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Legal Ethics
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May 29, 2024
Weinstein Could Face Added Assault Charges In Retrial
New York prosecutors planning to retry Harvey Weinstein this fall after his rape conviction was overturned said Wednesday they may file an expanded indictment after hearing from new sexual assault claimants.
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May 29, 2024
NC House Advances Bill To Let Attys Expunge Ethics Records
The North Carolina House of Representatives on Tuesday voted in favor of a bill that would allow attorneys to clear certain disciplinary records, putting the proposal one step closer to becoming law.
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May 29, 2024
Contractor Talking To Juror Warrants Contempt, NC Panel Told
A general contractor interfered with the court when he spoke to a juror during a civil trial involving his company, state prosecutors told a North Carolina appellate court in seeking to have the contractor's contempt conviction upheld.
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May 29, 2024
Ga. Justices Reprimand Atty Over Flubbed Settlement
A Georgia solo practitioner was hit with a public reprimand by the state's highest court Wednesday after admitting that he bungled a personal injury settlement by delegating the negotiations to his assistant.
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May 29, 2024
Menendez Trial Judge Sticks With Order Barring Texts
The federal judge presiding over the corruption trial of U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez announced Wednesday that he is holding firm to his decision barring prosecutors from using text messages to bolster their claims that the New Jersey Democrat took bribes in exchange for authorizing millions of dollars in aid for Egypt.
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May 29, 2024
Alito Won't Recuse From Jan. 6 Cases Over Flag Controversy
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito announced Wednesday that he will not recuse himself from deciding cases related to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol or former President Donald Trump's criminal immunity following reports that two flags used by protesters of Trump's 2020 election loss were flown outside his houses.
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May 29, 2024
Whistleblower Counsel Can't Get 'Exorbitant' $11.5M Fee
A Boston federal judge slashed an "exorbitant" $11.5 million fee request made by counsel for a False Claims Act whistleblower in a case involving lab testing company Fresenius Medical Care, hammering the attorneys for inflated hourly rates, inflated time entries and a host of questionable billing practices.
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May 29, 2024
Coverage Recap: Day 1 Of Deliberations In Trump's NY Trial
Law360 reporters are providing live updates from the Manhattan criminal courthouse as Donald Trump goes on trial for allegedly falsifying business records related to hush money payments ahead of the 2016 election. Here's a recap from the first day of deliberations Wednesday.
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May 28, 2024
Wash. Justices Doubt Atty's Response In Disbarment Case
Washington State justices were skeptical Tuesday of an appeal from an attorney facing disbarment who asserts that he did nothing wrong in response to misconduct allegations including that he embezzled from investors in a failed venture to build a cannabis industrial park.
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May 28, 2024
Trump Atty Calls Cohen 'MVP Of Liars' As NY Trial Closes
Donald Trump's counsel repeatedly assailed the credibility of star witness Michael Cohen Tuesday in a final pitch to the New York jury that will decide whether to convict the former president of falsifying business records, calling Cohen "an MVP of liars" and "the human embodiment of reasonable doubt."
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May 28, 2024
SEC Ordered To Pay $1.8M Over Crypto Case Sanctions
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is on the hook for more than $1.8 million in attorney and receiver fees arising from its allegedly ill-gotten temporary restraining order against crypto project Debt Box, though a Utah federal judge allowed the agency the opportunity to refile the enforcement case despite protests from the defendants.
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May 28, 2024
Colo. Justices To Mull Atty Advice Defense In Securities Cases
The Colorado Supreme Court has agreed to consider whether the advice a defendant's business attorney gave him is relevant to his state of mind in a securities fraud case, according to an order Tuesday granting the state's petition for appeal.
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May 28, 2024
Mich. Judge Tosses Ex-Prosecutor's Suit Over Firing
A Michigan federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit from a fired assistant prosecutor alleging he lost his job at the Macomb County Prosecutor's Office for speaking out about harassment and retaliation, after the county asked for sanctions because the plaintiff wasn't complying with discovery requirements and missed a deposition.
