Legal Ethics

  • October 22, 2024

    NJ Justices Cast Doubt On Out-Of-State Atty Referral Fee Ban

    New Jersey Supreme Court justices on Tuesday sounded skeptical of an ethics rule change that would ban certified attorneys from paying referral fees to out-of-state lawyers, questioning an advisory panel's conclusion that such fees represent an authorized payment for legal services.

  • October 22, 2024

    Law Firm Wins Atty Fees In Texas Over Lies To Ghana Court

    An African energy company has to pay nearly $166,000 in attorney fees to an international arbitration specialty law firm after the company was sanctioned for lying to a Ghanaian court about proceedings in Texas, a Texas federal judge has ruled.

  • October 22, 2024

    LegalZoom, Ex-User Clash Over Unlawful-Practice Arbitration

    Legal services provider LegalZoom cannot force a proposed class action alleging unauthorized practice of law into arbitration, a former customer has told a New Jersey federal judge, because the web platform provided an inadequate explanation for a supposedly binding arbitration agreement.

  • October 22, 2024

    Fla. Judge Accused Of Misusing Contempt, Cuffing Victim

    A Sunshine State judge has been hit with ethics charges for allegedly improperly holding people in her courtroom in contempt, including an alleged crime victim who was placed in handcuffs and held in custody for nearly three hours.

  • October 22, 2024

    Ex-Atty Charged With Stealing Settlement Funds From Clients

    A former attorney who practiced in Oklahoma and gave up his law license in 2020 amid a disciplinary investigation has been charged in federal court with stealing money his then-clients were owed from settlements between 2015 and 2020.

  • October 22, 2024

    Hagens Berman Tells Amazon, Apple: Sure, Sanction Client

    Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP is fine with a Washington federal court sanctioning the firm's client — formerly the lead plaintiff — in a putative antitrust class action against Apple and Amazon, saying it shares their goal of compelling document production after the plaintiff ghosted his attorneys.

  • October 22, 2024

    Detroit Judge Says He's Immune From Sleeping Teen's Suit

    A Michigan judge accused of having a teenage girl detained and handcuffed after she fell asleep during a field trip to his courtroom is arguing that he is entitled to immunity from the teen's lawsuit because he was acting in his judicial capacity when he disciplined her.

  • October 22, 2024

    Judge Whose Son Was Killed Says States Must Step Up Safety

    U.S. District Judge Esther Salas of New Jersey, whose son was killed at her home by an attorney who had litigated a case before her, says the federal law enacted in her late son's honor is working well, but more needs to be done on the state level.

  • October 22, 2024

    Georgia Supreme Court Forms Generative AI Committee

    The Georgia Supreme Court has established a 16-person committee to explore uses of generative artificial intelligence in the judiciary, in partnership with the National Center for State Courts, the court said Tuesday.

  • October 22, 2024

    How Law Firms Get And Keep Elite Status

    For decades, a handful of New York-based law firms thoroughly dominated the national consciousness when it came to power, profitability and prestige. But in today's legal market, increased movement of partners and clients from one firm to the next has begun to shake things up and create opportunities for go-getters to ascend the ranks.

  • October 22, 2024

    The 2024 Prestige Leaders

    Check out our Prestige Leaders ranking, analysis and interactive graphics to see which firms stand out for their financial performance, attractiveness to attorneys and law students, ability to secure accolades and positive legal news media representation.

  • October 22, 2024

    Grassley Probes Delayed Charges For Threat To Trump Judge

    U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley is seeking answers as to why it took the U.S. Department of Justice four months to indict an Illinois man for allegedly threatening to kidnap and murder the Florida federal judge who handled Donald Trump's classified documents case.

  • October 22, 2024

    Ex-Ga. Insurance Commissioner Gives Up Law License

    Georgia's justices accepted John Oxendine's voluntary surrender of his law license on Tuesday, months after the former state insurance commissioner was sentenced to prison for his role in a multimillion-dollar medical testing kickback scheme.

