Try our Advanced Search for more refined results
Legal Ethics
-
September 09, 2024
Mass. High Court Hints At Notice Rule To Open Clerk Hearings
Justices of Massachusetts' highest court on Monday appeared to signal that 28 men accused of patronizing high-end brothels catering to attorneys, political figures and other high-profile clients should have been given a chance to oppose a request by news organizations to open what are normally closed-door hearings.
-
September 09, 2024
Dems To Bring Back Judiciary Accountability Bill
In the coming weeks, Democrats in the House and Senate will be reintroducing a bill that they say will better protect the approximately 30,000 federal judiciary employees from discrimination and sexual harassment, two lawmakers said on Monday.
-
September 09, 2024
DC Circ. Revives Legal Malpractice Suit Over Terrorism Case
The D.C. Circuit has revived legal malpractice claims brought by the family of a bombing victim who was killed in Jerusalem in 1997 by Hamas militants, after the family claimed their counsel's slow progress deprived them of a chance at a larger recovery in a mass disbursement of Iranian assets to terrorism victims.
-
September 09, 2024
Conn. Atty Defaults In Real Estate Client's Overcharge Suit
A Connecticut Superior Court clerk has entered a default judgment against a law firm accused of botching a real estate transaction, leaving the firm's namesake attorney to face allegations that he distributed home sale proceeds to unknown people and wrote a bad check to the true beneficiary of a trust.
-
September 09, 2024
Zeta MDL Judge Limits Talk Of Arnold & Itkin Billing 'Scheme'
A Harris County judge said on Monday she would limit what questions a drilling rig owner could ask witnesses about where they received medical care during an upcoming trial amid allegations that attorneys for seamen injured while on the ship during Hurricane Zeta engaged in a scheme to inflate medical bills.
-
September 09, 2024
No Re-Do In Ex-Defender's Sex Bias Case Against Judiciary
A Massachusetts federal judge declined on Monday to reconsider his ruling that the federal judiciary did not violate the rights of a former North Carolina public defender because the attorney had not adequately put her office on notice of her sexual harassment claims.
-
September 09, 2024
Kramer Levin Beats NJ Malpractice Suit From RE Developer
Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP has defeated a malpractice suit from a real estate developer who claimed it represented both the developer and a firm partner's son — who was an employee of the developer — at the same time, according to a New Jersey state appellate decision issued Monday.
-
September 09, 2024
Judge Settles Suit Over Atty Blackmailing Her With Nude Pics
A Florida state court judge on Monday settled her lawsuit alleging an attorney blackmailed her with nude photos of herself, just weeks before a trial in the case was supposed to begin.
-
September 09, 2024
Judge Rejects Ex-Law Prof's Recusal Bid In Retaliation Suit
A Florida federal judge has declined to step away from a retaliation and breach of contract suit brought by a former law professor at Florida A&M University, noting "even if" the professor were correct in asserting the judge had been critical of her, such critiques do not necessitate recusal.
-
September 06, 2024
Covington Owes $100M For Malpractice, Ex-Client Claims
A blockchain entrepreneur and attorney is seeking at least $100 million from Covington, claiming in a legal malpractice suit filed Friday in New York state court that he could have avoided years of fighting a federal extortion case if firm partners hadn't advised against handing prosecutors "clearly exculpatory evidence."
-
September 06, 2024
DC Circ. Considers Age Of Ex-Trump Aide's Surveillance Claims
Even after more than an hour of argument, the D.C. Circuit didn't seem convinced Friday that ex-Trump 2016 campaign adviser Carter Page timely accused the Justice Department, the FBI and several individuals of various violations tied to their surveillance of him as they probed Russian election interference.
-
September 06, 2024
7th Circ. Skeptical Of Bid To Revive Fraud Claims Against Firm
The Seventh Circuit seemed inclined Friday not to disturb lower court rulings that sank a litigation funder's fraud and damages claims against a law firm that abruptly dropped the business to represent a former employee who left to open a competing venture.
-
September 06, 2024
Ex-CEO Of Defunct Solar Co. Seeks Sanctions In Fraud Suit
The former CEO of a bankrupt solar energy firm filed a motion for sanctions Friday in Michigan federal court, alleging the plaintiffs' counsel misrepresented the ex-CEO's inability to produce information during a discovery meeting regarding claims he defrauded customers by selling faulty solar systems.
-
September 06, 2024
Justice Alito Reports Concert Tickets From Catholic Activist
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito accepted $900 concert tickets from a German princess and Catholic activist in 2023, but otherwise received no free trips or other gifts, according to his annual financial disclosure, which was made public Friday.
-
September 06, 2024
Pa. Borough Says Insurer, Atty Wrongfully Settled Feud
A Pennsylvania borough accused its insurer-retained counsel of committing legal malpractice by consummating a settlement acting against its wishes in an underlying "baseless" lawsuit brought by a borough council member, telling a state court that the attorney acted in the insurer's best interest.
-
September 06, 2024
SEC Accuses Fla. Men Of Mass Tort Litigation Financing Fraud
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday accused a father and son from Florida of running a fraudulent litigation funding scheme by promising investors returns from financing mass tort litigation they were not actually funding.
