Legal Ethics

  • January 17, 2025

    Fla. Watchdog Seeks Judge Reprimand For Election Violation

    Florida's judicial ethics watchdog has recommended that Circuit Court Judge Stefanie C. Moon, who presides in the family court in Broward County, be reprimanded for actions including discussing her reelection campaign on the bench and improperly contacting a witness.

  • January 17, 2025

    Attorney General Nominee Bondi Outlines Ethics Parameters

    Pam Bondi, President-elect Donald Trump's pick for attorney general, outlined in an ethics agreement posted on Friday how she intends to avoid possible conflicts of interest with her previous positions, such as her role as a partner at a lobbying firm, and how she will divest from Trump's media company. 

  • January 16, 2025

    Atty Suspended Over Wrongful Imprisonment Case Fees

    A Florida attorney accused of overcharging two intellectually disabled stepbrothers avoided disbarment when the New Jersey Supreme Court imposed a five-year suspension instead of opting for the permanent license revocation recommended by the court's disciplinary review board.

  • January 16, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Calls Newman's Constitutional Challenge 'Meritless'

    The Federal Circuit Judicial Council urged the D.C. Circuit on Thursday to reject U.S. Circuit Judge Pauline Newman's argument that the suspension her colleagues have imposed on her for refusing to participate in an investigation into her fitness to serve on the bench is unconstitutional.

  • January 16, 2025

    Trump AG Nominee Pam Bondi's Net Worth Tops $12M

    President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general, Pam Bondi, has a net worth of over $12 million and holds stock in Trump's media company, according to financial disclosures shared with Law360. 

  • January 16, 2025

    Baltimore Court Clerk Can Proceed With Bulk Of Bias Suit

    A Maryland federal judge refused Thursday to toss the bulk of a lawsuit from a Black judiciary clerk, finding she put forward enough details to support her allegations that a circuit court acted out of bias when it suspended her without pay and barred her from earning overtime.

  • January 16, 2025

    Leon Black Rape Case Halted As Wigdor Faces Sanctions Bid

    A Manhattan federal judge froze discovery Thursday in a sexual assault case against ex-Apollo Global Management CEO Leon Black to allow him to file a sanctions motion against the Jane Doe plaintiff and Wigdor LLP, pointing to sealed documents.

  • January 16, 2025

    Madigan Racketeering Case Will Go To Jury

    The Illinois federal judge overseeing a criminal racketeering trial against former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and his longtime friend and political ally made certain Thursday that the jury will deliberate and decide the case, rejecting severance and acquittal requests on the last day of evidence.

  • January 16, 2025

    Ex-Atty's Audit Rightly Tied To State Farm Fight, Panel Rules

    State Farm and two clients were properly ushered into a case examining a disbarred attorney's trust accounts, a Connecticut appeals court ruled Thursday, shutting down the ex-lawyer's demand for $52,100 in purported attorney fees by upholding a judge's decision linking settlement payout, audit and ethics feuds under one docket.

  • January 16, 2025

    Fulton DA Willis Fights Subpoenas In Trump Case Probe

    Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis this week outlined her objections to subpoenas issued by a Georgia state Senate committee investigating her prosecution of President-elect Donald Trump, arguing they are overbroad, intended to embarrass her and "defunct" due to the swearing in of a new general assembly.

  • January 16, 2025

    Cousins Of Wife Killed By Ex-BigLaw Atty Seek Deal Funds

    The cousins of a Georgia woman killed by her husband, former Fisher Phillips partner Claud "Tex" McIver, urged a state court to block McIver's designees from receiving proceeds from a settlement of an underlying wrongful death suit, arguing that they "are implicitly her next of kin" and should receive the proceeds.

  • January 16, 2025

    Calif. Law Firm Settles 2 Suits Alleging Debt Relief Fraud

    A debt relief law firm in California reached settlements Thursday in two separate lawsuits that accused the firm of charging its clients for worthless services, a little more than two weeks after the cases were brought in federal courts.

  • January 16, 2025

    Ex-Law Student Asks 11th Circ. To Revive Suit Against Judge

    A former law student asked the Eleventh Circuit on Thursday to revive his lawsuit accusing U.S. District Judge Federico Moreno and three government attorneys of conspiring to ruin his job prospects and reputation, arguing that they are not immune from suit because they acted outside the scope of their employment.

