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Legal Ethics
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September 15, 2025
Tom Goldstein Can't Pay Attys With 'Tainted Funds,' DOJ Says
Indicted appellate luminary Tom Goldstein cannot cover his legal bills by selling his multimillion-dollar home, because it's a "tainted asset" worth "far less" than his attorney fees, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a blistering court filing, adding that Goldstein may flee the country as his reputation and marriage collapse.
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September 15, 2025
Zenith Challenges $130M Tunisia Award Over Conflicts
Canadian oil and gas company Zenith Energy Ltd. will look to revive its $130 million claim against Tunisia over a nixed oilfield concession, saying it intends to argue in annulment proceedings in Switzerland that, among other things, certain members of the tribunal improperly concealed their ties to the North African country.
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September 15, 2025
Ousted Public Defender's Bias Suit Meets Skeptical Judge
A Connecticut judge on Monday seemed skeptical of a former chief state public defender's challenge to her ouster, questioning whether the lawyer could support her claim that the Public Defender Services Commission should have called live witnesses to testify during an administrative hearing that led to her termination.
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September 15, 2025
3 Law Firms Want Ford's 'Thermonuclear' RICO Suit Snuffed
Knight Law Group LLP, the Altman Law Group and Wirtz Law APC have urged a California federal judge to dismantle Ford Motor Co.'s racketeering lawsuit accusing the firms of overzealous billing and conspiring to dupe unsuspecting clients in product liability and personal injury cases against automakers.
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September 15, 2025
Calif. Court Issues AI Hallucinations 'Warning,' Sanctions Atty
A California appeals court has issued a published opinion "as a warning" to Golden State attorneys to personally review case law quotations made by generative artificial intelligence, and imposed a $10,000 monetary sanction on plaintiff's counsel in an otherwise straightforward appeal in an employment case.
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September 15, 2025
Tainted Evidence Sank Atty's Tax Court Case, 6th Circ. Told
The U.S. Tax Court relied on tainted evidence from the IRS when it affirmed the agency's denial of an Ohio attorney's attempt to deduct a theft loss and related legal expenses, he told the Sixth Circuit, urging it to reverse the lower court's ruling.
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September 15, 2025
Ill. Court Backs Sanction Over 'Smoking Gun' Email In Buyout
An Illinois state appeals court has affirmed sanctions against an export company and its counsel, citing their failure to disclose a "smoking gun" email that undermined claims the company relied on a financial summary prepared by its accounting firm and ultimately paid too much to buy out a co-owner.
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September 15, 2025
Sills Cummis Aims To Block Atty, Paralegal Depos In Fees Suit
Sills Cummis & Gross PC has asked a New Jersey state court to block a former client's bid for depositions in a lawsuit alleging the law firm padded legal bills that reached about $1.5 million, arguing the testimony is "unnecessary and improper."
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September 15, 2025
Software Co. Defends Contempt Order Against Womble Atty
A North Carolina federal court fairly held Womble Bond Dickinson partner Pressly Millen in contempt after he and his client made misrepresentations in a "parallel" trademark dispute abroad, U.S.-based software company Dmarcian Inc. told the Fourth Circuit on Friday.
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September 15, 2025
Stradley Ronon Wants Keesal Young's Poaching Suit Tossed
Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young LLP has moved to nix a suit by California firm Keesal Young & Logan, saying its recruitment of 10 former Keesal Young attorneys was entirely above board and that the noncompete clauses in Keesal Young's partnership agreement were not allowed under California law.
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September 15, 2025
Feds Urge 3rd Circ. To Restore NJ US Atty's Authority
The federal government has urged the Third Circuit to reverse a district court ruling disqualifying acting U.S. Attorney Alina Habba from prosecuting two criminal cases in New Jersey after the clock allegedly ran out on her interim term, arguing that her appointment is valid and that the court erred in its interpretation of the statute.
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September 15, 2025
Jay-Z Opposes Sexual Assault Accuser's Bid To Shield Name
Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter told an Alabama federal court on Friday that allowing a woman to remain anonymous in his defamation lawsuit against her and Texas lawyer Tony Buzbee would be "contrary to principles of justice and fairness" given that she continues to claim she was sexually assaulted by him and music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs at a party when she was 13.
