Legal Ethics

  • October 28, 2025

    Trump Appeals 'Unprecedented' NY Criminal Conviction

    President Donald Trump appealed his New York criminal conviction for falsifying business records, arguing the charges were defective, the jury was improperly instructed, the judge was biased and that he was immune from prosecution.

  • October 27, 2025

    Tom Hayes Slaps UBS With $400M Malicious Prosecution Suit

    Former UBS trader Tom Hayes has filed a $400 million suit against his old employer, claiming the company "maliciously" framed him as the "evil mastermind" behind the company's Libor scandal despite the fact that he was explicitly directed to try to influence Libor submissions while at UBS.

  • October 27, 2025

    Minn. Court Blocks Immediate Appeal In Pork Price-Fixing Suit

    A Minnesota federal court refused Monday to allow immediate appeals for its summary judgment ruling in multidistrict litigation over alleged price-fixing in the pork industry, saying certain pork producers and a benchmarking company have not properly articulated a controlling question of law.

  • October 27, 2025

    Girardi Keese Trustees Sue Over $3.2M Settlement Transfers

    Bankruptcy trustees for disgraced California attorney Tom Girardi's defunct law firm and New York attorney Joseph DiNardo have filed suit to recover more than $3.1 million they allege should have been paid to a gas explosion settlement victim, but instead went to help finance food and beverage businesses.

  • October 27, 2025

    Judge OKs $2.4M PeopleFacts Background Checks Deal

    A Michigan federal judge Monday approved a $2.4 million settlement that PeopleFacts reached with a class of job-seekers whose criminal history was disclosed to potential employers, after those prospective workers had accused the background check company of making such disclosures without providing necessary notice.

  • October 27, 2025

    PayPal Accused Of Hiding Evidence In Charity Donation Suit

    PayPal has been accused of abusing confidentiality rules by mislabeling documents as secret to unjustly shield its business practices from scrutiny amid a lengthening discovery dispute in a user's federal suit over the platform's charitable distributions.

  • October 27, 2025

    Former Mintz Client Files Negligence Suit Over Patent Work

    A former Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo PC client has hit the firm with a professional negligence suit in Texas federal court, saying the firm's allegedly "shoddy, substandard" legal work led to one of the company's patents being almost completely wiped out.

  • October 27, 2025

    Who Watches The Watchers? Conn. Justices Mull Court Bias

    A Connecticut Supreme Court justice said Monday that if the state's human rights watchdog cannot address claims of racial discrimination in attorney licensing, then there is "no oversight" when bias infects the process.

  • October 27, 2025

    NJ Town Atty Escapes Ethics Case Over Racial Remark

    The New Jersey Supreme Court dismissed an ethics charge against a municipal attorney over a controversial remark in 2021 referencing the U.S. Constitution's "three-fifths compromise," a clause in the original document that counted enslaved people as three-fifths of a person for purposes of taxation and congressional representation.

  • October 27, 2025

    Ga. Panel Urged Not To 'Bend Over Backwards' For Judge

    Georgia ethics prosecutors told a state judicial watchdog on Monday to press ahead with removal of a probate judge from the bench over allegations of yearslong case delays, urging a hearing panel not to "bend over backwards" to keep him in office under something akin to judicial probation.

  • October 27, 2025

    Ga. State Judge Wrongly Jailed Woman, Suit Alleges

    An Alabama woman has claimed that a Georgia state judge violated her constitutional rights by improperly jailing her when she was a witness in the judge's courtroom, a move that came as a state commission is seeking the judge's removal from the bench over that and other alleged misconduct.

  • October 27, 2025

    Timeshare Co.'s Fee Dispute Sent Back To Fla. State Court

    A Florida federal judge sent a timeshare company's complaint disputing legal fees back to state court, finding that a law firm didn't show that the amount it seeks meets the $75,000 threshold to keep the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. 

  • October 27, 2025

    Gold Star Mother Seeks Early Win In NJ Malpractice Case

    The mother of a deceased Army service member moved for a default this week in New Jersey federal court against a law firm she has accused of mishandling her case against the Army after she was the victim of a fraud.

  • October 27, 2025

    R. Kelly's Prison Leak Suit Tossed Again For Missed Deadlines

    R&B artist R. Kelly, 58, who is serving a 31-year sentence for sexually exploiting children and other crimes, saw his Illinois federal suit alleging prison officers leaked his private information to journalists and others dismissed due to his lawyers' "glaring" failure to meet deadlines.

