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Legal Ethics
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August 27, 2024
Calif. Panel Won't Block Sanctions Over Firm's Anti-SLAPP Bid
A California appeals court has upheld a trial court's denial of an anti-SLAPP motion in a lawsuit alleging a partner in one law firm tried to misappropriate fees won in an overtime suit by another law firm where he was also a partner.
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August 27, 2024
Jackson Walker Is Trying To 'Revise History,' US Trustee Says
Jackson Walker LLP told a Houston judge Tuesday that the U.S. Trustee's Office "wants everyone to play by the rules except for [itself]" in a discovery dispute connected to a former Texas bankruptcy judge's secret relationship, as the bankruptcy watchdog simultaneously accused the firm of chasing down rumors to "revise history" through overbroad discovery requests.
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August 27, 2024
Colo. Startup Founder Disbarred For Conflicts, Dishonesty
A Denver attorney who co-founded and provided legal services for a publicly traded software startup has been disbarred in Colorado for widespread misconduct including failing to inform the company that he issued stock in excess of what had been authorized, practicing law with a suspended license, and conversion of thousands of dollars in corporate funds.
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August 27, 2024
NY-Licensed Atty Tells Appeals Court NC Bar Can't Touch Him
An immigration attorney has told the North Carolina Court of Appeals he can't be disciplined in a state where he was never licensed, saying the state bar's decision to disbar him should be reversed.
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August 27, 2024
Ford, NC Couple Settle Car Crash Dispute
Ford Motor Company and a couple suing the auto giant over an allegedly defective seat and seat belt in their 2017 Ford Explorer have reached a confidential settlement of their claims, according to a recent North Carolina state court filing.
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August 27, 2024
Mich. Atty Says Brother's Email Hack Harming Clients, Firm
A Michigan attorney has accused his brother of improperly accessing his law firm's email accounts and confidential discussions with clients, forcing the attorney to step down as name partner of his firm, allegedly after the brothers' joint cannabis venture failed.
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August 27, 2024
Reed Smith Calls Ex-Atty's Bid For Pay Data 'Frivolous'
Reed Smith LLP has urged a New Jersey state court judge to reject a bid by a former attorney suing the firm for gender discrimination to obtain pay data going back nearly 20 years, arguing there is no legal basis to support expanding the scope of discovery.
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August 27, 2024
Connecticut Litigation To Watch In The 2nd Half Of 2024
The Connecticut state and federal courts will grapple with a number of closely watched cases during the second half of 2024, including three key lawsuits by state Attorney General William Tong.
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August 27, 2024
Disbarred Atty Tom Girardi Convicted Of Defrauding Clients
A California federal jury on Tuesday convicted disbarred attorney Tom Girardi on all four counts of wire fraud, finding that the former titan of the plaintiffs bar misappropriated $15 million of his clients' settlement funds.
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August 27, 2024
Gusrae Kaplan Says Suit Over 'Frivolous' Filing Rightly Tossed
Gusrae Kaplan Nusbaum PLLC is urging the Delaware Supreme Court to affirm the dismissal of an Applied Energetics complaint alleging the firm and a former partner filed a frivolous securities fraud suit in order to hobble other litigation against a former CEO, accusing the laser-weapons maker of making "fanciful" arguments in its appeal.
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August 26, 2024
Feds Say Trump Docs Dismissal Contradicts 'Long Tradition'
Special counsel Jack Smith on Monday lodged the government's opening brief in its Eleventh Circuit appeal of the dismissal of the classified documents case against former President Donald Trump, arguing that the lower court's finding is contrary to "precedent and history" and the "long tradition of special-counsel appointments by the attorney general."
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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.
Expert Analysis
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Roundup
After Chevron
In the month since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Chevron deference standard, this Expert Analysis series has featured attorneys discussing the potential impact across 26 different rulemaking and litigation areas.
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Opinion
Atty Well-Being Efforts Ignore Root Causes Of The Problem
The legal industry is engaged in a critical conversation about lawyers' mental health, but current attorney well-being programs primarily focus on helping lawyers cope with the stress of excessive workloads, instead of examining whether this work culture is even fundamentally compatible with lawyer well-being, says Jonathan Baum at Avenir Guild.
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Series
Skiing And Surfing Make Me A Better Lawyer
The skills I’ve learned while riding waves in the ocean and slopes in the mountains have translated to my legal career — developing strong mentor relationships, remaining calm in difficult situations, and being prepared and able to move to a backup plan when needed, says Brian Claassen at Knobbe Martens.
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Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: June Lessons
In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy considers two recent decisions from the Third and Tenth Circuits, and identifies practice tips around class action settlements and standing in securities litigation.
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Unpacking The Circuit Split Over A Federal Atty Fee Rule
Federal circuit courts that have addressed Rule 41(d) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure are split as to whether attorney fees are included as part of the costs of a previously dismissed action, so practitioners aiming to recover or avoid fees should tailor arguments to the appropriate court, says Joseph Myles and Lionel Lavenue at Finnegan.
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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.