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May 28, 2024
Absent Atty Irks Judge In Girardi-Linked Bar Corruption Case
A California judge on Tuesday chastised a lawyer representing former clients of Tom Girardi accusing the state bar of "rampant corruption," telling the attorney over the phone that he is "nonplussed" as to why he attempted to skip the hearing on the bar's motion to toss the case.
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May 28, 2024
High Court Passes On Collection Firm's CFPB Funding Fight
The U.S. Supreme Court said Tuesday that it won't take up a now-shuttered debt collection law firm's fight against an investigative demand by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, turning down a case that covered the same constitutional ground as one that the justices recently decided in the agency's favor.
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May 28, 2024
Int'l Judge Pushes Back Against Russia Amicus Allegations
Prominent arbitrator and international Judge Charles Brower is pushing back against claims from the Kremlin that conflicts of interest should bar his amicus brief to the D.C. Circuit in support of Yukos Oil Co. shareholders' $50 billion arbitration enforcement.
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May 28, 2024
Colo. Justices Say Actual Bias Not Needed To Recuse Judges
Colorado justices on Tuesday said that litigants don't need to prove actual bias to disqualify a judge but still need to get pretty close to that standard, finding a judge who was shot at in her car did not need to step down from a road rage case.
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May 28, 2024
Ex-Florida Atty Accused Of Failing To Deliver Condo Proceeds
A disbarred attorney was sued in Florida state court by a client who alleged fraud and breach of fiduciary duty in a Miami Beach condominium foreclosure action, saying he misappropriated more than $68,000 in proceeds.
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May 28, 2024
Ex-Ill. Prosecutor Arrested, Charged For Woodchipper Threat
A former assistant state's attorney in suburban Chicago's DuPage County has been arrested and charged with threatening the children of two Illinois state representatives in an online post in which he allegedly suggested he would put them into a woodchipper.
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May 28, 2024
Wisconsin Atty Gets 5½ Years For $2.3M Fraud, Tax Evasion
An attorney licensed in Wisconsin has been sentenced to 5½ years in federal prison and ordered to pay around $2.3 million in restitution for her involvement in multiple fraud schemes, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Tuesday.
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May 28, 2024
American To Cut Attys Who Blamed Child Filmed In Bathroom
Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker LLP attorneys are on the brink of being removed as counsel for American Airlines in a Texas state lawsuit over an ex-flight attendant's secret bathroom recording of a 9-year-old girl.
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May 28, 2024
Coverage Recap: Day 17 Of Trump's NY Hush Money Trial
Law360 reporters are providing live updates from the Manhattan criminal courthouse as Donald Trump goes on trial for allegedly falsifying business records related to hush money payments ahead of the 2016 election. Here's a recap from day 17.
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May 28, 2024
Calif. Judge Cops To Ethics Charges, Agrees To Step Down
A California judge censured and barred for multiple ethics violations, including drug use, inappropriate personal relationships with attorneys and making inappropriate comments, including antisemitic remarks, about litigants and attorneys, has resigned as of Monday.
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May 28, 2024
Ga. Law Firm Beats Sanctions Over Fatal Crash Mistrial
The Georgia Court of Appeals has thrown out sanctions against an Atlanta civil litigation law firm requiring the firm to pay more than $584,000 in attorney fees and costs for not uncovering a purported conflict that caused a mistrial in a fatal crash lawsuit, finding the trial court's decision was excessive and not supported by evidence.
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May 28, 2024
Trump's Florida Prosecutors Scolded For Gag Order Filing
The Florida federal judge overseeing Donald Trump's classified documents case on Tuesday temporarily rejected the government's request for a limited gag order and admonished prosecutors for what she said was a lack of "substance and professional courtesy" in their conferral with defense attorneys before filing the motion.
Expert Analysis
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The Most-Read Legal Industry Law360 Guest Articles Of 2023
A range of legal industry topics drew readers' attention in Law360's Expert Analysis section this year, from associate retention strategies to ethical billing practices.