  • October 27, 2025

    Retention Races For Pa. Justices Turn Into $8M Political Clash

    Pennsylvania voters hoping for a quiet off-year election following last year's contentious presidential race have found themselves being targeted by millions of dollars worth of ads this fall over whether to give three Democratic members of the state's Supreme Court fresh 10-year terms on the bench.

  • October 24, 2025

    Judiciary Panel Eyes Rules For Class Cert., Litigation Funding

    Federal judiciary advisers set the stage Friday for new and far-reaching rules involving two sets of highly contentious topics: long-simmering demands for greater transparency in third-party litigation funding and calls for closer scrutiny of class action issues, including payouts to class counsel, certification standards and financial perks for plaintiffs.

  • October 24, 2025

    Gordon Rees 'Profoundly Embarrassed' By Atty's AI Mistakes

    Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani LLC has apologized to an Alabama bankruptcy court for a filing submitted by one of its lawyers that contained mistakes it blamed on artificial intelligence, saying it's "profoundly embarrassed" by the incident and will accept whatever sanctions end up being issued.

  • October 24, 2025

    Meta To Face Sanctions Bid Over Alleged Atty-Advice Fraud

    Plaintiffs told the California federal judge presiding over social media-addiction multidistrict litigation that Meta should be sanctioned after a D.C. court found Meta likely engaged in "crime, fraud, and/or misconduct" when, on the advice of counsel, it modified its research into Facebook's effects on teens' mental health to limit its liability.

  • October 24, 2025

    DC Circ. Wonders If Prosecutor's Bias Suit Was Killed Early

    The D.C. Circuit may revive the discrimination claims of an assistant U.S. attorney in Washington who says she was given more work than her white male colleagues, not because the panel took much stock in her claims, but because the lower court improperly quashed them.

  • October 24, 2025

    Man Wins New Rape Trial After Misguided Self-Representation

    A man convicted of raping a woman after offering her a ride home in 2018 has won the right to a new trial, arguing that he wasn't made aware of the pitfalls of representing himself and, specifically, the role of standby counsel, a Connecticut appeals court said in an opinion posted Friday.

  • October 24, 2025

    NJ Panel Tosses Sprawling Legal Malpractice, Fraud Suit

    A New Jersey state appellate court has backed the permanent dismissal of a developer's legal malpractice and fraud suit against Cooper Levenson April Niedelman & Wagenheim PA and other parties, ruling that the state's entire controversy doctrine, which requires litigants to put all their relevant allegations in a single suit, bars his claims.

  • October 24, 2025

    Feds Want Goldstein To Disclose 'Blame Everyone' Defense

    The federal government Friday urged a Maryland federal judge to give SCOTUSblog co-founder Tom Goldstein a December deadline to disclose whether he intends to assert at trial that he failed to file tax returns due to legal advice, saying it expects him to "blame everyone other than himself."

  • October 24, 2025

    Edelson Looks To Drop Claims Against Ex-Girardi Keese Attys

    Edelson PC has signaled plans to drop civil claims it lodged against two former Girardi Keese attorneys over Tom Girardi's theft of millions from clients, but the Illinois federal judge handling the case said Friday that he wants to discuss the firm's filing.

  • October 24, 2025

    Admin Of $600M Derailment Deal Accused Of 'Alarming' Errors

    Class counsel who inked a $600 million derailment settlement with Norfolk Southern called on an Ohio federal judge to revoke nearly $10 million in fees paid to the case's prior settlement administrator after an initial audit found "alarming, large-scale errors" in its claims management.

  • October 24, 2025

    Ex-Colo. Judicial Discipline Head Alleges $2.7M Coverup

    The onetime director of Colorado's Commission on Judicial Discipline has filed an explosive pro se federal lawsuit against the state Supreme Court, statewide disciplinary authorities and dozens of officials including the governor, alleging a widespread conspiracy to conceal conduct surrounding a $2.7 million contract later found suspect.

Expert Analysis

  • 9 Considerations For Orgs Using AI Meeting Assistants

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    When deciding to use artificial intelligence meeting assistants, organizations must create and implement a written corporate policy that establishes the do's and don'ts for these assistants, taking into account individualized business operations, industry standards and legal and regulatory requirements, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.

