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Legal Ethics
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September 18, 2024
Toshiba Loses Bid To Sanction Mich. Energy Cos. Over Depo
A Michigan federal judge has rejected Toshiba and its subsidiary's request for sanctions against the state's largest energy companies despite Toshiba's claim that their witness failed to answer certain questions at a deposition, ruling Toshiba didn't properly lay out what it wanted the witness to talk about and that his other answers were appropriate.
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September 18, 2024
Texas Firm, Marketing Biz Settle 'Click To Call' Ad Scheme Suit
A Houston-based personal injury firm has reached a settlement with an Oklahoma-based marketing company it accused in a federal lawsuit of diverting clients and business to competitors through misleading advertisements in a click-to-call scheme.
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September 18, 2024
Ex-Gunster Client Says Firm Can't Shake Data Breach Suit
A former client urged a Florida federal court Tuesday to reject a bid from Gunster Yoakley & Stewart PA to toss a proposed class action related to a data breach in 2022.
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September 18, 2024
Calif. Atty Can't Escape Billing Scandal's Hacking Claim
A San Fernando Valley attorney will have to face his ethics case that alleges he tried to hire "Israeli military hackers" to access personal accounts of a judge overseeing a public utility class action, after the California State Bar court rejected his motion to dismiss.
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September 18, 2024
Texas Criminal Court Pauses Paxton Prosecutor Fee Ruling
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on Tuesday agreed to pause a lower court ruling that would allow Collin County to pay a lower amount to the special prosecutors appointed to oversee the securities fraud case against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, putting the county's victory on ice while it considers the dispute.
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September 18, 2024
Real Estate Atty Pleads Guilty To Ga. COVID Funds Fraud
The former operator of a Georgia-based real estate law firm has pled guilty to two fraud charges totaling about $500,000, including fraudulently obtaining nearly $300,000 in COVID-19 government relief funds, as part of an agreement that blocks the U.S. attorney in Atlanta from bringing any additional related charges.
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September 18, 2024
Sidley Can't Escape Malpractice Suit In Ga. Over Tax Scheme
A Georgia federal judge has found that Sidley Austin LLP must face its former clients' legal malpractice claims alleging they participated in a tax scheme under the firm's guidance, but threw out indemnity claims seeking reimbursement for paying the IRS $7 million over the scheme.
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September 17, 2024
DOJ Investigating Alaska US Atty's Office, Murkowski Says
Sen. Lisa Murkowski revealed Tuesday that the U.S. Department of Justice is investigating the U.S. attorney's office in Anchorage following the resignation of an Alaska federal judge who reportedly had an "inappropriately sexualized relationship" with a law clerk even after she joined the prosecutors' office.
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September 17, 2024
Fla. Panel Told Boies Schiller Film Co. Had Proper Fraud Claim
A financier for the Natalie Portman movie "Jane Got A Gun" told a Florida state appellate panel Tuesday that a lower court wrongly denied a fraud claim against a co-funder, saying the law was misapplied in determining that misrepresentations couldn't be relied upon for loaning money to complete filming.
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September 17, 2024
Ga. Atty Disbarred For Mishandling Injury Settlement Funds
The Georgia Supreme Court on Tuesday stripped an Atlanta attorney of his law license for mishandling personal injury settlement funds in three cases, including by using some of the money for his personal use and failing to promptly pay a medical clinic for its related claims.
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September 17, 2024
In-House Atty Brings Bias Suit Over Firing After Miscarriage
A former in-house attorney at chemicals company Arxada has launched a discrimination lawsuit in New Jersey state court accusing the business of unlawfully terminating her in the days after she showed interest in going on leave to recover from a miscarriage.
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September 17, 2024
Duane Morris Atty Asks Court To Keep Proposed Class Alive
A Duane Morris LLP attorney asked a California federal court to keep her proposed class action against the firm alive, alleging the BigLaw firm is mischaracterizing her claims that it underpaid and misclassified employees.