  • October 22, 2024

    Reebok Settles Testy TM Suit With Italian Shoemaker

    Reebok has settled a suit claiming Italian shoemaker Autry USA LLC ripped off several of the sneaker giant's trademarks, ending a contentious case that saw Reebok seek to sanction its rival for what it termed "underhanded" tactics.

  • October 22, 2024

    Ga. Justices Toss Young Thug Atty's Contempt Conviction

    The Georgia Supreme Court on Tuesday threw out the contempt conviction of the attorney representing the rapper Young Thug over the lawyer's refusal to disclose how he learned about a judge's closed-door meeting with prosecutors and a witness, saying that judge was "involved in the controversy" and thus should not have handled the contempt hearing.

  • October 21, 2024

    Ex-Holland & Knight Atty Slams 'Incendiary' Client Info Suit

    A former Holland & Knight LLP partner asked a Pennsylvania federal judge Monday to toss a lawsuit alleging he unlawfully accessed a client's confidential documents in order to gain an upper hand in his contentious divorce, saying the "incendiary and defamatory" complaint is vague and fails to state viable claims.

  • October 21, 2024

    Target Wants Sanctions For 'Bogus' BIPA Suit

    An Illinois federal judge should sanction a group of Target customers and their lawyers for pursuing a facial recognition privacy case even though the plaintiffs had seen evidence their legal theory was "bogus," the retail giant says.

  • October 21, 2024

    Firm Fired HR Manager Because Of Pregnancy, Fla. Jury Told

    The lawyer for a former human resources manager at a South Florida law firm told a federal jury Monday that she was fired for being pregnant, saying that her ex-employer made her come into work despite a doctor's note telling her to stay home after determining that she had a high-risk pregnancy.

  • October 21, 2024

    Wade Says Trump Probe Plans Began Before Willis Took Office

    Former Fulton County special prosecutor Nathan Wade told Georgia House Judiciary Committee staff last week that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis planned to pursue charges against former president Donald Trump before she officially took the job and admitted to meeting with White House officials at least twice during the Georgia investigation.

  • October 21, 2024

    Calif. Atty Disbarred For Gambling With Client Cash

    A California attorney has been disbarred after misappropriating almost $117,000 from his clients and using much of that money for his gambling habit while claiming to be terminally ill with cancer.  

  • October 21, 2024

    Disbarred Conn. Atty Owed $52K In Fees, Appeals Court Told

    An attorney disbarred for making false claims in a judicial recusal motion is seeking $52,100 in fees derived from a State Farm car accident settlement and various other sources, telling the Connecticut Appellate Court on Monday that a trial judge improperly weighed the fees during her later discipline case.

  • October 21, 2024

    Atty's Brother Says Sibling Feud Is Harassment Campaign

    A Michigan attorney's brother and former business partner has accused the attorney of filing baseless lawsuits and harassing his employees in an attempt to squeeze money out of him, as the businessman countered a motion to block him from attending depositions.

  • October 21, 2024

    Seton Hall Ex-Chair Fights Transfer Of Whistleblower Suit

    Seton Hall University's former board chair on Monday sought to prevent the transfer of a whistleblower case from the school's former president out of New Jersey's Essex County state court due to a supposed conflict of interest, following a similar motion last week from the university itself.

  • October 21, 2024

    Ex-Florida Bar Prez Accused Of Malpractice In Divorce Case

    A former Florida Bar president has been sued in state court by an ex-client who accused the attorney of legal malpractice in a divorce case, saying she breached her duty by dragging out the proceeding and causing damages stemming from a disagreement over a marital residence.

  • October 21, 2024

    Last-Minute Letter Delays Mich. Atty's Voting Machine Trial

    A Michigan state judge delayed a jury trial Monday for a lawyer accused of unlawfully accessing 2020 voting machines, after the attorney accused prosecutors overnight of hiding a letter outlining county clerks' "prerogative" to release the machines to some parties.

Expert Analysis

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: July Lessons

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    In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy considers cases touching on pre- and post-conviction detainment conditions, communications with class representatives, when the American Pipe tolling doctrine stops applying to modified classes, and more.

