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Legal Ethics
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August 26, 2024
Girardi Lied 'Over And Over,' Jury Told As Fraud Trial Wraps
A federal prosecutor told a California federal jury during closing arguments in Tom Girardi's criminal fraud trial Monday that the now-disbarred attorney lied to his clients "over and over and over again" in order to misappropriate millions of their settlement money as part of a yearslong Ponzi scheme.
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August 26, 2024
Tetra Tech Accuses Atty Of Mistreating Witness In FCA Row
Tetra Tech EC Inc. claimed that an attorney representing a developer accusing it of fraud had mistreated a witness during a deposition hearing, pressing a California federal court to order the release of recordings capturing the alleged misconduct.
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August 26, 2024
Firm Wants Award Nixed Over DLA Piper, Arbitrator Ties
Fortis Advisors is urging a Delaware court to vacate an arbitral award favoring gaming company Stillfront following its 2019 purchase of a Canadian video game company, arguing that an accounting firm hired to adjudicate the dispute and Stillfront's counsel at DLA Piper hid a "web of relationships" between them.
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August 26, 2024
Estate Says Circle K Hid Inspector's Name In Death Suit
The family of a woman who died at a Circle K gas pump asked a Florida judge to sanction the company for allegedly failing to disclose the name of the contractor that inspected the gas station before the statute of limitations for wrongful death claims had run out.
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August 26, 2024
Suit Over Ga. Prosecutor Oversight Advances
A Georgia state judge cleared a legal challenge to the state's new prosecutor disciplinary panel to go forward on Friday, finding there was enough merit in the case brought by a trio of district attorneys to allow it to continue.
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August 26, 2024
In Ga., Trump Renews Willis DQ Bid Over 'Insidious' Speech
Former President Donald Trump on Monday renewed his push to have Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis booted from his Georgia election interference case, telling the state's Court of Appeals that her "insidious, calculated" remarks about the case during a public speech this year have shown her clear prosecutorial bias.
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August 26, 2024
NJ Couple Admit To Preparing False Asylum Applications
A Garden State couple admitted Monday in New Jersey federal court that they participated in a conspiracy to prepare and submit fraudulent asylum applications, the U.S. attorney announced.
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August 26, 2024
Colo. Atty Posed As Judge, Ex-Prosecutor In Blog Comments
A Colorado attorney and former public defender has been placed on a stayed suspension after he impersonated a Mesa County Court judge and former prosecutor in fabricated comments on a blog.
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August 26, 2024
9th Circ. Chief Judge Cleared Of Judicial Misconduct Claims
The Judicial Council of the Ninth Circuit on Friday cleared its chief judge of judicial misconduct claims alleging she failed to timely investigate a Los Angeles judge's decision to have a lawyer handcuffed and detained during contempt proceedings, finding the allegations were unfounded.
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August 26, 2024
DC Judge Says Missouri AG Can't Investigate Media Matters
A D.C. federal judge has again blocked a Republican attorney general from demanding a slew of records from liberal media watchdog Media Matters, this time halting a probe from Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey.
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August 26, 2024
Conn. Judge Hints Split Fee Collection Case May Be Too Late
A Connecticut judge on Monday said he was leaning toward dismissing a case seeking to access an alleged fee split in a $25,000 personal injury case, hinting that the Law Office of Justin C. Freeman LLC likely waited too long to file its lawsuit before dissolving.
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August 26, 2024
Substitute Atty Must Get Access To Discovery, NJ Panel Says
The attorney representing the estate of a murdered New Jersey mobster-turned-informant must be given access to confidential discovery information that was provided to a previous attorney on the case, the state Appellate Division ruled today.
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August 26, 2024
Racial Gaps In Mich. Judicial Discipline Process, Audit Finds
Black judges in Michigan are more likely to be subject to a full misconduct investigation and receive "significantly" more grievances than their white counterparts, according to a preliminary audit from the National Center for State Courts.
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August 26, 2024
Cadwalader Fears Unsealing Financial Info May Harm Firm
Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft LLP has argued in North Carolina Business Court that unsealing financial details related to a November 2022 data breach and its insurance policy with a Lloyd's of London syndicate would put the firm at further risk from competitors and bad actors.
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August 26, 2024
Texas Cases To Watch In Last Half Of 2024
Courts across the state are poised to make decisions in several high-stakes cases over the next several months, including ruling on whether Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton can be deposed in a long-running employment retaliation suit and whether a challenge to Texas' floating Rio Grande barrier must be tried before a jury.
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August 26, 2024
Insurer Wants Out Of Pa. Wig Widow's $4.5M Benefit Dispute
Lincoln National Life Insurance Co. asked a Pennsylvania state court to let it bow out of a dispute between a Pittsburgh wig and healthcare magnate's widow and his family partnership, arguing Monday that the court, not the insurer, had to choose between competing claims for a $4.5 million policy payout.
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August 26, 2024
Ex-Branscomb Atty Must Comply With Arbitration Award
A Texas appellate court said that a former attorney with Branscomb PC must abide by an arbitration award issued in his dispute over his termination from the firm, writing that if he had an issue with the award, he should have raised it with the arbitrator.