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Attorneys' Busiest Times Can Be Business Opportunities
Attorneys who resolve to grow their revenue and client base in 2024 should be careful not to abandon their goals when they get too busy with client work, because these periods of zero bandwidth can actually be a catalyst for future growth, says Amy Drysdale at Alchemy Consulting.
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In The World Of Legal Ethics, 10 Trends To Note From 2023
Lucian Pera at Adams and Reese and Trisha Rich at Holland & Knight identify the top legal ethics trends from 2023 — including issues related to hot documents, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity — that lawyers should be aware of to put their best foot forward.
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Opinion
Animal Rights Are About Saving Nature, And Our Own Future
The climate crisis makes it clear that animal law — conceived of as an ecocentric approach to protecting the most vulnerable nonhumans who depend on the natural environment — is essential to restoring the Earth and safeguarding the future of humanity, says Carter Dillard at the Fair Start Movement.
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The Ethics Of Accepting Advanced Legal Fees In Crypto
State and local bar associations have been weighing in on whether attorneys may accept cryptocurrency as a form of payment in advance of providing legal services, but the answer is frequently a fact-specific inquiry that demands close reading of the rules of professional conduct, say Matthew Feinberg and Jeffrey Cunningham at Goldberg Segalla.
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How Attorneys Can Be More Efficient This Holiday Season
Attorneys should consider a few key tips to speed up their work during the holidays so they can join the festivities — from streamlining the document review process to creating similar folder structures, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.
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5 Gifts That May Run Afoul Of Government Ethics Rules
As the holiday season ramps up, it’s essential to keep in mind that government officials and employees are all subject to specific gift rules, and related violations can lead to consequences far worse than coal in one’s stocking, say Mark Renaud and Rob Walker at Wiley.
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3 Defense Takeaways From The Bankman-Fried Trial
FTX founder and former CEO Sam Bankman-Fried’s recent fraud conviction offers several key lessons for future white collar defendants, from the changing nature of cross-examination to the continued risks of taking the stand, say Jonathan Porter and Gregg Sofer at Husch Blackwell.
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Series
Children's Book Writing Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Becoming a children's book author has opened doors to incredible new experiences of which I barely dared to dream, but the process has also changed my life by serving as a reminder that strong writing, networking and public speaking skills are hugely beneficial to a legal career, says Shaunna Bailey at Sheppard Mullin.
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How Clients May Use AI To Monitor Attorneys
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Artificial intelligence tools will increasingly enable clients to monitor and evaluate their counsel’s activities, so attorneys must clearly define the terms of engagement and likewise take advantage of the efficiencies offered by AI, says Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein.
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Series
The Pop Culture Docket: Judge D'Emic On Moby Grape
The 1968 Moby Grape song "Murder in My Heart for the Judge" tells the tale of a fictional defendant treated with scorn by the judge, illustrating how much the legal system has evolved in the past 50 years, largely due to problem-solving courts and the principles of procedural justice, says Kings County Supreme Court Administrative Judge Matthew D'Emic.
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The Basics Of Law Firm Cyber Liability Insurance Applications
Cyber liability insurance has become a common consideration for law firms as cyber threats have escalated, but these insurance forms can be quite complicated given the nature of the industry and associated risks, so simply filling out the form won't necessarily result in an ideal policy for your firm, says Kevin Haight at WAMS.
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Series
Performing Music Makes Me A Better Lawyer
The discipline of performing live music has directly and positively influenced my effectiveness as a litigator — serving as a reminder that practice, intuition and team building are all important elements of a successful law practice, says Jeff Wakolbinger at Bryan Cave.
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Breaking Down High Court's New Code Of Conduct
The U.S. Supreme Court recently adopted its first-ever code of conduct, and counsel will need to work closely with clients in navigating its provisions, from gift-giving to recusal bids, say Phillip Gordon and Mateo Forero at Holtzman Vogel.
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Opinion
Legal Profession Gender Parity Requires Equal Parental Leave
To truly foster equity in the legal profession and to promote attorney retention, workplaces need to better support all parents, regardless of gender — starting by offering equal and robust parental leave to both birthing and non-birthing parents, says Ali Spindler at Irwin Fritchie.