Legal Ethics

  • July 23, 2026

    NJ Justices Adopt Atty Rule Barring Sex With Clients

    New Jersey attorneys will be prohibited from having sexual relationships with current clients beginning Sept. 1 under a new ethics rule that the state's highest court approved Thursday, replacing New Jersey's case-by-case approach with a bright-line prohibition.

  • July 23, 2026

    Jack Smith's Lawyers Say Criminal Referral Twists Testimony

    Former special counsel Jack Smith's legal team has said the criminal referral a U.S. Congress member sent the Department of Justice to investigate Smith is based on a "spurious claim."

  • July 23, 2026

    ABA Rips DOJ's 'Absurd' Firm Subpoenas In Documents Fight

    The American Bar Association has blasted as "absurd" the government's move to subpoena law firms as an attempt to avoid a documents request from the organization amid allegations the Trump administration worked to intimidate law firms into conforming with his policy goals through executive orders last year.

  • July 23, 2026

    500-Member NYC Public Defender Union Ends Strike

    The first and so far only New York City public defender union to go on strike this year announced on Wednesday that its approximately 500 members are returning to work after reaching a tentative agreement with their managers.

  • July 22, 2026

    J&J Talc Plaintiffs Must Back Up Cancer Link Or Risk MDL

    Plaintiffs alleging Johnson & Johnson's talcum powder products caused ovarian cancer must show they can offer expert opinions on the link between the disease and talc use or risk having their lawsuits tossed, a New Jersey federal judge ruled Wednesday.

  • July 22, 2026

    Late Emails Undercut BCBS Pricing Suit, Walgreens Says

    Walgreen Co. is urging an Illinois federal judge to again sanction a Blue Cross Blue Shield insurer and its subsidiary for allegedly failing to produce key email evidence the pharmacy retailer says "upends" the insurers' 6-year-old claim that it intentionally overcharged them for prescription drugs.

  • July 22, 2026

    Ex-Mich. Defender Couldn't Use Illness Claim To Save Bias Suit

    A former public defender's discrimination and retaliation suit was dismissed with prejudice Wednesday after a Michigan federal judge found that she repeatedly ignored discovery orders, prejudiced the defendants and improperly sent a process server to an attorney's home on a Sunday.

  • July 22, 2026

    Russia Cites Arbitrator Removal In Bid To Pause $1.1B Suit

    Russia is urging a D.C. federal court to pause litigation filed by one of Ukraine's largest banks to enforce a $1.1 billion arbitral award, pointing to a French court decision questioning the impartiality of one of the arbitrators who co-authored an amicus brief critical of the Kremlin.

  • July 22, 2026

    Insurer Sanctioned For Destroying Opioid Coverage Evidence

    An Illinois federal court Wednesday sanctioned an insurer in a drug wholesaler's suit seeking coverage for underlying opioid litigation, finding that the carrier intentionally destroyed key emails and underwriting records in order to deprive the wholesaler of that information.

  • July 22, 2026

    UFC Wants Pay-Per-View Monopolizing Case Tossed

    Ultimate Fighting Championship is asking the district court in Nevada to toss out a proposed class action filed by fans accusing it of monopolizing the market for pay-per-view mixed martial arts events.

  • July 22, 2026

    Retired Judges Rip Bid To Ban Foreign-Born Federal Judges

    A group of 58 retired federal judges, appointed by presidents of both parties, on Wednesday came out strongly against recent proposals from Republican lawmakers that would require federal judges to be natural-born U.S. citizens and relinquish any citizenship that is not of the United States.

  • July 22, 2026

    Gov't Attys May Face Broader Duty To Report Misconduct

    Attorneys representing the government could face "more demanding" obligations to disclose misconduct by people within their client organizations than attorneys representing private entities, according to an ethics opinion issued Wednesday by the American Bar Association.

  • July 22, 2026

    Co. Turned Away Simpson Thacher's Deal Meeting, Jury Told

    A retired Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP partner who handled the fundraising round alleged to have destroyed Patriot National Inc. testified in a Florida state malpractice trial Wednesday that the insurance services company waved off his attempt to present details to the board.