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August 26, 2024
New Jersey Cases Attorneys Are Watching In 2024
Jersey City is fighting the Garden State's cannabis legalization law and argues it conflicts with federal gun control legislation, while the bankrupt former chief financial officer of McElroy Deutsch Mulvaney & Carpenter LLP is facing civil claims he defrauded the firm and paid himself millions in unauthorized salary.
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August 23, 2024
Del. Chief Judge Tells IP Biz Owner To Show Up, Pay $53K
Delaware's top federal judge Friday ordered a Texas-based patent litigation business owner to appear before him to address what he called a "potential fraud on the court" and "misconduct" by the firm's counsel, adding she'll have to pay $53,000 in accrued sanctions for refusing to show up in-person since last year.
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August 23, 2024
Girardi Says High Court Holding Should Gut His Fraud Case
Tom Girardi has urged a California federal judge to toss the majority of the wire fraud charges he is facing ahead of closing arguments in his trial, saying a 1960 U.S. Supreme Court case demonstrates he was charged for nothing more than receiving legally required wire transfers.
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August 23, 2024
Former Snyder Aide Says No Immunity For Flint Prosecutors
A top aide to former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder who had faced criminal charges for the Flint water crisis is fighting Michigan prosecutors' attempts to dodge a lawsuit claiming that they violated his due process rights.
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August 23, 2024
NC Justice Dept. Atty's Promotion Bias Suit Cleared For Trial
The North Carolina Department of Justice will face an attorney's race and sex discrimination claims at trial after a federal judge rejected the agency's bid for summary judgment, finding that a dispute remains about whether there was a legitimate reason for not promoting her.
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August 23, 2024
Wash. Justices Affirm Convicted Ex-State Auditor Disbarment
The Washington Supreme Court affirmed a recommendation to disbar convicted former state auditor Troy X. Kelley after he was imprisoned on felony theft charges, finding that Kelley's crimes justified the disbarment sanction.
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August 23, 2024
Ex-Reed Smith Atty Wants Pay Data In Bias Suit Against Firm
A former Reed Smith LLP attorney suing the firm for gender discrimination has told a New Jersey state court that the firm must turn over pay data for nonequity partners stretching back years for her to make her case.
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August 23, 2024
Client Wants Atty's Wife Held In Contempt In Malpractice Case
A couple awarded a $1.2 million default malpractice judgment against their former lawyer have asked a Colorado state judge to hold the attorney's wife in contempt after she said in a deposition she failed to check whether she and her husband had joint bank accounts or to bring documents, as required by a subpoena.
Expert Analysis
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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.
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Opinion
NY Should Pass Litigation Funding Bill To Protect Plaintiffs
New York state should embrace the regulatory framework proposed in the Consumer Litigation Funding Act, which would suppress the unregulated predatory lenders that currently prey on vulnerable litigants but preserve a funding option that helps personal injury plaintiffs stand up to deep-pocketed corporate defendants, says Alan Ripka at Alan Ripka & Associates.
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Series
Playing Music Makes Me A Better Lawyer
My deep and passionate involvement in playing, writing and producing music equipped me with skills — like creativity, improvisation and problem-solving — that contribute to the success of my legal career, says attorney Kenneth Greene.
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How Attys Can Avoid Pitfalls When Withdrawing From A Case
The Trump campaign's recent scuffle over its bid to replace its counsel in a pregnancy retaliation suit offers a chance to remind attorneys that many troubles inherent in withdrawing from a case can be mitigated or entirely avoided by communicating with clients openly and frequently, says Christopher Konneker at Orsinger Nelson.
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High Court Injunction Case Could Shake Up Fee-Shifting Rules
In agreeing to review a Virginia case rendered statutorily moot before final judgment, the U.S. Supreme Court could finally settle the question of if — and when — a preliminary injunction can win attorney fees for a prevailing party, but all possible answers could disrupt fee-shifting schemes written into major laws, says Laurens Wilkes at Winston & Strawn.
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Using A Children's Book Approach In Firm Marketing Content
From “The Giving Tree” to “Where the Wild Things Are,” most children’s books are easy to remember because they use simple words and numbers to tell stories with a human impact — a formula law firms should emulate in their marketing content to stay front of mind for potential clients, says Seema Desai Maglio at The Found Word.
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Series
Being An EMT Makes Me A Better Lawyer
While some of my experiences as an emergency medical technician have been unusually painful and searing, the skills I’ve learned — such as triage, empathy and preparedness — are just as useful in my work as a restructuring lawyer, says Marshall Huebner at Davis Polk.
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Exploring An Alternative Model Of Litigation Finance
A new model of litigation finance, most aptly described as insurance-backed litigation funding, differs from traditional funding in two key ways, and the process of securing it involves three primary steps, say Bob Koneck, Christopher Le Neve Foster and Richard Butters at Atlantic Global Risk LLC.
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Trump Hush Money Case Offers Master Class In Trial Strategy
The New York criminal hush money trial of former President Donald Trump typifies some of the greatest challenges that lawyers face in crafting persuasive presentations, providing lessons on how to handle bad facts, craft a simple story that withstands attack, and cross-examine with that story in mind, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.
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Series
Teaching Yoga Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Being a yoga instructor has helped me develop my confidence and authenticity, as well as stress management and people skills — all of which have crossed over into my career as an attorney, says Laura Gongaware at Clyde & Co.