

    Fox Rothschild LLP has resolved a discrimination lawsuit with a former head of its corporate department who claimed he was pushed out of the firm after nearly three decades because of his age, according to a stipulation of dismissal filed Monday in New Jersey state court.

  • November 25, 2024

    BigLaw Backs Barnes & Thornburg In Ga. Malpractice Appeal

    More than two dozen law firms with a footprint in Georgia have told the state Supreme Court that a former client's legal malpractice claims against Barnes & Thornburg LLP were rightfully dismissed, arguing the doctrine of judgmental immunity has protected attorneys in the state for honest judgment calls for 150 years.

  • November 25, 2024

    Colo. Firm Sued Amid Ownership Battle For Mental Health Co.

    In a fight over control of a business that provides mental health services to adopted children, the widow of one of the business' founders claims that a Denver law firm committed malpractice and unjustly enriched itself when it advised her rivals in the company's board of directors to file "baseless" lawsuits against her and ran up more than $1 million in bills.

  • November 25, 2024

    Attys Fight Sanctions In Dropped Bob Dylan Abuse Suit

    An attorney for two solo practitioners sanctioned for not turning over discovery material in a now-abandoned sexual assault suit against Bob Dylan told Second Circuit judges Monday that "lawyers are not their clients," arguing that the pair never personally disregarded a court order or instructed their client to do so.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • Attorneys, Law Schools Must Adapt To New Era Of Evidence

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    Technological advancements mean more direct evidence is being created than ever before, and attorneys as well as law schools must modify their methods to account for new challenges in how this evidence is collected and used to try cases, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • 1st Tax Easement Convictions Will Likely Embolden DOJ, IRS

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    After recent convictions in the first criminal tax fraud trial over allegedly abusive syndicated conservation easements, the IRS and U.S. Department of Justice will likely pursue other promoters for similar alleged conspiracies — though one acquittal may help attorneys better evaluate their clients' exposure, say Bill Curtis and Lauren DeSantis-Then at Polsinelli.

  • Tips For Litigating Against Pro Se Parties In Complex Disputes

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    Litigating against self-represented parties in complex cases can pose unique challenges for attorneys, but for the most part, it requires the same skills that are useful in other cases — from documenting everything to understanding one’s ethical duties, says Bryan Ketroser at Alto Litigation.

  • Pro Bono Work Is Powerful Self-Help For Attorneys

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    Oct. 22-28 is Pro Bono Week, serving as a useful reminder that offering free legal help to the public can help attorneys expand their legal toolbox, forge community relationships and create human connections, despite the challenges of this kind of work, says Orlando Lopez at Culhane Meadows.

  • Series

    Playing In A Rock Cover Band Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Performing in a classic rock cover band has driven me to hone several skills — including focus, organization and networking — that have benefited my professional development, demonstrating that taking time to follow your muse outside of work can be a boon to your career, says Michael Gambro at Cadwalader.

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