Legal Ethics

  • November 12, 2025

    BNP Trial Judge Rejects 'Frivolous' Witness-Coaching Claim

    A Manhattan federal judge on Wednesday forcefully rejected claims that supposed witness coaching tainted a recent trial during which Sudanese refugees won a $20 million bellwether verdict against BNP Paribas for allegedly contributing to former dictator Omar al-Bashir's atrocities.

  • November 12, 2025

    House Looks To Undo Sens.' Ability To Sue Over Phone Info

    House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Wednesday that House Republicans will be introducing stand-alone legislation to repeal a provision tucked into the government funding package the Senate passed Monday that would allow Republican senators investigated by special counsel Jack Smith to sue for damages.

  • November 12, 2025

    Insurer Fights Margolis Edelstein's Bid To Toss Malpractice Case

    An insurance company told a New Jersey state court this week that it should be allowed to proceed with a malpractice suit against Margolis Edelstein because the firm had a duty to represent it in an underlying insurance dispute under state law.

  • November 12, 2025

    Law Firm Drops 'Steamboat Willie' Suit Against Disney

    Morgan & Morgan dropped its suit Wednesday against Disney that asked a Florida federal court to declare that an advertisement the firm planned to run featuring elements from the animated short film "Steamboat Willie" does not infringe Disney's intellectual property because the work entered the public domain last year.

  • November 12, 2025

    Ex-Alaska Judge Disbarred Over Sexual Misconduct Scandal

    Former Alaska federal judge Joshua Kindred has been disbarred by that state's Supreme Court over multiple allegations of sexual misconduct, including that he had inappropriate sexual relationships with several attorneys who appeared before him.

  • November 12, 2025

    Edelson Enters 'Clean' Dismissal In Girardi Atty Case

    Edelson PC has submitted a "clean and unadulterated" dismissal of its conversion case against two former attorneys from the now-defunct law firm Girardi Keese after an Illinois federal judge took issue with a previous version of the stipulation.

  • November 12, 2025

    Ex-NJ Judge Denied Benefits For Aiding Fugitive Boyfriend

    A New Jersey state appeals panel on Wednesday rejected a request for disability benefits from a former state trial court judge who was disciplined for harboring her then-fugitive boyfriend in a 2013 incident.

  • November 10, 2025

    Law360 MVP Awards Go To Top Attorneys From 76 Firms

    The attorneys chosen as Law360's 2025 MVPs have distinguished themselves from their peers by securing significant achievements in high-stakes litigation, complex global matters and record-breaking deals.

  • November 10, 2025

    Fitch Even, Ex-Client Settle $1.2M Fee Fight

    An Illinois federal judge suspended all briefing deadlines Monday in Fitch Even Tabin & Flannery LLP's $1.2 million fee dispute with a former client and a litigation funder's CEO, following the parties' signal that they've resolved their legal issues in principle.

  • November 10, 2025

    Senate Committee To Investigate Impeachment Of Judges

    The Senate Judiciary Committee will have a hearing next week to consider impeachment of "rogue" federal judges, according to an announcement on Monday.

  • November 10, 2025

    Tyson's $85M Deal Gets Initial OK In Pork Price-Fixing Case

    A Minnesota federal judge has granted preliminary approval for an $85 million settlement resolving consumers' claims against Tyson Foods Inc. in antitrust litigation that accused pork producers of conspiring with a benchmarking company to inflate pork prices by limiting supply in the U.S. market.

  • November 10, 2025

    'Legal Fiction' May Doom Rastafarian's Haircut Suit

    The U.S. Supreme Court appeared to doubt Monday that a Rastafarian could hold Louisiana prison guards personally responsible for allegedly violating his religious rights when they forcibly shaved off his dreadlocks, with the justices splitting ideologically over whether a federal law gave the guards enough warning about their potential liability. 

  • November 10, 2025

    Judge To Review Grand Jury Materials In Comey Indictment

    A Virginia federal judge said he would review grand jury materials in camera to see if any privileged information was used to secure the indictment of ex-FBI Director James Comey on charges of lying to Congress.