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September 15, 2025
Jackson Walker Wants Breakup From Judge Romance Suit
Jackson Walker LLP says bondholders' proposed class action accusing the firm of covering up a romance between a one-time partner and bankruptcy judge is an attempt at invalidating an already confirmed Chapter 11 plan and should be tossed.
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September 15, 2025
Atty Claims Judge's Conduct Shows Bias In Katt Williams Suit
An attorney representing four women suing comedian Katt Williams in Georgia federal court said that the presiding judge in the case should step down from the matter because he showed bias and questioned the lawyer's "honesty, candor and credibility" at a hearing last month that involved discussions of a brief she submitted containing artificial intelligence hallucinations.
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September 12, 2025
Dentons Ducks Chinese Vape-Maker's Hacking Suit
Dentons has officially escaped allegations it helped the founder of vape distributor Next Level sabotage and usurp manufacturer Avid Holdings' brand, in part by hacking into its founder's laptop to access confidential information, according to newly filed documents.
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September 12, 2025
Wash. Panel Skeptical Of AG Doc Bid In Church Abuse Case
A Washington appellate panel expressed doubt on Friday that the state attorney general could issue a sweeping subpoena to the Catholic Church in search of charitable trust funds potentially spent concealing child abuse, with one judge quipping the church's books will not have a "line item" for such expenditures.
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September 12, 2025
2nd Circ. OKs Verdict In DEA Bribe Case But Nixes Forfeiture
The Second Circuit on Friday affirmed the convictions of a pair of ex-Drug Enforcement Administration agents over a bribery scheme but overturned an order requiring both to forfeit funds, saying it would constitute a double payment for the same crime.
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September 12, 2025
Conn. Supreme Court Snapshot: Amazon Wages Top Sept.
A wage and hour dispute between Amazon and its Connecticut warehouse workers is the top corporate dispute on the Connecticut Supreme Court's September docket after the justices agreed to answer a certified question over whether state law requires the retailer to pay employees undergoing security screenings.
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September 12, 2025
Hagens Berman Doubles Down On AI-Tainted Brief Correction
Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP said that the firm has an ethical duty to correct briefs tainted by artificial intelligence errors and that the corrected versions shouldn't be stricken from a proposed class action against online platform OnlyFans' parent company.
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September 12, 2025
Ex-Conn. Assistant AG Faces DQ Bid In Price-Fixing Case
Drug companies accused of fixing prices for generics are seeking to disqualify former Connecticut Assistant Attorney General Joseph Nielsen and his law firm from representing insurers in a multidistrict litigation, arguing Nielsen had access to confidential information as a government attorney that he could unfairly use against them now.
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September 12, 2025
Calif. Bill Blocking Fee Sharing With ABS Firms Heads To Gov.
A bill heading to California Gov. Gavin Newsom's desk is poised to tighten rules to restrict alternative business structure law firms from operating in the Golden State by blocking lawyers from sharing fees with out-of-state firms owned by non-lawyers.
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September 12, 2025
LA Lawyer Disbarred For Overcharging Inmate Clients
The Golden State's Supreme Court has disbarred a Los Angeles attorney who repeatedly collected "unconscionable legal fees" after misleading inmate clients about their chances for resentencing, the State Bar of California has announced.
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September 12, 2025
Firm Says Lender In 'Falsified' Loan Suit Wasn't A Client
Pullman & Comley LLC has told a Connecticut state judge it should not have to face a New York lender's claims in a legal malpractice case accusing the multistate law firm of failing to flag allegedly falsified $16.2 million loan documents because the plaintiff was not its client.
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September 12, 2025
Philly Judge Halts Case Over Atty's Alleged Bribery Claim
A Philadelphia judge has indefinitely stayed a lawsuit by a personal injury firm accusing an ex-Holland & Knight LLP partner of unlawfully accessing firm files amid a hostile divorce proceeding, in light of new allegations that the lawyer texted his ex-wife, an attorney at the injury firm, suggesting that the judge had taken a bribe.
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September 12, 2025
'Tyrant' Indiana Judge Ousted Over Misconduct
An Indiana superior court judge who "wielded his position of power like a tyrant" during his three years on the bench has been permanently barred from judicial service by the state's Supreme Court.
Expert Analysis
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How Judiciary Can Minimize AI Risks In Secondary Sources
Because courts’ standing orders on generative artificial intelligence and other safeguards do not address the risk of hallucinations in secondary source materials, the judiciary should consider enlisting legal publishers and database hosts to protect against AI-generated inaccuracies, say attorneys at Lankler Siffert & Wohl.
