Legal Ethics

  • June 29, 2026

    Calif. Firm Can't Arbitrate Ex-Clients' Sex-Abuse Deal Claims

    A California appellate court Monday said McGrath Kavinoky LLP can't arbitrate allegations it "bullied" two women into accepting a $374 million settlement for hundreds of clients claiming sexual abuse by a UCLA Health gynecologist, saying the firm's failure to obtain consent to the foreseeable conflicts made its engagement agreements unenforceable.

  • June 29, 2026

    Ore. Top Court Takes PacifiCorp Case As Judge Won't Recuse

    The Oregon Supreme Court has agreed to hear an appeal of a decision overturning PacifiCorp's classwide liability for wildfire damages affecting about 2,000 property owners, days after an appeals judge who did work for the utility in private practice declined to recuse herself.

  • June 29, 2026

    McCarter & English Missed Key Docs In $20M Loans, Court Told

    A McCarter & English LLP attorney botched two multimillion-dollar loan deals by failing to secure an ironclad repayment obligation from a New York town or include mandatory documents in the closing packages, a Connecticut state court heard Monday as a long-awaited malpractice trial got underway.

  • June 29, 2026

    $100M RICO Suit Is 'Classic' Sanctionable Activity, Attys Say

    A California business owner pursuing racketeering claims against his former business partner and a handful of lawyers and business entities should be sanctioned for bringing a frivolous suit with no standing and no legal basis, several of the defendants have told a San Diego federal judge.

  • June 29, 2026

    High Court Blocks Roy Moore's Bid To Preserve $8.2M Win

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected an emergency stay request from former Alabama Supreme Court justice Roy Moore, shooting down his attempt to save an $8.2 million defamation verdict he was awarded for his claims that a Democratic PAC ad suggested he solicited a minor for sex.

  • June 29, 2026

    Judge Limits Vegas Trip For BigLaw Insider Trading Defendant

    A Massachusetts federal magistrate judge said Monday a defendant described by prosecutors as a "lynchpin" in the BigLaw insider trading case must limit a planned visit to Las Vegas next month to just two nights, saying she also has "concerns about the validity" of a financial statement he provided to obtain a federal defender.

  • June 29, 2026

    Lawyers, Funder In Hot Seat Over Nixed $15B Malaysia Award

    Units of Malaysia's state-owned energy company have initiated litigation in New York seeking permission to subpoena former employees of Therium in support of ongoing litigation in Jersey against the third-party funder and lawyers who helped to secure a since-vacated $14.9 billion arbitral award against Kuala Lumpur.

  • June 29, 2026

    Former NJ AG Pushes To End Suit Over Tossed RICO Case

    Former New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin asserts that a lawsuit from a former CEO indicted in New Jersey's now-dismissed criminal racketeering case against South Jersey power broker George E. Norcross III squarely implicates the protections afforded to prosecutors.

  • June 29, 2026

    Fish & Richardson Faces DQ Bid In Texas Patent Suit

    A company that accused LVMH of infringing its nonfungible tokens display technology patents says Fish & Richardson PC should be blocked from representing the luxury goods giant because the firm met with the patent owner in the past.

  • June 29, 2026

    Justice Jackson Tops High Court Book Earnings In 2025

    U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson made nearly $1.2 million in book royalties last year, bringing her total to $4.14 million and making her the most highly compensated author on the high court, according to financial disclosure forms released Monday.

  • June 29, 2026

    Ex-Pa. AG, Trump Defense Firm Want Malpractice Claims Axed

    An elections nonprofit is seeking to keep alive its malpractice claim against the former acting attorney general of Pennsylvania and his firm, van der Veen Hartshorn & Levin, filing a quick response over the weekend to a motion to dismiss its amended complaint in Pennsylvania federal court.

  • June 29, 2026

    Embattled Ga. Judge Faces Growing Wave Of Recusal Motions

    A Georgia federal judge who recused herself this month from presiding over the U.S. Department of Justice's election records dispute with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is facing the fallout of being reprimanded as multiple parties ask that she be disqualified from presiding over their matters.