  • November 10, 2025

    Ex-Judges, US Attys Urge Axing 'Political' Indictment Of NY AG

    A bipartisan group of former federal judges and U.S. attorneys on Monday threw their weight behind New York Attorney General Letitia James' bid to dismiss the indictment accusing her of mortgage fraud, rebuking the appointment of interim U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan and slamming the prosecution's apparent political motivations.

  • November 10, 2025

    Judge Ends Stay In Modoc Nation's $14.6M Fraud Lawsuit

    An Oklahoma federal judge has lifted a pause in the Modoc Nation's $14.6 million lawsuit against a computer management company after the Tenth Circuit determined the tribe's former attorney general isn't entitled to sovereign immunity in the dispute.

  • November 10, 2025

    Mich. Judge Skips Ethics Hearing After Resignation Attempt

    A Michigan state judge facing accusations of badmouthing his district's chief judge as well as other misconduct on Monday did not show for a hearing on the allegations, leading the special master overseeing the case to rule against the embattled judge, who last week said he was retiring from his post.

  • November 10, 2025

    Holtec Defends Suit Over Alleged Scheme Involving Ex-GC

    Energy technology company Holtec International urged a New Jersey state court to reject motions to dismiss a lawsuit accusing its former general counsel and others of taking part in an embezzlement scheme, calling their efforts "misguided attempts" to attack its complaint.

  • November 10, 2025

    Ex-Mass. Judge Joins Todd & Weld After Fiery Resignation

    A Massachusetts federal judge said Tuesday he would join Boston boutique litigation firm Todd & Weld LLP after resigning from the bench and penning a public letter saying that he could no longer "bear to be restrained" from speaking out against the Trump administration.

  • November 10, 2025

    McCarter & English Estate Suit Paused Amid 'Duplicative' Case

    A Connecticut state judge has declined to dismiss a lawsuit accusing McCarter & English LLP and a now-deceased attorney of mismanaging a mall developer's estate, which the firm argued is a duplicate of another pending action, but instead paused it while the first suit proceeds to a judgment.

  • November 10, 2025

    Trump Pardons Giuliani, Others Accused Of Election Crimes

    President Donald Trump has reportedly pardoned scores of lawyers accused of attempting to interfere in the 2020 election, including Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman and Sidney Powell, according to a social media post created by the president's pardon attorney, Ed Martin.

  • November 07, 2025

    Up Next At High Court: Religious Rights & Gov't Contracts

    The U.S. Supreme Court will return Monday for a short week of arguments, in which the justices will consider whether state and local government officials can be held personally liable for alleged religious rights violations, and whether government contractors are entitled to immediately appeal denials of derivative sovereign immunity.

  • November 07, 2025

    Letitia James Rips 'Unconstitutional Vindictive' Indictment

    New York Attorney General Letitia James has asked a Virginia federal court to dismiss the indictment accusing her of mortgage fraud, slamming the federal charges as "unconstitutional vindictive and selective prosecution" ordered by Donald Trump in response to her successful civil litigation against the president and her outspoken criticism of him.

  • November 07, 2025

    'It's A War, Man': Trump's Deputy AG Unloads On Judges, Bars

    The U.S. Department of Justice is in "a war" with federal judges who are "not following the law," and it is separately formulating plans to block "activist, obnoxious" bar associations from assessing ethics complaints against government lawyers, a top DOJ official said Friday.

  • November 07, 2025

    Smoke Shop Sanctioned Tossing Sale Docs In NY Tribal Row

    After destroying sales records daily over the course of three years, the retailers accused by the Cayuga Nation of running an unauthorized cannabis shop will face sanctions, a New York federal judge ruled, calling their behavior "grossly negligent and likely willful."

  • November 07, 2025

    Ex-Polsinelli Atty Agrees To Dismiss Sexual Harassment Case

    A former Polsinelli PC equity shareholder agreed to drop her suit alleging two former partners sexually harassed her, and she was fired after reporting it, according to a notice filed Friday in Washington, D.C., federal court.

