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Legal Ethics
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August 21, 2024
3rd Circ. Rejects Ex-Engineering Co. GC's Benefits Suit
The Third Circuit refused Wednesday to revive a former general counsel for an engineering company's suit claiming he was stiffed on over $100,000 in retirement benefits, rejecting his argument that a $1 million payout he got from the company should have been factored into his benefits package.
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August 21, 2024
La. Plaintiffs Ask 5th Circ. To Revive BP Spill Malpractice Deal
Louisiana residents who sued their attorneys, alleging they botched damage claims tied to the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill, have asked the Fifth Circuit to reconsider a panel's ruling that overturned enforcement of a global settlement.
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August 20, 2024
Girardi Jury Hears Of Ex-CFO's Alleged Bahama Hideout Plan
The former fiancee of ex-Girardi Keese executive Chris Kamon told a California federal jury in Tom Girardi's criminal trial Tuesday about a dramatic call she received from Kamon, during which he told her he was about to be "pinned" for the firm's crimes and wanted her to flee to the Bahamas with him.
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August 20, 2024
Trustee Wins TRO Vs. Disbarred Lawyer's Former Partner
The bankruptcy trustee handling the estate of failed California debt relief law firm Litigation Practice Group has won temporary control over key properties of a businessman formerly involved in the firm, including millions of dollars in bank and brokerage accounts as well as a multimillion-dollar house in Orange County.
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August 20, 2024
Ga. Justices Weigh 'Malice' In Atty's Defamation Case
An orthopedic surgeon urged the Georgia Supreme Court on Tuesday to revive his case against a defense attorney who allegedly tarnished the surgeon's reputation during settlement talks with his attorneys for his former patients, arguing his appellate defeat last year flew in the face of 160 years of Georgia defamation law.
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August 20, 2024
NJ County Denies Admissions In Disbarred Atty's Arrest Suit
Hudson County, New Jersey, and two detectives from its Prosecutor's Office told a New Jersey federal court Tuesday that a disbarred attorney suing them over his allegedly false arrest is telling the court the detectives admitted to things they did not actually admit, and urged the court to grant their summary judgment request.
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August 20, 2024
Some Wis. State Bar Officers Let Out Of Diversity Bias Suit
A Wisconsin federal judge has removed three of the seven individual defendants named in a suit brought by an attorney challenging the Wisconsin Bar's diversity clerkship program after they argued they were not personally responsible for actions alleged in the suit, with the judge also cutting a claim for money damages.
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August 20, 2024
Law Professor Seeks To Keep Alive Bias Suit Against FAMU
A Florida A&M University College of Law professor asked a federal court to maintain her discrimination suit because "context matters" in the case, and it shouldn't be decided on summary judgment, as the school suggested.
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August 20, 2024
Fla. Attys' Licenses Suspended In Connection To Assault Case
The Florida Supreme Court has suspended the licenses of a Tallahassee attorney couple after they pled no contest to charges related to a criminal case in which their former babysitter accused them of sexual assault during an incident at the couple's home.
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August 20, 2024
Ex-Client Opposes Amicus In McCarter & English Fee Fight
A dietary supplement maker has asked Connecticut's highest court to reject a bid by the Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association to file a friend-of-court brief in a case questioning whether McCarter & English LLP can obtain punitive damages in a fee dispute, saying no additional input is necessary because no tort occurred.
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August 20, 2024
Burford Fights Order Backing Chicken Price-Fixing Settlement
A Burford Capital Unit tried again Monday to unbind itself from a chicken price-fixing settlement that Sysco sealed via email with Pilgrim's Pride, arguing in Illinois federal court that the Seventh Circuit has criticized the order backing the settlement as "fatally flawed."
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August 20, 2024
Ex-Mich. Judicial Assistant Admits To Embezzling From Judge
A former judicial assistant to a Wayne County Circuit Court judge pled guilty Tuesday to embezzling more than $60,000 from the jurist, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced.
