Legal Ethics

  • August 10, 2026

    Opioid Victims Say Firm Kept Too Much Of Purdue Payouts

    A Baltimore woman is accusing a California-based attorney and her firm of illegally withholding thousands of dollars from opioid victims' Purdue Pharma settlement payments in a new class action filed Sunday in Maryland federal court.

  • August 10, 2026

    Tax Man Who Shaved Insurance Crook's Income Gets 2 Years

    A Manhattan federal judge has sentenced a preparer of fraudulent tax returns to two years in prison after prosecutors said his cooperation against a client who operated a bribery-fueled insurance scam was marred by confusing proffers and altered records.

  • August 10, 2026

    No Evidence Of Bias In Dulles Bid Protest, Judge Says

    A California company that wants to build a private luxury terminal at Washington Dulles International Airport has failed to convince a federal court to block the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority from giving the deal to another company.

  • August 10, 2026

    NYC Says Action Over Cop Misconduct Was Filed Too Late

    New York City is seeking the dismissal of a proposed class action alleging malicious prosecution, telling a federal judge that the statute of limitations has run out to claim the state used fabricated evidence from a now-fired NYPD officer to convict the lead plaintiff.

  • August 10, 2026

    Conn. Justices Order New Murder Trial Over Cell Data Flub

    The Connecticut Supreme Court on Monday said a lower court was correct to vacate a felony murder conviction based on a defense lawyer's failure to question a police expert about an animation that purported to pinpoint a defendant's cellphone movements based on tower location data.

  • August 10, 2026

    Google Is 'Last Bastion' Of Reviewers' Free Speech, Court Told

    A Connecticut law firm's efforts to force Google to unmask users who left potentially defamatory online reviews pose a question of "constitutional magnitude," a Hartford state judge heard Monday as the company tried to move a pre-litigation discovery bid to the West Coast.

  • August 10, 2026

    Ill. Gov. Signs Bill Restricting PE Role In Legal Industry

    Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has signed into law a bill designed to target nonlawyer ownership of law firms, outlawing fee sharing with out-of-state alternative business structures and attempting to place restrictions on law firms' use of managed services organizations.

  • August 10, 2026

    Balch & Bingham Wants Chrisleys' Malpractice Suit Dismissed

    Balch & Bingham LLP has moved to dismiss a malpractice complaint from reality television stars Todd and Julie Chrisley, who were pardoned by President Donald Trump in May 2025 after serving over two years in prison for multiple financial crimes, telling the Atlanta federal court the two could "blame only themselves" for their convictions.

  • August 10, 2026

    Biz Owners Appeal Morgan Lewis Win In Tax Shelter Suit

    A pair of business owners asked the Florida Supreme Court to reverse a decision affirming judgment in favor of Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP in a dispute over whether the law firm had routed income through illegal tax shelters.

  • August 10, 2026

    Miss. Judge Declines New Sanctions Over AI Citations

    Sanctions imposed last year over the misuse of artificial intelligence in the Northern District of Mississippi are sufficient punishment for separate AI flubs entered in a different case around the same time in Mississippi's Southern District, a federal judge has ruled.

  • August 10, 2026

    Simon & Simon Can Shield Some Info In Uber, FedEx Suit

    A Pennsylvania federal judge has ruled that Simon & Simon PC can redact the identities of certain personal injury claimants and compensation paid to referral attorneys as it defends claims lodged by Uber and FedEx accusing the firm of a medical records falsification scheme meant to boost injury claims.

  • August 07, 2026

    Senate Confirms Todd Blanche To Be AG

    The U.S. Senate voted 50-49 in the early hours of Saturday to confirm acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to the permanent position.

  • August 07, 2026

    SPLC Bid To Get Charges Tossed As Vindictive Falls Short

    An Alabama federal judge on Friday refused to toss donor fraud charges against the Southern Poverty Law Center that claim it covertly paid informants in extremist groups to "stoke racial hatred," finding that the civil rights organization failed to show the requisite animus needed to dismiss the case on vindictive prosecution grounds.

  • August 07, 2026

    Judge Pans Atty's Effort To Sink Partnership's Tax Scam Suit

    A precious metals partnership and its members should be allowed to pursue their suit alleging an attorney and others conspired to bilk them out of $12 million while advocating an unlawful tax strategy, a Colorado federal magistrate judge recommended, finding the court had jurisdiction in the case.