Expert Analysis

  • The Metamorphosis Of The Major Questions Doctrine

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    The so-called major questions doctrine arose as a counterweight to Chevron deference over the past few decades, but invocations of the doctrine have persisted in the year since Chevron was overturned, suggesting it still has a role to play in reining in agency overreach, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • Series

    Playing Mah-Jongg Makes Me A Better Mediator

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    Mah-jongg rewards patience, pattern recognition, adaptability and keen observation, all skills that are invaluable to my role as a mediator, and to all mediating parties, says Marina Corodemus.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Navigating Client Trauma

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    Law schools don't train students to handle repeated exposure to clients' traumatic experiences, but for litigators practicing in areas like civil rights and personal injury, success depends on the ability to view cases clinically and to recognize when you may need to seek help, says Katie Bennett at Robins Kaplan.

  • Opinion

    4 Former Justices Would Likely Frown On Litigation Funding

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    As courts increasingly confront cases involving hidden litigation finance contracts, the jurisprudence of four former U.S. Supreme Court justices establishes a constitutional framework that risks erosion by undisclosed financial interests, says Roland Eisenhuth at the American Property Casualty Insurance Association.

  • How Attys Can Use AI To Surface Narratives In E-Discovery

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    E-discovery has reached a turning point where document review is no longer just about procedural tasks like identifying relevance and redacting privilege — rather, generative artificial intelligence tools now allow attorneys to draw connections, extract meaning and tell a coherent story, says Rose Jones at Hilgers Graben.

  • Opinion

    State Bars Must Probe Misconduct Claims, Even If It's The AG

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    The Florida Bar’s recent refusal to look into misconduct allegations against Attorney General Pam Bondi is dangerous for the rule of law, and other lawyer disciplinary bodies must be prepared to investigate credible claims of ethical lapses against any lawyer, no matter their position, say attorneys James Kobak and Albert Feuer.

  • Series

    Playing The Violin Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Playing violin in a string quartet reminds me that flexibility, ambition, strong listening skills, thoughtful leadership and intentional collaboration are all keys to a successful legal practice, says Julie Park at MoFo.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Practicing Self-Care

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    Law schools don’t teach the mental, physical and emotional health maintenance tools necessary to deal with the profession's many demands, but practicing self-care is an important key to success that can help to improve focus, manage stress and reduce burnout, says Rachel Leonard​​​​​​​ at MG+M.

  • ABA Opinion Makes It A Bit Easier To Drop A 'Hot Potato'

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    The American Bar Association's recent ethics opinion clarifies when attorneys may terminate clients without good cause, though courts may still disqualify a lawyer who drops a client like a hot potato, so sending a closeout letter is always a best practice, say attorneys at Thompson Hine.

  • Series

    My Opera And Baseball Careers Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    Though participating in opera and the world of professional baseball often pulls me away from the office, my avocations improve my legal career by helping me perform under scrutiny, prioritize team success, and maintain joy and perspective at work, says Adam Unger at Herrick Feinstein.

  • 8 Ways Lawyers Can Protect The Rule Of Law In Their Work

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    Whether they are concerned with judicial independence, regulatory predictability or client confidence, lawyers can take specific meaningful actions on their own when traditional structures are too slow or too compromised to respond, says Angeli Patel at the Berkeley Center of Law and Business.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Communicating With Clients

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    Law school curricula often overlook client communication procedures, and those who actively teach this crucial facet of the practice can create exceptional client satisfaction and success, says Patrick Hanson at Wiggam Law.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From US Rep. To Boutique Firm

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    My transition from serving as a member of Congress to becoming a partner at a boutique firm has been remarkably smooth, in part because I never stopped exercising my legal muscles, maintained relationships with my former colleagues and set the right tone at the outset, says Mondaire Jones at Friedman Kaplan.

  • Opinion

    Senate's 41% Litigation Finance Tax Would Hurt Legal System

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    The Senate’s latest version of the Big Beautiful Bill Act would impose a 41% tax on the litigation finance industry, but the tax is totally disconnected from the concerns it purports to address, and it would set the country back to a time when small plaintiffs had little recourse against big defendants, says Anthony Sebok at Cardozo School of Law.

  • Series

    Performing As A Clown Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    To say that being a clown in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has changed my legal career would truly be an understatement — by creating an opening to converse on a unique topic, it has allowed me to connect with clients, counsel and even judges on a deeper level, says Charles Tatelbaum at Tripp Scott.

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