  • Opinion

    Now More Than Ever, Lawyers Must Exhibit Professionalism

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    As society becomes increasingly fractured and workplace incivility is on the rise, attorneys must champion professionalism and lead by example, demonstrating how lawyers can respectfully disagree without being disagreeable, says Edward Casmere at Norton Rose.

  • Series

    Serving In The National Guard Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My ongoing military experience as a judge advocate general in the National Guard has shaped me as a person and a lawyer, teaching me the importance of embracing confidence, balance and teamwork in both my Army and civilian roles, says Danielle Aymond at Baker Donelson.

  • Lawyers Must Be Careful When Using Listservs

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    The American Bar Association's formal opinion from May correctly states that attorneys must obtain clients' consent before posing related questions to listservs, but potential risks and drawbacks of using listservs go beyond those highlighted by the ABA, says Deborah Winokur at Cozen O'Connor.

  • A Midyear Forecast: Tailwinds Expected For Atty Hourly Rates

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    Hourly rates for partners, associates and support staff continued to rise in the first half of this year, and this growth shows no signs of slowing for the rest of 2024 and into next year, driven in part by the return of mergers and acquisitions and the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence, says Chuck Chandler at Valeo Partners.

  • Opinion

    States Should Loosen Law Firm Ownership Restrictions

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    Despite growing buzz, normalized nonlawyer ownership of law firms is a distant prospect, so the legal community should focus first on liberalizing state restrictions on attorney and firm purchases of practices, which would bolster succession planning and improve access to justice, says Michael Di Gennaro at The Law Practice Exchange.

  • Series

    Solving Puzzles Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Tackling daily puzzles — like Wordle, KenKen and Connections — has bolstered my intellectual property litigation practice by helping me to exercise different mental skills, acknowledge minor but important details, and build and reinforce good habits, says Roy Wepner at Kaplan Breyer.

  • Texas Ethics Opinion Flags Hazards Of Unauthorized Practice

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    The Texas Professional Ethics Committee's recently issued proposed opinion finding that in-house counsel providing legal services to the company's clients constitutes the unauthorized practice of law is a valuable clarification given that a UPL violation — a misdemeanor in most states — carries high stakes, say Hilary Gerzhoy and Julienne Pasichow at HWG.

  • In Memoriam: The Modern Administrative State

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    On June 28, the modern administrative state, where courts deferred to agency interpretations of ambiguous statutes, died when the U.S. Supreme Court overruled its previous decision in Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council — but it is survived by many cases decided under the Chevron framework, say Joseph Schaeffer and Jessica Deyoe at Babst Calland.

  • How To Clean Up Your Generative AI-Produced Legal Drafts

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    As law firms increasingly rely on generative artificial intelligence tools to produce legal text, attorneys should be on guard for the overuse of cohesive devices in initial drafts, and consider a few editing pointers to clean up AI’s repetitive and choppy outputs, says Ivy Grey at WordRake.

  • Opinion

    A Tale Of 2 Trump Cases: The Rule Of Law Is A Live Issue

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision this week in Trump v. U.S., holding that former President Donald Trump has broad immunity from prosecution, undercuts the rule of law, while the former president’s New York hush money conviction vindicates it in eight key ways, says David Postel at Henein Hutchison.

  • Series

    Boxing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Boxing has influenced my legal work by enabling me to confidently hone the skills I've learned from the sport, like the ability to remain calm under pressure, evaluate an opponent's weaknesses and recognize when to seize an important opportunity, says Kirsten Soto at Clyde & Co.

  • Opinion

    Industry Self-Regulation Will Shine Post-Chevron

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's Loper decision will shape the contours of industry self-regulation in the years to come, providing opportunities for this often-misunderstood practice, says Eric Reicin at BBB National Programs.

  • 3 Ways Agencies Will Keep Making Law After Chevron

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    The U.S. Supreme Court clearly thinks it has done something big in overturning the Chevron precedent that had given deference to agencies' statutory interpretations, but regulated parties have to consider how agencies retain significant power to shape the law and its meaning, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

  • Roundup

    After Chevron

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    Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Chevron deference standard in June, this Expert Analysis series has featured attorneys discussing the potential impact across 36 different rulemaking and litigation areas.

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