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September 17, 2024
Ex-Plexus Lawyer Suspended For Misleading Client, Insurer
A former solicitor at Plexus Legal LLP, the now-defunct law firm, has been suspended after she filed a misleading witness statement at court and failed to disclose that a defense and counterclaim had been struck out, a London tribunal has ruled.
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September 17, 2024
Holland & Knight Slams Suit Over Ex-Atty's Client Info Access
Holland & Knight LLP urged a Pennsylvania federal judge on Monday to throw out what it called a "scattershot and vague" lawsuit alleging that a former firm partner unlawfully accessed a client's confidential documents in order to gain an upper hand in the partner's contentious divorce proceeding.
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September 17, 2024
Crypto-Fraud Victim Sues Lawyers Over 'Valueless Advice'
An alleged victim of a cryptocurrency fraud has claimed that a specialist investment law firm owes her £635,000 ($839,000) for providing "valueless advice" on how to recover her lost money.
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September 17, 2024
Profits Tumble At Australian Disputes Funder
Litigation Capital Management said Tuesday that its transition toward high return is progressing well, even though its latest financial results show that pre-tax profits tumbled by more than 60%.
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September 17, 2024
Lawyer Cleared Of Dishonesty Over Insurance Failure
A solicitor was cleared of dishonesty on Tuesday after he was accused of lying to his insurer to hide the acquisition by his company of another firm's work and staff after his insurer refused to offer cover for the change.
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September 16, 2024
Senate Confirms Tenn, Prosecutor To 6th Circ.
The U.S. Senate Monday confirmed federal prosecutor Kevin Ritz to join the Sixth Circuit bench along a 48-46 party line vote following vocal objections from the senior senator from Tennessee over the past few months.
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September 16, 2024
Federal Judges Beat Ethics Complaint Over Clerk Boycotts
Two federal judges did not commit misconduct by joining in a letter with other jurists stating they would not hire students who attend Columbia University or its law school as clerks due to the university's handling of student protests over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Eleventh Circuit Judicial Council has found.
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September 16, 2024
Texas Trio Ordered To Pay Lewis Brisbois $1.5M After TM Spat
A Houston federal judge ordered a Texas trio to pay more than $1.5 million in statutory damages to Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP after finding last month that the group willfully stole the BigLaw behemoth's name for its mediation business in 2022.
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September 16, 2024
Morgan & Morgan Can't Arbitrate Ethics Claims, Court Told
A former client of Morgan & Morgan PA's Jacksonville, Florida, office has told a Georgia federal court to reject its bid to keep his malpractice claims out of court because, he says, the allegations fall within an "ethical grievance" exception in the parties' arbitration agreement.
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September 16, 2024
J&J Cheers Toss Of 'Indefensible' $260M Talc Verdict
An Oregon state judge rejected a jury's $260 million verdict for a woman who blamed Johnson & Johnson's talcum powder for her cancer diagnosis, a company spokesperson said Monday.
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September 16, 2024
Schnader Harrison Inflated Bills Before Collapse, Suit Says
A Philadelphia-based real estate company caught up in a contract dispute over an allegedly botched North Carolina development project has accused the defunct Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis LLP of engaging in a "phantom billing scheme" to boost the firm's revenue ahead of its eventual dissolution last September.
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September 16, 2024
Record Retrieval Co. Hit With Suit Over Data Breach
Medical record retrieval company Compex Legal Services Inc. is facing a proposed class action in California federal court over an April data breach that exposed consumers' personal and health information.
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September 16, 2024
Lawyer Barred For Misleading Another Firm About Costs
A sole practitioner has been banned from the profession after he deliberately gave false information to another law firm about a bill of costs, a London tribunal has ruled.
Expert Analysis
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Law Firms Should Move From Reactive To Proactive Marketing
Most law firm marketing and business development teams operate in silos, leading to an ad hoc, reactive approach, but shifting to a culture of proactive planning — beginning with comprehensive campaigns — can help firms effectively execute their broader business strategy, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.
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Opinion
The Big Issues A BigLaw Associates' Union Could Address
A BigLaw associates’ union could address a number of issues that have the potential to meaningfully improve working conditions, diversity and attorney well-being — from restructured billable hour requirements to origination credit allocation, return-to-office mandates and more, says Tara Rhoades at The Sanity Plea.