-
September 06, 2024
Atty Loses Bid To Revive NJ Malpratice Suit Against 2 Firms
A New Jersey state appeals court on Friday upheld the dismissal of an attorney's common law fraud and negligence claims against two law firms for allegedly misrepresenting a debt he owed.
-
September 06, 2024
Jones Foster Notches Fees Win After Beating Malpractice Suit
Jones Foster PA won on a counterclaim for over $100,000 in unpaid legal fees against a pair of former clients this week in Florida federal court, shortly after defeating those clients' malpractice suit last month.
-
September 06, 2024
NJ Atty Censured Over 'Protracted Conflict Of Interest'
A New Jersey attorney has been censured in connection with his representation in an action over environmental contamination of a real estate property.
-
September 06, 2024
Trump Sentencing Pushed Back Until After Election
The New York judge overseeing Donald Trump's hush money case said Friday he will not sentence the former president before Election Day, pushing the hearing date from Sept. 18 to Nov. 26 in an effort to avoid the appearance of political considerations.
-
September 06, 2024
Indicted Power Broker, Atty Brother Hit With Civil RICO Suit
Philadelphia developer Carl Dranoff has accused the indicted brothers George E. Norcross III, a New Jersey power broker, and Parker McCay CEO Philip A. Norcross of causing him and his company millions of dollars in damages by intimidating and extorting him out of his property development rights in the city of Camden, New Jersey.
-
September 06, 2024
Judge Newman's Suspension Extended For Another Year
Federal Circuit Judge Pauline Newman was barred Friday from hearing cases for at least another year due to her refusal to participate in an investigation into her health, with the appeals court's other judges deciding unanimously to extend a suspension that began last year.
-
September 05, 2024
Panel Finds Colo. Attys Can't Poach From Current Employers
A Colorado Court of Appeals panel on Thursday upheld a $4,000 verdict and $1.2 million in fee awards against an attorney who violated an employment contract when she tried to lure colleagues away from a prominent regional personal injury firm, finding the firm's contract was valid and enforceable.
-
September 05, 2024
DA Pans Trump Maneuvering On Hush Money Case Removal
Attorneys in the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg told the Second Circuit in a letter Thursday that Donald Trump is mischaracterizing a federal judge's recent order to further his baseless bid to move his hush money case to U.S. district court.
-
September 05, 2024
Colo. Election Denier Hit With $1K-A-Day Contempt Fine
A Colorado federal judge held a prominent 2020 election denier in contempt Wednesday for refusing to answer key questions during a deposition in a defamation suit brought by a former Dominion Voting Systems executive and then walking out in defiance, hitting the conspiracy theorist with a $1,000-per-day fine until he coughs up requested information.
Expert Analysis
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Opinion
NY Should Pass Litigation Funding Bill To Protect Plaintiffs
New York state should embrace the regulatory framework proposed in the Consumer Litigation Funding Act, which would suppress the unregulated predatory lenders that currently prey on vulnerable litigants but preserve a funding option that helps personal injury plaintiffs stand up to deep-pocketed corporate defendants, says Alan Ripka at Alan Ripka & Associates.
-
Series
Playing Music Makes Me A Better Lawyer
My deep and passionate involvement in playing, writing and producing music equipped me with skills — like creativity, improvisation and problem-solving — that contribute to the success of my legal career, says attorney Kenneth Greene.
-
How Attys Can Avoid Pitfalls When Withdrawing From A Case
The Trump campaign's recent scuffle over its bid to replace its counsel in a pregnancy retaliation suit offers a chance to remind attorneys that many troubles inherent in withdrawing from a case can be mitigated or entirely avoided by communicating with clients openly and frequently, says Christopher Konneker at Orsinger Nelson.
-
High Court Injunction Case Could Shake Up Fee-Shifting Rules
In agreeing to review a Virginia case rendered statutorily moot before final judgment, the U.S. Supreme Court could finally settle the question of if — and when — a preliminary injunction can win attorney fees for a prevailing party, but all possible answers could disrupt fee-shifting schemes written into major laws, says Laurens Wilkes at Winston & Strawn.
-
Using A Children's Book Approach In Firm Marketing Content
From “The Giving Tree” to “Where the Wild Things Are,” most children’s books are easy to remember because they use simple words and numbers to tell stories with a human impact — a formula law firms should emulate in their marketing content to stay front of mind for potential clients, says Seema Desai Maglio at The Found Word.
-
Series
Being An EMT Makes Me A Better Lawyer
While some of my experiences as an emergency medical technician have been unusually painful and searing, the skills I’ve learned — such as triage, empathy and preparedness — are just as useful in my work as a restructuring lawyer, says Marshall Huebner at Davis Polk.
-
Exploring An Alternative Model Of Litigation Finance
A new model of litigation finance, most aptly described as insurance-backed litigation funding, differs from traditional funding in two key ways, and the process of securing it involves three primary steps, say Bob Koneck, Christopher Le Neve Foster and Richard Butters at Atlantic Global Risk LLC.