  • August 07, 2026

    Conn. $226K Atty Fund Seizure Holds Up At Appeals Court

    A Connecticut appeals court held Friday that an attorney who successfully challenged his 90-day suspension was not entitled to dismissal of a related order forfeiting the contents of his trust account, leaving the dispute ready for the Connecticut Supreme Court to weigh in again.

  • August 07, 2026

    CoStar Fights CREXi Bid To Stay Suit Over Quinn Emanuel DQ

    CoStar is urging a California federal court to reject a bid by Commercial Real Estate Exchange Inc., or CREXi, to pause a copyright suit while CREXi asks the Ninth Circuit to undo the disqualification of its Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP attorneys, arguing the stay request is "unsupported by law."

  • August 07, 2026

    Insurer Says Prior Claims Weren't Known, Must Be Defended

    A professional liability insurer urged a California federal court to find that an excess insurer can't rely on a policy exclusion barring coverage for claims brought before the policy's start date to get off the hook for a law firm's defense in malpractice litigation.

  • August 07, 2026

    Senator Considers Ethics Complaint Against 3rd Circ. Judge

    Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., has indicated he is weighing whether to pursue ethics charges against U.S. Circuit Judge Jennifer Mascott of the Third Circuit in the wake of a news report stating she operated a public affairs agency from the bench.

  • August 07, 2026

    Lender Asks To Block NYC Development's Counsel Bid

    A lender to a bankrupt 900-unit housing development in New York City has urged a bankruptcy judge to deny the debtor permission to hire Goldberg Weprin Finkel Goldstein LLP, saying the firm's retainer was paid by the company slated to take control of the property.

  • August 07, 2026

    NJ Panel Says Arbitrators Don't Have To Disclose Remote Ties

    A New Jersey appellate panel on Friday rejected a former hospital employee's argument that an arbitrator's prior role as corporate counsel for a hospital her attorney had previously sued created a conflict of interest, ruling that such remote relationships don't create a conflict.

  • August 07, 2026

    Summer's Last NYC Public Defender Strike Ends With Deal

    The Bronx Defenders union said it has struck a deal with the organization's management, ending the last public defender strike in New York City this summer.

  • August 07, 2026

    Key Senator Backs Blanche, Likely Securing AG Confirmation

    Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche appears to have locked down the votes needed for his bid to be attorney general after Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., said Friday that he would support the nomination.

  • August 06, 2026

    Texas Judge Wary Order Recusal In Jerry Jones Assault Case

    A Texas state court judge seemed dubious of a recusal bid by a woman who claimed Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones sexually assaulted her, hinting Thursday that the argument to oust the judge overseeing the woman's case rested on meager evidence.

  • August 06, 2026

    DA Says Appellate Insight Needed In Judge Recusal Battle

    DeKalb County, Georgia's district attorney asked a trial court judge for a green light to appeal his decision not to boot a judge accused of ethics violations from the DA's office's cases, saying the situation called for guidance from the Georgia Supreme Court. 

  • August 06, 2026

    Ex-Girardi Atty Gets Probation For Keeping Silent On Theft

    A former Girardi Keese attorney was sentenced to one day time-served and two years of probation Thursday for staying quiet and failing to report disgraced plaintiff's attorney Tom Girardi's theft of millions of settlement dollars owed to Lion Air Flight 620 plane crash victims.

Expert Analysis

  • AI Litigation Tools Can Enhance Case Assessment, Strategy

    Author Photo

    Civil litigators can use artificial intelligence tools to strengthen case assessment and aid in early strategy development, as long as they address the risks and ethical considerations that accompany these uses, say attorneys at Barnes & Thornburg.

  • Attys Beware: Generative AI Can Also Hallucinate Metadata

    Author Photo

    In addition to the well-known problem of AI-generated hallucinations in legal documents, AI tools can also hallucinate metadata — threatening the integrity of discovery, the reliability of evidence and the ability to definitively identify the provenance of electronic documents, say attorneys at Law & Forensics.

