Legal Ethics

  • August 31, 2026

    New Report Rings Alarm On Threats To Judicial Independence

    Verbal attacks on judges, disinformation about the courts and the defiance of court orders are undermining the independence of the federal judiciary and significantly affecting individual judges' ability to do their jobs, a report out Monday says.

  • August 31, 2026

    Meyer Unkovic Discovery Bid Partly Granted

    A Pennsylvania federal magistrate judge partly granted Meyer Unkovic & Scott LLP's bid for discovery in a malpractice suit over a $3.3 million default judgment that was later thrown out, ruling the firm can obtain documents about defenses raised in the underlying landlord-tenant case.

  • August 31, 2026

    NJ Legal Malpractice Suit Revived Over Expert Rulings

    A New Jersey state appellate court on Monday revived a legal malpractice suit over an underlying medical malpractice action, saying a trial court was wrong to exclude the plaintiffs' legal expert and subsequently dismiss the case for lack of expert testimony.

  • August 31, 2026

    Law Firm's Calif. Claims Stayed Over AI Comms Co.'s NY Suit

    A California federal judge ruled that AI communications company Connex One cannot escape claims brought by a personal injury law firm alleging it faced harassment and threats of litigation after it declined to renew their contract, saying the case will be stayed until a New York lawsuit brought by Connex against the firm runs its course.

  • August 31, 2026

    6th Circ. Backs $450K Punitive Award For Mich. Farmworkers

    A Sixth Circuit panel has upheld a $450,000 punitive damages award for five Guatemalan farmworkers who accused a West Michigan agricultural labor contractor and its owners of trafficking-related and wage law abuses, ruling that the award was constitutionally permissible despite the jury awarding only economic compensatory damages.

  • August 31, 2026

    'Kentucky Hammer' Pushes To Duck Antitrust Suit

    A Kentucky personal injury firm led by litigator Darryl "The Hammer" Isaacs is looking to duck an antitrust suit filed by a former firm lawyer, arguing the suit fails to state a plausible claim for any allegations leveled against it.

  • August 31, 2026

    Smoke Shop Owners Say NY Tribe Can't Seek $662K In Fees

    A pair of cannabis shop owners are urging a New York federal court to reject a bid by the Cayuga Nation for more than $662,000 in attorney fees following a net-zero verdict in its racketeering case, saying the nation was not a prevailing party and thus isn't entitled to fees.

  • August 28, 2026

    'Troubled' 7th Circ. Finds No Harm From Benesch Atty Conflict

    While "troubled" by an ex-Benesch Friedlander Coplan & Aronoff LLP partner's decision to take on a client's trade secrets suit while negotiating a move from Benesch to the defendant company's outside counsel, the Seventh Circuit agreed Friday that the displeased client cannot pursue her legal malpractice claim.

  • August 28, 2026

    Texas AG Disqualified In Ivermectin Malpractice Suit

    A Texas state court judge this week disqualified Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's office from representing a doctor who tried to treat a COVID-19 patient with ivermectin, siding with the Texas Medical Board and striking a brief the attorney general had filed on the physician's behalf.

  • August 28, 2026

    Rachael Rollins Pitches Scandal As Asset In Comeback Bid

    Rachael Rollins rode a progressive wave to become Suffolk County's district attorney in 2019. After a scandal derailed her stint as Massachusetts U.S. attorney, she's trying to win her old DA post back, and leaning into her alleged ethical missteps as a resume boost.

  • August 28, 2026

    Judge Says BlackRock Stake Doesn't Warrant IP Case Recusal

    A federal judge overseeing several Delaware patent lawsuits brought by Monolithic Power Systems Inc. has decided that he will not step aside despite owning stock in BlackRock Inc., which recently disclosed an ownership stake of more than 10% in Monolithic.

  • August 28, 2026

    Trump Denied New Bid To Federalize Hush Money Prosecution

    A New York federal judge on Friday again denied President Donald Trump's bid to move his criminal hush money conviction out of state court, finding as he did earlier that a federal law defense that Trump was operating in his official capacity would be meritless.

  • August 28, 2026

    Mazda Driver Avoids Sanctions In Oil-Burning Defect Suit

    A North Carolina federal judge has refused to sanction a Mazda driver and his attorneys for their attempt to revive a proposed class action over an alleged oil‑burning defect, finding the effort unlikely to succeed but not improper.

  • August 27, 2026

    Ugg-Maker Beats Rival Footwear Co.'s Antitrust Suit, For Now

    A California federal judge on Thursday tossed Quince's antitrust suit alleging Deckers uses sham trade dress litigation to block rivals, ruling Quince didn't sufficiently plead a sham litigation exception to the Noerr-Pennington doctrine, which immunizes businesses from antitrust liability for petitioning activity, but allowed Quince a chance to amend.