  • A Reminder On Avoiding Improper Venues In Patent Cases

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    A Texas federal court's recent decision in the Symbology and Quantum cases shows that baseless patent venue allegations may be subject to serious Rule 11 sanctions, providing venue-vetting takeaways for plaintiffs and defendants, say attorneys at Bond Schoeneck.

  • 7 Tips For Associates To Thrive In Hybrid Work Environments

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    As the vast majority of law firms have embraced some type of hybrid work policy, associates should consider a few strategies to get the most out of both their in-person and remote workdays, says James Argionis at Cozen O’Connor.

  • Series

    Playing Beach Volleyball Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My commitment to beach volleyball has become integral to my performance as an attorney, with the sport continually reminding me that teamwork, perseverance, professionalism and stress management are essential to both undertakings, says Amy Drushal at Trenam.

  • How Law Firms Can Counteract The Loneliness Epidemic

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    The legal industry is facing an urgent epidemic of loneliness, affecting lawyer well-being, productivity, retention and profitability, and law firm leaders should take concrete steps to encourage the development of genuine workplace connections, says Michelle Gomez at Littler and Gwen Mellor Romans at Herald Talent.

  • 5 Keys To Building Stronger Attorney-Client Relationships

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    Attorneys are often focused on being seen as the expert, but bonding with clients and prospects by sharing a few key personal details provides the basis for a caring, trusted and profoundly deeper business relationship, says Deb Feder at Feder Development.

  • What SDNY Judge Can And Can't Do In Adams Case

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    The federal judge in the Southern District of New York overseeing the criminal case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams deferred making a decision on the government's motion to dismiss the indictment, and while he does have limited authority to deny the motion, that would ultimately be a futile gesture, says Ethan Greenberg at Anderson Kill.

  • Series

    Racing Corvettes Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    The skills I use when racing Corvettes have enhanced my legal practice in several ways, because driving, like practicing law, requires precision, awareness and a good set of brakes — complete with the wisdom to know how and when to use them, says Kat Mateo at Olshan Frome.

  • Opinion

    Attorneys Must Act Now To Protect Judicial Independence

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    Given the Trump administration's recent moves threatening the independence of the judiciary, including efforts to impeach judges who ruled against executive actions, lawyers must protect the rule of law and resist attempts to dilute the judicial branch’s authority, says attorney Bhavleen Sabharwal.

  • Rethinking 'No Comment' For Clients Facing Public Crises

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    “No comment” is no longer a cost-free or even a viable public communications strategy for companies in crisis, and counsel must tailor their guidance based on a variety of competing factors to help clients emerge successfully, says Robert Bowers at Moore & Van Allen.

  • How Design Thinking Can Help Lawyers Find Purpose In Work

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    Lawyers everywhere are feeling overwhelmed amid mass government layoffs, increasing political instability and a justice system stretched to its limits — but a design-thinking framework can help attorneys navigate this uncertainty and find meaning in their work, say law professors at the University of Michigan.

  • Series

    Competitive Weightlifting Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    The parallels between the core principles required for competitive weightlifting and practicing law have helped me to excel in both endeavors, with each holding important lessons about discipline, dedication, drive and failure, says Damien Bielli at VF Law.

  • Opinion

    Inconsistent Injury-In-Fact Rules Hinder Federal Practice

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    A recent Third Circuit decision, contradicting a previous ruling about whether consumers of contaminated products have suffered an injury in fact, illustrates the deep confusion this U.S. Supreme Court standard creates among federal judges and practitioners, who deserve a simpler method of determining which cases have federal standing, says Eric Dwoskin at Dwoskin Wasdin.

  • In-House Counsel Pointers For Preserving Atty-Client Privilege

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    Several recent rulings illustrate the challenges in-house counsel can face when attempting to preserve attorney-client privilege, but a few best practices can help safeguard communications and effectively assert the privilege in an increasingly scrutinized corporate environment, says Daniel Garrie at Law & Forensics.

  • Applying ABA Atty Role Guidance To White Collar Matters

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    The American Bar Association’s recently published guidance, clarifying the duties outside counsel owes to both organizational clients and those organizations' constituents, provides best practices that attorneys representing companies in white collar and other investigative matters should heed, say attorneys at MoFo.

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