  • DOJ Faces Potential Discovery Pitfalls In Comey Prosecution

    Author Photo

    The unusual circumstances surrounding the prosecution of former FBI Director James Comey increase the odds of a discovery misstep for the U.S. Department of Justice, offering important reminders for defense counsel on how to ensure the government fulfills its obligations, says Kenneth Notter at MoloLamken.

  • When Atty Ethics Violations Give Rise To Causes Of Action

    Author Photo

    Though the Model Rules of Professional Conduct make clear that a violation of the rules does not automatically create a cause of action, attorneys should beware of a few scenarios in which they could face lawsuits for ethical lapses, says Brian Faughnan at Faughnan Law.

  • Series

    Practicing Stoicism Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Practicing Stoicism, by applying reason to ignore my emotions and govern my decisions, has enabled me to approach challenging situations in a structured way, ultimately providing advice singularly devoted to a client's interest, says John Baranello at Moses & Singer.

  • Series

    The Biz Court Digest: Texas, One Year In

    Author Photo

    A year after the Texas Business Court's first decision, it's clear that Texas didn't just copy Delaware and instead built something uniquely its own, combining specialization with constitutional accountability and creating a model that looks forward without losing touch with the state's democratic and statutory roots, says Chris Bankler at Jackson Walker.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Educating Your Community

    Author Photo

    Nearly two decades prosecuting scammers and elder fraud taught me that proactively educating the public about the risks they face and the rights they possess is essential to building trust within our communities, empowering otherwise vulnerable citizens and preventing wrongdoers from gaining a foothold, says Roger Handberg at GrayRobinson.

  • 5 Crisis Lawyering Skills For An Age Of Uncertainty

    Author Photo

    As attorneys increasingly face unprecedented and pervasive situations — from prosecutions of law enforcement officials to executive orders targeting law firms — they must develop several essential competencies of effective crisis lawyering, says Ray Brescia at Albany Law School.

  • Opinion

    It's Time For The Judiciary To Fix Its Cybersecurity Problem

    Author Photo

    After recent reports that hackers have once again infiltrated federal courts’ electronic case management systems, the judiciary should strengthen its cybersecurity practices in line with executive branch standards, outlining clear roles and responsibilities for execution, says Ilona Cohen at HackerOne.

  • Series

    Writing Novels Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Writing my debut novel taught me to appreciate the value of critique and to never give up, no matter how long or tedious the journey, providing me with valuable skills that I now emphasize in my practice, says Daniel Buzzetta at BakerHostetler.

  • Trader Joe's Ruling Highlights Trademark Infringement Trends

    Author Photo

    The Ninth Circuit's recent decision in Trader Joe's Co. v. Trader Joe's United explores the legal boundaries between a union's right to advocate for workers and the protection of a brand's intellectual property, and illustrates a growing trend of courts disfavoring early dismissal of trademark infringement claims in the context of expressive speech, say attorneys at Mitchell Silberberg.

  • Decoding Arbitral Disputes: Arbitrator's Conviction Upheld

    Author Photo

    The Supreme Court of Spain recently upheld the criminal conviction of arbitrator Gonzalo Stampa for grave disobedience to judicial authority, rejecting the proposition that an arbitrator's independence can prevail over a court order retroactively disabling the very judicial act conferring arbitral jurisdiction, says Josep Galvez at 4-5 Gray's Inn.

  • SDNY OpenAI Order Clarifies Preservation Standards For AI

    Author Photo

    The Southern District of New York’s recent order in the OpenAI copyright infringement litigation, denying discovery of The New York Times' artificial intelligence technology use, clarifies that traditional preservation benchmarks apply to AI content, relieving organizations from using a “keep everything” approach, says Philip Favro at Favro Law.

  • In NY, Long COVID (Tolling) Still Applies

    Author Photo

    A series of pandemic-era executive orders in New York tolling state statutes of limitations for 228 days mean that many causes of action that appear time-barred on their face may continue to apply, including in federal practice, for the foreseeable future, say attorneys at Sher Tremonte.

  • Opinion

    High Court, Not A Single Justice, Should Decide On Recusal

    Author Photo

    As public trust in the U.S. Supreme Court continues to decline, the court should adopt a collegial framework in which all justices decide questions of recusal together — a reform that respects both judicial independence and due process for litigants, say Michael Broyde at Emory University and Hayden Hall at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Legal Ethics archive.