  • August 27, 2026

    DOJ Can't Get Rethink On Apple Peek Into Fed Phone-Buying

    A special master has refused to reconsider his New Jersey federal court mandate giving Apple a look into how the Pentagon, CIA, State Department and other agencies purchase smartphones, criticizing the Justice Department for trying to "split hairs" in contending the agencies aren't "party" to the monopolization lawsuit.

  • August 27, 2026

    LGBCoin Defendant Says $75K Fee Bid In Suit Is Inflated

    The defendant who lost a default judgment earlier this month in favor of "Let's Go Brandon" meme coin investors has told a Florida federal judge that the plaintiffs' $75,000 fees request is too high.

  • August 27, 2026

    Uber Beats Defamation Claims In Philly RICO Fight

    A Pennsylvania federal judge on Thursday tossed Philadelphia personal injury firm Simon & Simon PC's counterclaim accusing Uber and FedEx of sham litigation, extortion and abuse of process in response to the companies' ongoing RICO lawsuit against the firm.

  • August 27, 2026

    ABA Faces Uphill Battle To Remain As Law School Accreditor

    The American Bar Association council responsible for accrediting law schools is fighting on multiple fronts to retain its status as a nationwide accreditor, fending off challenges at both the federal and state levels.

  • August 27, 2026

    Womble Bond Asks To Drop Dutch Software Client Over Rift

    Womble Bond Dickinson is looking to pull its representation of a Dutch software company after five years of a bitter trademark battle, citing a "fundamental disagreement" that has allegedly made it impossible for the firm to move forward as counsel of record.

  • August 27, 2026

    Dems Say DOJ Opinion Aims To Foil Oversight Of White House

    With midterm elections right around the corner, Senate Democrats are worried the new legal opinion from the U.S. Department of Justice could let the Trump Administration obstruct congressional oversight of the White House.

  • August 27, 2026

    Hospital Wants Saul Ewing Client To Stop Contacting Nurses

    A whistleblower in a False Claims Act case against a Pittsburgh-area hospital tried to solicit complaints from her co-workers — allegedly at the urging of her attorneys at Saul Ewing LLP — despite rules against ex parte communication with employees of represented parties, the hospital's lawyers said this week.

  • August 27, 2026

    Faegre Drinker And Investor Trade Blame Over Depo Delays

    Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP this week pressed its bid to strike expert witnesses proffered by a real estate investor claiming the firm gave bad advice about a deal to buy an A&P shopping center, saying it made nine unsuccessful bids over the last three months to schedule two witnesses.

  • August 27, 2026

    NY Lawyer's Wage, Bias Suit Tossed Over Venue

    A New York federal judge has tossed an attorney's wage and hour and race discrimination suit against Oklahoma-based Arnold & Smith Law, finding that the Eastern District of New York was the wrong venue because the events underlying her federal claims occurred elsewhere.

  • August 26, 2026

    Eric Adams' Onetime Aide Says Feds' Bribery Rap Is Too Thin

    A former chief of staff to ex-New York Mayor Eric Adams told a federal judge Tuesday that prosecutors' claims that a hotel owner secured a $6.8 million migrant housing contract by papering City Hall with bribes is woefully short on detail, and the government should be ordered to flesh it out.

  • August 26, 2026

    Tata Power Must Pay $640M Coal Award As Bias Claim Fails

    A Singapore court on Wednesday declined Tata Power Co. Ltd.'s bid to set aside an arbitral award now worth more than $640 million issued in a dispute over a nixed Russian coal mining project, calling the company's allegations of arbitrator bias "no more than an unfounded apprehension."

Expert Analysis

  • When Atty Ethics Violations Give Rise To Causes Of Action

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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.

  • Reel Justice: 'One Battle After Another' And The Limits Of Zeal

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    The political thriller “One Battle After Another,” following a former revolutionary who became a recluse, offers a potent metaphor for attorneys on diligence and the ethical boundaries of zealous advocacy, says Veronica Finkelstein at Wilmington University School of Law.

  • Series

    Traveling Solo Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Traveling by myself has taught me to assess risk, understand tone and stay calm in high-pressure situations, which are not only useful life skills, but the foundation of how I support my clients, says Lacey Gutierrez at Group Five Legal.

  • 6th Circ. FirstEnergy Ruling Protects Key Legal Privileges

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    The Sixth Circuit’s recent grant of mandamus relief in In re: First Energy Corp. confirms that the attorney-client privilege and work-product protections apply to internal investigation materials, ultimately advancing the public interest, say attorneys at Cooley.

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