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August 20, 2024
Atlanta Immigration Firm, Paralegal Settle OT Suit
An Atlanta immigration law firm has reached a settlement in a federal lawsuit from a paralegal who says he was misclassified as an independent contractor and denied overtime pay, despite routinely working more than 40 hours per week, according to court papers filed Tuesday.
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August 20, 2024
Ex-State's Atty Says Md. Trial Convictions Should Be Axed
Former Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby is vying to upend her convictions for perjury and mortgage fraud, telling the Fourth Circuit the federal prosecution was riddled with errors from the outset.
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August 20, 2024
Mich. Judge Says She's Falsely Accused In Watchdog's Probe
A Michigan state judge said she now knows the "injustice" of being falsely accused, urging a judicial watchdog to reject charges that she lied to investigators who were probing another judge's misconduct.
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August 20, 2024
NC Panel Revives Meddling Claims Against Real Estate Atty
A real estate attorney must face renewed claims that he helped a stranger meddle in an ownership fight among heirs over a parcel of land in Charlotte, the North Carolina Court of Appeals said Tuesday.
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August 20, 2024
A Deep Dive Into Law360 Pulse's 2024 Women In Law Report
The legal industry continues to see incremental gains for female lawyers in private practice in the U.S., according to a Law360 Pulse analysis, with women now representing 40.6% of all attorneys and 51% of all associates.
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August 20, 2024
These Firms Have The Most Women In Equity Partnerships
The legal industry still has a long way to go before it can achieve gender parity at its upper levels. But these law firms are performing better than others in breaking the proverbial glass ceiling that prevents women from attaining leadership roles.
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August 20, 2024
Atty's Use Of 'Gallo' Ruffles Feathers At Competing Law Firm
A Texas law firm says an attorney in the Lone Star State is confusing the public by using "Gallo," the Spanish word for rooster, in marketing his legal services despite the firm's trademark rights for using the word in that context.
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August 19, 2024
4 Ex-Girardi Keese Attys Are Federal Targets, Agent Testifies
At least four former attorneys with the defunct Girardi Keese law firm are under active investigation related to the federal government's California wire fraud case and have received letters informing them they are targets, an IRS criminal investigator disclosed Monday under cross-examination by Tom Girardi's attorney at his criminal trial.
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August 19, 2024
Fed. Circ. Urged To Review Dish's Fight Over Atty Fee Liability
A technology industry group on Monday urged the full Federal Circuit to take a look at a precedential panel decision preventing Dish Network LLC from collecting fees directly from a patent litigation company's lawyer, arguing that the ruling "rips a gaping hole" in legal fee jurisprudence that would "immunize" lawyers from ever having to pay attorney fees for filing baseless patent lawsuits.
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August 19, 2024
Judge Suggests Atty, Firm Pay Up For Not Probing IP Claims
A Florida lawyer who once represented former President Donald Trump and the lawyer's firm should pay $150,000 in attorney fees as a monetary sanction for failing to properly investigate patent claims before suing, a federal magistrate judge has recommended, which is far below the $684,000 the defendants in the case sought.
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August 19, 2024
Colo. Justices Take Up Firm's Malicious Prosecution Defense
The Colorado Supreme Court said Monday it would hear a Denver law firm's appeal arguing that winning a dispositive motion in an earlier suit protects against a later malicious prosecution claim from the target of the first case.
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August 19, 2024
Feds Trim Sentencing Request For Atty In Email Fraud Case
Massachusetts federal prosecutors have shaved 11 months off of a nine-year sentencing request for an Illinois attorney who was convicted of collecting proceeds from an email fraud scheme, after the First Circuit vacated three of the lawyer's six counts on venue grounds.
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August 19, 2024
Chinese Exile's Daughter Wants Ch. 11 Sanctions Overturned
The daughter of bankrupt Chinese exile Miles Guo and her New Jersey-based attorney are asking the Second Circuit to overturn a bankruptcy judge's $83,370 discovery sanction, calling the discovery requests in question unclear and the sanction excessive.
Expert Analysis
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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.
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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.