Legal Ethics

  • August 07, 2025

    Depo Row Yields Cross Sanctions Bids In Ala. Civil Rights Suit

    Paper goods company Kimberly-Clark and a former employee are pointing fingers at each other in Mobile, Alabama, federal court over a reportedly failed deposition amid the ex-employee's discrimination suit, with each side requesting discovery sanctions over the other's "bad faith" behavior.

  • August 07, 2025

    NC Biz Court Bulletin: Divorce Dust-Ups And Judicial Rebukes

    Litigation in the North Carolina Business Court is heating up this summer with new complaints centered on fears a former state politician's divorce proceedings will impede his companies' operations and accusations that a climate technology company has failed to pay out a former engineer's ownership interest.

  • August 07, 2025

    State Data Breach Action Against Conn. Firm Dropped

    A Connecticut Superior Court judge on Tuesday ordered the withdrawal of a state class action filed by a former Brown Paindiris & Scott LLP client against the 26-attorney firm, as ongoing parallel federal actions alleging a data breach at the firm continue.

  • August 07, 2025

    Kratom Buyers Take Addictiveness Suit To 9th Circ.

    A proposed class of kratom buyers is appealing to the Ninth Circuit after their claims that Thang Botanicals and FTLS Holdings LLC misled them about the addictive qualities of kratom products were dismissed with prejudice.

  • August 06, 2025

    Baker Botts Atty Seeks To Trim Patent Exec's Defamation Suit

    A Baker Botts LLP intellectual property litigator has urged a Florida federal judge to trim a patent licensing company executive's lawsuit alleging she made defamatory statements about him in news articles, saying some of the claims come too late, and others don't have a basis in facts.

  • August 06, 2025

    Judge Says No New Trial In Fleet Monitoring Patent Fight

    A California federal judge said Tuesday there is no basis for a new trial after a jury in April cleared Motive Technologies of allegations that it infringed a series of fleet monitoring patents, but ruled that claims in two of the patents were ineligible for patent protection to begin with.

  • August 06, 2025

    Reed Smith Faces DQ Bid In Venezuelan Airline Dispute

    A group of shareholders who say they own half of Venezuela's Avior Airlines have asked a Florida federal court to disqualify Reed Smith LLP from representing the airline and a feuding shareholder, claiming that the engagement of the law firm was not approved by a majority of the shareholders as required by the company's bylaws.

  • August 06, 2025

    WilmerHale Beats Fired Associate's Racial Bias Claims

    A Manhattan judge Wednesday threw out a former WilmerHale senior associate's lawsuit alleging he was unfairly evaluated and eventually fired because he is Black, finding that the complaint doesn't plausibly allege discriminatory comments were made about his race or that employees of other races were treated better.

  • August 06, 2025

    Valve Won't Pay $21M Arb. Fee In Antitrust Fight, Gamers Say

    About 15,000 users of Steam, one of the largest online sellers of video games, have accused the platform's operator, Valve, in a new proposed class action in Washington federal court of refusing to pay its nearly $21 million share in arbitration fees stemming from a series of individual antitrust disputes, in which consumers alleged the company inflated the price it charged for games.

  • August 06, 2025

    Colo. Judicial Discipline Rules Updated After Ballot Measure

    Nine months after Colorado voters overwhelmingly voted to overhaul the state's judicial discipline system, a newly formed rulemaking committee has announced interim amendments to its judicial discipline rules, opening a public comment period for Coloradans to weigh in on proposed changes.

  • August 06, 2025

    Louisiana Doctor's Suit Against Porzio Bromberg Sent To NJ

    A New Orleans federal judge approved a joint motion to transfer a legal malpractice case involving a Louisiana-based doctor and Porzio Bromberg & Newman PC to New Jersey federal court.

  • August 06, 2025

    NY US Atty Faces Watchdog's Ethics Suit After Altercation

    Legal ethics watchdog Campaign for Accountability on Wednesday called for an ethics probe of acting U.S. Attorney John Sarcone III of the Northern District of New York, alleging that he made a number of deceptive claims arising from a June altercation.

  • August 06, 2025

    Texas Immigration Firm Says Rival Falsely Accused It Of Fraud

    A Houston immigration firm has accused a rival of falsely claiming that it encouraged clients to lie on their applications for legal status.