  • July 22, 2026

    DOL IG Says Info-Sharing Pacts Lacked Safeguards

    U.S. Department of Labor Inspector General Anthony P. D'Esposito testified Wednesday before a U.S. House subcommittee that during the Biden administration, the department shared confidential information with plaintiffs' attorneys without notifying the Wage and Hour Division or the Employee Benefits Security Administration.

  • July 22, 2026

    DLA Piper Says Deception, Not Bias, Cost Palestinian Atty Job

    DLA Piper urged an Illinois federal judge to toss a Palestinian attorney's suit claiming the firm revoked a job offer out of discrimination, arguing it rescinded the offer because she concealed allegations that she assaulted someone at a protest.

  • July 22, 2026

    DC Bar Leaders Say DOJ Ethics Suit Encourages Misconduct

    Washington, D.C., attorney regulators continue to garner support in their effort to toss a Justice Department lawsuit over alleged "weaponizing" of executive branch lawyer discipline, with D.C. bar organizations, scores of legal scholars and more than 500 former DOJ attorneys backing the disciplinary authorities.

  • July 22, 2026

    Holland & Knight Hit With $1.2B Malpractice Suit

    A real estate firm is accusing Holland & Knight LLP and three attorneys of malpractice in a new complaint filed in Florida state court and is seeking up to $1.2 billion in damages after more than 30 states opened investigations into the company's practices.

  • July 21, 2026

    7th Circ. Told To Keep Judge's MAGA Firing Fight In Fed. Court

    A retired judge looking to hold the Illinois Supreme Court liable for canceling his temporary reinstatement over a pro-MAGA opinion column told the Seventh Circuit Monday that his case belongs in federal court, saying he has no unbiased state court forum because his claims "would inevitably reach defendants themselves."

  • July 21, 2026

    Truck Bound By Pact Not To Sue Arbitrator, NY Judge Says

    A New York federal judge refused to remove a "side-switching" arbitrator from a dispute over coverage for millions of dollars' worth of asbestos bodily injury claims, ruling that Truck Insurance Exchange's lawsuit is barred under a "hold harmless" pact it inked with the counterparty, a group of foreign reinsurers.

  • July 21, 2026

    Atty Immunity Should Cut Firm From Fee Suit, Judge Says

    A Texas federal judge has recommended letting California law firm Bartko Pavia out of a lawsuit brought by litigation boutique Williams Simons & Landis PC over alleged unpaid legal fees, saying attorney immunity shields the California firm.

  • July 21, 2026

    Trump Must Produce Trust Records In BBC Defamation Suit

    A Florida federal judge on Tuesday ordered the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust to produce financial records relating to $10 billion of damages allegedly caused by BBC's documentary about the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, saying that Trump's properties and businesses are now issues in the case.

  • July 21, 2026

    Dems Press Skadden On Trump Pro Bono Pact, Intel Deal Work

    A group of Democrats demanded Tuesday that Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP disclose details of its pro bono arrangement with the Trump administration in light of allegations the firm advised both Intel Corp. and the U.S. Department of Commerce when the administration received a 10% company stake.

  • July 21, 2026

    Feds Seek 3 Months For Ex-Girardi Atty's Role In Theft

    A former Girardi Keese attorney who helped disgraced plaintiff's attorney Tom Girardi steal millions of settlement dollars from plane crash clients should serve three months in prison to account for the seriousness of his conduct, federal prosecutors in Chicago say.

  • July 21, 2026

    Pa. Justices Reverse Joint Fee Liability For Custody Atty

    An attorney representing a mother in a contentious child custody dispute does not owe the father and his attorney more than $10,000 in fees, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled Tuesday, finding the Superior Court misapplied a previous opinion.

  • July 21, 2026

    Bronx Public Defenders Set Strike Deadline

    More than 300 unionized workers at legal aid organization The Bronx Defenders are set to walk out on July 27 if they cannot agree on a contract with the legal nonprofit's management, according to a Tuesday announcement.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Teaching Logic Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Teaching middle and high school students the skills to untangle complicated arguments and identify faulty reasoning has made me reacquaint myself with the defined structure of thought, reminding me why logic should remain foundational in the practice of law, says Tom Barrow at Woods Rogers.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Practicing Resilience

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    Resilience is a skill acquired through daily practices that focus on learning from missteps, recovering quickly without internalizing defeat and moving forward with intention, says Nicholas Meza at Quarles & Brady.

