Do Lawyers Enjoy Immunity In Drafting Orders For Judges?

Law360, New York (November 21, 2014, 1:56 PM EST) -- Recently, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit handed down a decision that is of potential concern to lawyers who draft a court order at the direction of a judge. In Burton v. Infinity Capital Management, the Ninth Circuit held that a lawyer who drafted an order at the direction of a state court judge was not entitled to absolute quasi-judicial immunity for a claim brought against the lawyer based on the theory that the draft order the lawyer prepared violated the automatic stay in bankruptcy proceedings.[1] The court held that because private parties are not generally entitled to judicial immunity, and because here the lawyer did not exercise the discretion used by a judicial officer, he was not entitled to immunity.[2]...

Law360 is on it, so you are, too.

A Law360 subscription puts you at the center of fast-moving legal issues, trends and developments so you can act with speed and confidence. Over 200 articles are published daily across more than 60 topics, industries, practice areas and jurisdictions.


A Law360 subscription includes features such as

  • Daily newsletters
  • Expert analysis
  • Mobile app
  • Advanced search
  • Judge information
  • Real-time alerts
  • 450K+ searchable archived articles

And more!

Experience Law360 today with a free 7-day trial.

Start Free Trial

Already a subscriber? Click here to login

Hello! I'm Law360's automated support bot.

How can I help you today?

For example, you can type:
  • I forgot my password
  • I took a free trial but didn't get a verification email
  • How do I sign up for a newsletter?
Ask a question!