  • January 16, 2025

    SCOTUSblog Publisher Tom Goldstein Indicted In Tax Case

    Tom Goldstein, a publisher of SCOTUSblog and one of the most experienced U.S. Supreme Court lawyers in the country, was indicted Thursday in Maryland federal court on charges he schemed to evade paying taxes for years and used funds from his boutique law firm to cover gambling debts. 

  • January 16, 2025

    'Complete Lack Of Respect' For Privilege DQs NH Prosecutor

    A New Hampshire judge has disqualified the lead prosecutor and a financial expert in the state attorney general's criminal case against a casino owner, finding that they had negligently viewed material protected under attorney-client privilege.

  • January 16, 2025

    Defense Fights Privilege Waiver In $250M COVID Fraud Case

    A Minnesota nonprofit director accused of orchestrating a $250 million fraud scheme using funds from a COVID-19 federal food program has told a federal judge that prosecutors are wrong to argue that her lawyer's testimony at her impending trial will waive her attorney-client privilege, since the lawyer would be discussing facts, not advice.

  • January 16, 2025

    Paxton Seeks To Nix Ethics Case After Deputy Beats Suit

    Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton asked the Texas Supreme Court to toss an ethics case against him over a lawsuit challenging 2020 election results, saying the matter fails on the same separation of powers grounds that the court recently cited in nixing a similar case against his first assistant.

  • January 16, 2025

    1st Circ. Vacates Most Of Atty's Marijuana Bribe Conviction

    The First Circuit vacated a pair of fraud convictions for a Massachusetts attorney charged in a marijuana bribery scheme, finding that sending an iMessage through an Apple cellphone is not enough to satisfy the wire fraud element requiring interstate communication.

  • January 16, 2025

    Giuliani Settles NY Asset Turnover Case After Trial No-Show

    Rudy Giuliani on Thursday settled claims that he must turn over assets to fund a $148 million judgment for defaming two Georgia poll workers, after his failure to show up in court delayed the start of a scheduled bench trial.

  • January 15, 2025

    Colo. Panel Mulls If Atty Violations Can Nix Gov't Immunity

    A Colorado appellate panel on Wednesday pressed a utility regulator staffer who accused state lawyers of smearing her at work, questioning whether nixing the lawyers' governmental immunity based on alleged professional misconduct would go too far.

  • January 15, 2025

    Davis Wright Atty Says Firm Is Trying To Push Him Out

    An attorney employed by Davis Wright has launched a pro se employment discrimination lawsuit in Washington state court, accusing the firm of trying to "strong-arm" him into leaving after he reported what he described as misconduct by a partner and banishing him from its Seattle office when he threatened legal action.

  • January 15, 2025

    Boeing Vexes Judge In 737 Max Records Flap With Airline

    The Boeing Co. can't use a now-defunct South African airline's loss of records to dodge a suit over fallout from a 737 Max airplane deal, a Washington federal judge has said, chiding the aerospace giant for offering thin circumstantial evidence of intent without any "smoking gun."

  • January 15, 2025

    9th Circ. Won't Review Nixed Deductions For Disbarred Atty

    The Ninth Circuit on Wednesday rejected a disbarred California attorney's requests to review its December decision to uphold a U.S. Tax Court ruling denying his bid to take business deductions for the cost of challenging his disbarment and a court's declaration that he is a "vexatious litigant."

  • January 15, 2025

    Judge OKs More Fees In Calif. Debt Relief Firm's Bankruptcy

    A California bankruptcy judge has tentatively approved an additional $2.1 million in professional fees in the bankruptcy case of a troubled debt relief firm, despite the amount of professional fees already exceeding the amount paid out to creditors so far.

  • January 15, 2025

    NJ Prosecutors Can Shield Certain Docs In Atty Bribe Cases

    New Jersey prosecutors won't have to turn over certain documents related to investigations involving potential crimes committed by a tax attorney who was a cooperating witness in a bribery case against three former public officials, a state appeals panel has ruled.