  • NYC Bar Opinion Warns Attys On Use Of AI Recording Tools

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    Attorneys who use artificial intelligence tools to record, transcribe and summarize conversations with clients should heed the New York City Bar Association’s recent opinion addressing the legal and ethical risks posed by such tools, and follow several best practices to avoid violating the Rules of Professional Conduct, say attorneys at Smith Gambrell.

  • Series

    The Biz Court Digest: Dispatches From Utah's Newest Court

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    While a robust body of law hasn't yet developed since the Utah Business and Chancery Court's founding in October 2024, the number of cases filed there has recently picked up, and its existence illustrates Utah's desire to be top of mind for businesses across the country, says Evan Strassberg at Michael Best.

  • 4 Quick Emotional Resets For Lawyers With Conflict Fatigue

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    Though the emotional wear and tear of legal work can trap attorneys in conflict fatigue — leaving them unable to shake off tense interactions or return to a calm baseline — simple therapeutic techniques for resetting the nervous system can help break the cycle, says Chantel Cohen at CWC Coaching & Therapy.

  • Series

    Playing Tennis Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    An instinct to turn pain into purpose meant frequent trips to the tennis court, where learning to move ahead one point at a time was a lesson that also applied to the steep learning curve of patent prosecution law, says Daniel Henry at Marshall Gerstein.

  • Series

    Judges On AI: How Judicial Use Informs Guardrails

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    U.S. Magistrate Judge Maritza Dominguez Braswell at the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado discusses why having a sense of how generative AI tools behave, where they add value, where they introduce risk and how they are reshaping the practice of law is key for today's judges.

  • Presidential Pardon Brokering Can Create Risks For Attys

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    The emergence of an apparent “pardon shopping” marketplace, in which attorneys treat presidential pardons as a market product, may invite investigative scrutiny of counsel and potential criminal charges grounded in bribery, wire fraud and other statutes, says David Klasing at The Tax Law Offices of David W. Klasing.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: 5 Tips From Ex-SEC Unit Chief

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    My move to private practice has reaffirmed my belief in the value of adaptability, collaboration and strategic thinking — qualities that are essential not only for successful client outcomes, but also for sustained professional satisfaction, says Dabney O’Riordan at Fried Frank.

  • Prisoners' Access To Health Info Should Have No Bars

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    To safeguard against unnecessary deaths in custody, courts and policymakers should clarify that incarcerated individuals’ constitutional right to medical care also includes access to sufficient information about their medical conditions, lifting current restrictions that can lead to crucial information being withheld, says Jaehyun Oh at Jacob Fuchsberg Law.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: How To Start A Law Firm

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    Launching and sustaining a law firm requires skills most law schools don't teach, but every lawyer should understand a few core principles that can make the leap calculated rather than reckless, says Sam Katz at Athlaw.

  • Series

    Hosting Exchange Students Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Opening my home to foreign exchange students makes me a better lawyer not just because prioritizing visiting high schoolers forces me to hone my organization and time management skills but also because sharing the study-abroad experience with newcomers and locals reconnects me to my community, says Alison Lippa at Nicolaides Fink.

  • How A 1947 Tugboat Ruling May Shape Work Product In AI Era

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    Rapid advances in generative artificial intelligence test work-product principles first articulated in the U.S. Supreme Court’s nearly 80-year-old Hickman v. Taylor decision, as courts and ethics bodies confront whether disclosure of attorneys’ AI prompts and outputs would reveal their thought processes, say Larry Silver and Sasha Burton at Langsam Stevens.

  • Navigating Privilege Law Patchwork In Dual-Purpose Comms

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    Three years after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to resolve a circuit split in In re: Grand Jury, federal courts remain split as to when attorney-client privilege applies to dual-purpose legal and business communications, and understanding the fragmented landscape is essential for managing risks, say attorneys at Covington.

  • Considerations In Building Guardrails For AI Use In Arbitration

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    A recent California federal court case involving allegations of artificial intelligence ghostwriting an arbitration award, prior analogous practice on tribunal delegation, and emerging generative AI recommendations all support building a forward-looking framework for arbitration rules to minimize the risk of AI-based challenges, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

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