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How Attorneys Can Break Free From Career Enmeshment
Ambitious attorneys can sometimes experience career enmeshment — when your sense of self-worth becomes unhealthily tangled up in your legal vocation — but taking the time to discover and realign with your core personal values can help you recover your identity, says Janna Koretz at Azimuth Psychological.
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Ex-Chicago Politician's Case May Further Curb Fraud Theories
The U.S. Supreme Court recently agreed to hear Thompson v. U.S. to determine whether a statement that is misleading but not false still violates federal law, potentially heralding the court’s largest check yet on prosecutors’ expansive fraud theories, with significant implications for sentencing, say attorneys at the Law Offices of Alan Ellis.
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Lawyers With Disabilities Are Seeking Equity, Not Pity
Attorneys living with disabilities face extra challenges — including the need for special accommodations, the fear of stigmatization and the risk of being tokenized — but if given equitable opportunities, they can still rise to the top of their field, says Kate Reder Sheikh, a former attorney and legal recruiter at Major Lindsey & Africa.
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Opinion
Judicial Committee Best Venue For Litigation Funding Rules
The Advisory Committee on Civil Rules' recent decision to consider developing a rule for litigation funding disclosure is a welcome development, ensuring that the result will be the product of a thorough, inclusive and deliberative process that appropriately balances all interests, says Stewart Ackerly at Statera Capital.
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The Strategic Advantages Of Appointing A Law Firm CEO
The impact on law firms of the recent CrowdStrike outage underscores that the business of law is no longer merely about providing supplemental support for legal practice — and helps explain why some law firms are appointing dedicated, full-time CEOs to navigate the challenges of the modern legal landscape, says Jennifer Johnson at Calibrate Strategies.
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Series
Beekeeping Makes Me A Better Lawyer
The practice of patent law and beekeeping are not typically associated, but taking care of honeybees has enriched my legal practice by highlighting the importance of hands-on experience, continuous learning, mentorship and more, says David Longo at Oblon McClelland.
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Opinion
Legal Institutions Must Warn Against Phony Election Suits
With two weeks until the election, bar associations and courts have an urgent responsibility to warn lawyers about the consequences of filing unsubstantiated lawsuits claiming election fraud, says Elise Bean at the Carl Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy.
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How Cos. Can Build A Strong In-House Pro Bono Program
During this year’s pro bono celebration week, companies should consider some key pointers to grow and maintain a vibrant in-house program for attorneys to provide free legal services for the public good, says Mary Benton at Alston & Bird.
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Series
Home Canning Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Making my own pickles and jams requires seeing a process through from start to finish, as does representing clients from the start of a dispute at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board through any appeals to the Federal Circuit, says attorney Kevin McNish.
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Use The Right Kind Of Feedback To Help Gen Z Attorneys
Generation Z associates bring unique perspectives and expectations to the workplace, so it’s imperative that supervising attorneys adapt their feedback approach in order to help young lawyers learn and grow — which is good for law firms, too, says Rachael Bosch at Fringe Professional Development.
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Opinion
Congress Can And Must Enact A Supreme Court Ethics Code
As public confidence in the U.S. Supreme Court dips to historic lows following reports raising conflict of interest concerns, Congress must exercise its constitutional power to enact a mandatory and enforceable code of ethics for the high court, says Muhammad Faridi, president of the New York City Bar Association.
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Series
The Pop Culture Docket: Justice Lebovits On Gilbert And Sullivan
Characters in the 19th century comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan break the rules of good lawyering by shamelessly throwing responsible critical thought to the wind, providing hilarious lessons for lawyers and judges on how to avoid a surfeit of traps and tribulations, say acting New York Supreme Court Justice Gerald Lebovits and law student Tara Scown.
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State Of The States' AI Legal Ethics Landscape
Over the past year, several state bar associations, as well as the American Bar Association, have released guidance on the ethical use of artificial intelligence in legal practice, all of which share overarching themes and some nuanced differences, say Eric Pacifici and Kevin Henderson at SMB Law Group.
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8 Childhood Lessons That Can Help You Be A Better Attorney
A new school year is underway, marking a fitting time for attorneys to reflect on some fundamental life lessons from early childhood that offer a framework for problems that no legal textbook can solve, say Chris Gismondi and Chris Campbell at DLA Piper.