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Opinion
It's Time For A BigLaw Associates' Union
As BigLaw faces a steady stream of criticism about its employment policies and practices, an associates union could effect real change — and it could start with law students organizing around opposition to recent recruiting trends, says Tara Rhoades at The Sanity Plea.
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How Justices Upended The Administrative Procedure Act
In its recent Loper Bright, Corner Post and Jarkesy decisions, the U.S. Supreme Court fundamentally changed the Administrative Procedure Act in ways that undermine Congress and the executive branch, shift power to the judiciary, curtail public and business input, and create great uncertainty, say Alene Taber and Beth Hummer at Hanson Bridgett.
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5 Defense Lessons From Prosecutors' Recent Evidence Flubs
The recent dismissal of Alec Baldwin’s involuntary manslaughter charges, and the filing of an ethics complaint against a former D.C. prosecutor, both provide takeaways for white collar defense counsel who suspect that prosecutors may be withholding or misrepresenting evidence, say Anden Chow at MoloLamken and Jonathan Porter at Husch Blackwell.
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Mirror, Mirror On The Wall, Is My Counterclaim Bound To Fall?
A Pennsylvania federal court’s recent dismissal of the defendants’ counterclaims in Morgan v. Noss should remind attorneys to avoid the temptation to repackage a claim’s facts and law into a mirror-image counterclaim, as this approach will often result in a waste of time and resources, says Matthew Selmasska at Kaufman Dolowich.
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Series
Playing Dungeons & Dragons Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Playing Dungeons & Dragons – a tabletop role-playing game – helped pave the way for my legal career by providing me with foundational skills such as persuasion and team building, says Derrick Carman at Robins Kaplan.
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Unpacking Executive Privilege, Contempt In Recent Cases
The U.S. House of Representatives’ recent move to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress is the latest example in a growing trend of executive privilege disputes, and serves as a warning to private citizens and corporate leaders who are in communication with the president, says Kristina Moore at Womble Bond.
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3 Leadership Practices For A More Supportive Firm Culture
Traditional leadership styles frequently amplify the inherent pressures of legal work, but a few simple, time-neutral strategies can strengthen the skills and confidence of employees and foster a more collaborative culture, while supporting individual growth and contribution to organizational goals, says Benjamin Grimes at BKG Leadership.
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E-Discovery Quarterly: Rulings On Hyperlinked Documents
Recent rulings show that counsel should engage in early discussions with clients regarding the potential of hyperlinked documents in electronically stored information, which will allow for more deliberate negotiation of any agreements regarding the scope of discovery, say attorneys at Sidley.
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Loper Bright Limits Federal Agencies' Ability To Alter Course
The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to dismantle Chevron deference also effectively overrules its 2005 decision in National Cable & Telecommunications Association v. Brand X, greatly diminishing agencies' ability to change regulatory course from one administration to the next, says Steven Gordon at Holland & Knight.
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Series
Teaching Scuba Diving Makes Me A Better Lawyer
As a master scuba instructor, I’ve learned how to prepare for the unexpected, overcome fears and practice patience, and each of these skills – among the many others I’ve developed – has profoundly enhanced my work as a lawyer, says Ron Raether at Troutman Pepper.
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Lawyers Can Take Action To Honor The Voting Rights Act
As the Voting Rights Act reaches its 59th anniversary Tuesday, it must urgently be reinforced against recent efforts to dismantle voter protections, and lawyers can pitch in immediately by volunteering and taking on pro bono work to directly help safeguard the right to vote, says Anna Chu at We The Action.
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How To Grow Marketing, Biz Dev Teams In A Tight Market
Faced with fierce competition and rising operating costs, firms are feeling the pressure to build a well-oiled marketing and business development team that supports strategic priorities, but they’ll need to be flexible and creative given a tight talent market, says Ben Curle at Ambition.
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Series
Rock Climbing Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Rock climbing requires problem-solving, focus, risk management and resilience, skills that are also invaluable assets in my role as a finance lawyer, says Mei Zhang at Haynes and Boone.