  • June 29, 2026

    Tax Attys Cite Justices' Venue Ruling In Seeking 4th Circ. Redo

    A father-daughter attorney duo is asking the full Fourth Circuit to rethink their convictions in a $22 million tax avoidance scheme, arguing a U.S. Supreme Court decision that came down just two days after a panel affirmed their guilty verdicts supports their argument that prosecutors pursued charges in the wrong state.

  • June 29, 2026

    DC Ethics Counsel Conflicted In Ethics Case, DOJ Atty Says

    A former interim U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C., is urging the D.C. federal court to disqualify the District of Columbia ethics counsel from pursuing an ethics case against him, arguing that the attorney and another lawyer from his office are conflicted and that their impartiality is in question.

  • June 29, 2026

    Texas Supreme Court Weighs New Rules To Tackle AI Misuse

    The Texas Supreme Court has proposed rule changes intended to address the misuse of artificial intelligence, including outlining possible sanctions and requiring signatories to attest to a filing's accuracy, just as a recent state bar survey showed AI use among Lone Star State lawyers more than doubling since 2024.

  • June 29, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Says Vet's Atty Can't Get Fees Over New Hip Claim

    The Federal Circuit has rejected an attorney's bid to secure attorney fees following her client's long-running quest for disability benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, finding that a separate case commenced following his February 2021 hip surgery.

  • June 29, 2026

    Law Firm Must Face Lowenstein Sandler's Malpractice Suit

    A New Jersey state appellate panel gave Lowenstein Sandler LLP the green light to pursue a $750,000 malpractice suit against law firm Trif & Modugno LLC in a ruling Monday that Lowenstein Sandler did not miss the deadline to file a required affidavit.

  • June 29, 2026

    Fla. Justices Want Judge To Be Fined Over Political Donations

    Florida's highest court has rejected a proposed public reprimand for a state court judge who donated nearly $30,000 through more than 900 total contributions to political organizations, finding the judge should also have to pay a fine.

  • June 29, 2026

    High Court Rejects Dershowitz's Appeal To Revive CNN Suit

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined Harvard Law School professor emeritus Alan Dershowitz's invitation to revisit its seminal 1964 ruling in New York Times v. Sullivan, rejecting Dershowitz's petition to revive his $300 million defamation suit against CNN.

  • June 29, 2026

    Supreme Court Shuts Down 4 Patent Cases

    The U.S. Supreme Court turned down four petitions over patent law Monday, meaning it won't review questions related to prosecution laches, jury verdicts, patent eligibility and marking.

  • June 26, 2026

    NY Court Faults 'Woebegone' $71M Tupi Award Challenge

    A New York federal judge has enforced a $71 million arbitral award issued to a Petrobras-managed Dutch consortium in a long-running offshore oil dispute, in a case that she said "proves" that parties that eschew litigation in favor of arbitration "are making a huge mistake."

  • June 26, 2026

    'Millennial VC' Says Atty Failure Warrants New Fraud Trial

    A venture capitalist dubbed the "Millennial VC" asked a California federal judge for a new trial on charges he misappropriated $19 million, saying his trial counsel failed him by not considering hiring a forensic accountant to rebut a key government expert regarding the money trails that supposedly enabled wanton misspending.

  • June 26, 2026

    Elite Schools Must Face Aid-Fixing Trial First, Appeal Later

    Cornell University and certain other elite schools defending against students' accusations that they illegally conspired to fix their financial aid offerings will not be able to challenge an order sending those claims to trial before a jury resolves them first, an Illinois federal judge has ruled.

  • June 26, 2026

    PACER Fees Will Rise To Fund Cyber Defense Upgrades

    The federal judiciary announced Friday it will temporarily increase the fees for electronic access to court records to pay for a potential $800 million upgrade that will modernize and strengthen court records systems PACER and CM/ECF, an upgrade it previously said is needed to respond to escalating cyberattacks.

  • June 26, 2026

    Wash. County Judge Admonished For Post-Recusal Orders

    The Washington State Commission on Judicial Conduct has admonished a Spokane County district court judge for walking back orders in a probation case after recusing herself in response to defense counsel's concerns that she had previously represented the defendant as an attorney, according to a Friday stipulation.

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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