  • August 06, 2025

    Paramount Wants Docs In 'Top Gun: Maverick' Copyright Case

    A "Top Gun: Maverick" screenwriter's cousin who is pursuing copyright infringement claims against Paramount should have to turn over communications he and his lawyer exchanged with the Writers Guild of America, the studio told a New York federal judge on Tuesday, arguing the documents are relevant and aren't shielded by privilege.

  • August 06, 2025

    Family Says Court Must Face Bias Suit Over Witness Killing

    The father of a pregnant woman from Las Vegas who was fatally shot after traveling to Asheville to testify in a capital murder case urged the North Carolina Court of Appeals to restore his case against the state's court administrative office, arguing it was not time-barred.

  • August 06, 2025

    Honduran Woman 'Cruelly' Separated From Family Wins Relief

    A Manhattan federal judge on Wednesday extended an order preventing the Trump administration from removing a Honduran woman who was "abruptly and cruelly" arrested during a check-in with New York City immigration officials and moved to a Texas detention center.

  • August 06, 2025

    LA Seeks To Nix Attys In Ex-Cop's Military Leave Bias Suit

    Attorneys for a former Los Angeles Police Department lieutenant improperly obtained and tried to use a privileged email between a city attorney and a current LAPD lieutenant in a military bias suit, the city said, urging a California federal court to disqualify them from the case.

  • August 05, 2025

    Judge Mulls Sanctioning Hagens Berman In Thalidomide Suits

    The Pennsylvania federal judge presiding over dozens of product liability actions against manufacturers of the morning sickness drug thalidomide Tuesday ordered Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP to explain why it shouldn't be sanctioned for allegedly conducting "grossly inadequate" pre-suit inquiries, obstructing discovery and doctoring evidence.

  • August 05, 2025

    OptumRx Urges Panel To DQ Motley Rice In LA Opioid Suit

    OptumRx told a California appellate panel Tuesday that Motley Rice should be disqualified from representing Los Angeles County in a lawsuit alleging it colluded with drugmakers to fuel the opioid crisis, saying the firm violated state law by using confidential information obtained in the case in other lawsuits it's handling against Optum.

  • August 05, 2025

    Cannabis Co. Can't Blame Defaults On Neglectful Attorney

    A defunct Los Angeles dispensary and its operators cannot undo default entries issued against them by investors who seek more than $325,000, a California state judge has ruled, rejecting the company's attempt to pin the loss on their attorney who "lost track" of the case.

  • August 05, 2025

    Lead Kicked From Pharma Investor Case Over Rogue Emails

    The lead plaintiff in a securities class action against Spectrum Pharmaceuticals in Manhattan federal court was removed from the case Tuesday when a federal judge found he broke confidentiality rules by going behind his lawyers' backs in an attempt to push his own settlement plan and fixating on unrelated conspiracy theories.

  • August 05, 2025

    Ex-Patent Examiner Fights USPTO Exclusion At High Court

    A former U.S. Patent and Trademark Office examiner wants the U.S. Supreme Court to review his exclusion from practicing before the agency, saying the justices should look at issues relating to a suspension he received and also federal civil rights protections.

  • August 05, 2025

    Stone Hilton Rips Claims As 'Slinging Mud' For Prosecutor

    Stone Hilton PLLC pushed Tuesday to strike certain claims from a former aide's sexual harassment lawsuit, arguing that they were made against the firm — founded by former top prosecutors in the Texas attorney general's office — as a means of "slinging mud" on behalf of Attorney General Ken Paxton's second-in-command.

  • August 05, 2025

    Blake Lively Wants Baldoni's Atty Sanctioned For Comments

    Actress Blake Lively has asked a Manhattan federal judge to sanction the attorney representing "It Ends With Us" co-star Justin Baldoni in her ongoing defamation case, alleging the lawyer repeatedly defied a February court order blocking extrajudicial statements likely to prejudice the case.

  • August 05, 2025

    Law Profs Urge 11th Circ. To Toss Judge-Shopping Sanctions

    A group of seven law school professors is urging the Eleventh Circuit to toss a sanctions ruling against three attorneys for judge shopping, arguing that federal law does not forbid the practice and citing the "potentially chilling effect the order will have on counsel, especially those involved in pro bono representation."

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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