Expert Analysis

  • Litigation Inspiration: Reframing Document Review

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    For attorneys — new ones especially — there is much fulfillment to find in document review by reflecting on how important, interesting and pleasant it can be, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • Rank-And-File DOJ Attorneys Will Keep Calm And Carry On

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    Career prosecutors at the U.S. Department of Justice often pride themselves on their ability to remain apolitical in order to ensure consistency and keep the department’s mission afloat, and the incoming Trump administration is unlikely to upend this tradition, says Michael Landman at Bird Marella.

  • California Supreme Court's Year In Review

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    Attorneys at Horvitz & Levy highlight notable decisions on major questions from the California Supreme Court's last term, including voter initiatives, hostile work environment and the economic loss rule.

  • What Lawyers Can Learn From High School AI Suit

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    A pending Massachusetts lawsuit regarding artificial intelligence use in an academic setting underscores the need for attorneys to educate themselves on AI technology and tools that affect their clients so they can advise on establishing clear expectations and limits around the permissible use of AI, say attorneys at Hinckley Allen.

  • Service Providers Must Mitigate 'Secondary Target' Risks

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    A lawsuit recently filed in an Illinois federal court against marketing agency Publicis over its work for opioid manufacturers highlights an uptick in litigation against professional service providers hired by clients that engaged in alleged misconduct — so potential targets of such suits should be sure to conduct proper risk analysis and mitigation, say attorneys at Dechert.

  • Series

    Flying Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Achieving my childhood dream of flying airplanes made me a better lawyer — and a better person — because it taught me I can conquer difficult goals when I leave my comfort zone, focus on the demands of the moment and commit to honing my skills, says Ivy Cadle at Baker Donelson.

  • Mitigating Defamation Liability Risks Of AI-Generated Content

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    Until Congress and the courts provide clear guidance about defamation liability stemming from generative artificial intelligence tools, companies should begin building controls to prevent the creation of defamatory content, says Michael Gerrity at Accenture.

  • Series

    Circus Arts Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    Performing circus arts has strengthened my ability to be more thoughtful, confident and grounded, all of which has enhanced my legal practice and allowed me to serve clients in a more meaningful way, says Bailey McGowan at Stinson.

  • When Investigating An Adversary, Be Wary Of Forged Records

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    Warnings against the use of investigators who tout their ability to find an adversary’s private documents generally emphasize the risk of illegal activity and attorney discipline, but a string of recent cases shows an additional danger — investigators might be fabricating records altogether, says Brian Asher at Asher Research.

  • 3 Ways To Train Junior Lawyers In 30 Minutes Or Less

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    Today’s junior lawyers are experiencing a skills gap due to pandemic-era disruptions, but firms can help bring them up to speed by offering high-impact skill building content in bite-sized, interactive training sessions, say Stacey Schwartz at Katten, Diane Costigan at Winston & Strawn and Lauren Tierney at Freshfields.

  • Opinion

    Why States Should Adopt ABA's 'Duty To Inquire'

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    State bars should codify the American Bar Association's proposed rule on a lawyer's duty to scrutinize each representation as it provides guardrails for lawyers, supports self-regulation of the profession, and helps avert money laundering and other crimes, says Deborah Winokur at Cozen O'Connor.

  • The Bar Needs More Clarity On The Discovery Objection Rule

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    Almost 10 years after Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 34 was amended, attorneys still seem confused about what they should include in objections to discovery requests, and until the rules committee provides additional clarity, practitioners must beware the steep costs of noncompliance, says Tristan Ellis at Shanies Law Office.

  • Trump Faces Uphill Battle If He Tries To Target Prosecutors

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    On the campaign trail, President-elect Donald Trump promised to go after the state and federal prosecutors who had investigated and prosecuted him, but few criminal statutes would be applicable — to say nothing of the evidence required to substantiate any charges against prosecutors, says William Johnston at Bird Marella.

  • Series

    Being A Navy Reservist Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Serving this country in uniform has not only been one of the greatest honors of my life, but it has also provided me with opportunities to broaden my legal acumen and interpersonal skills in ways that have indelibly contributed to my civilian practice, says Phillip Smith at Weinberg Wheeler.

  • So You Want To Move Your Law Practice To Canada, Eh?

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    Google searches for how to move to Canada have surged in the wake of the U.S. presidential election, and if you’re an attorney considering a move to the Great White North, you’ll need to understand how the practice of law differs across the border, says David Postel at Henein Hutchison.

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