Legal Ethics

  • March 31, 2025

    'Unprofessional' Pro Se Atty Can't Get 2nd Extortion Trial

    A medical malpractice attorney was denied a new trial by a Maryland federal judge who said prosecutors presented sufficient evidence that he tried to extort $25 million from the University of Maryland Medical System, and called out the lawyer for "inappropriate, unprofessional, and unbecoming" behavior while representing himself at trial.

  • March 31, 2025

    Trump EOs And Skadden Face Pushback At Law Schools

    President Donald Trump's executive orders targeting law firms, and one firm's attempt to avoid a directive, have each received pushback at top law schools, with more than 90 Harvard faculty members objecting to the measures' effect on the rule of law and Georgetown students blasting Skadden's deal with Trump as a second firm associate publicly resigned.

  • March 31, 2025

    Colo. Firm Says Former Atty Uses Google Ads To Steal Clients

    A prominent Colorado personal injury law firm has sued a former employee for trademark infringement, accusing the lawyer of purchasing Google ads so prospective clients searching for the Franklin D. Azar & Associates firm are directed to a phone number and website for his lesser-known law firm instead.

  • March 31, 2025

    Carlton Fields Faces DQ Bid In $500M Miss America Suit

    Carlton Fields faces a disqualification bid for allegedly having a conflict of interest in a $500 million lawsuit regarding the ownership of the company that runs the Miss America pageant.

  • March 31, 2025

    'American Idol' Singer Wants Early Win In Contract Fight

    Songwriter and former "American Idol" contestant Lauren Spencer-Smith, who rose to fame when her 2022 song "Fingers Crossed" went viral on TikTok, is seeking an early win for her New York federal lawsuit's breach of fiduciary and contractual obligations and faithless servant allegations, saying Saturday that the defendants "took the trust that was reposed in them as Spencer-Smith's attorneys and agents, and used that trust for their own benefit to the detriment of Spencer-Smith."

  • March 31, 2025

    Atty Wants Firm In Neutral Hands Amid Dispute With Partner

    A co-founder of Hodges & Foty LLP is asking a Texas state court to appoint a receiver to manage the winding down of the Houston law firm, claiming that the external oversight is necessary to protect the firm's clients and its financial interests from harm at the hands of his fellow firm founder.

  • March 31, 2025

    DOJ Seeking Steep Costs To Make Challengers Think Twice

    The U.S. Department of Justice is quickly implementing President Donald Trump's plan to seek huge sums of money from litigants whose cases impede his agenda but ultimately prove unsuccessful, court records show.

  • March 31, 2025

    Faegre Drinker Fights Sanctions Bid In Trump IP Song Suit

    Conservative group Turning Point Action Inc. is urging a Georgia federal judge not to sanction its Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP counsel in a copyright suit filed by the estate of soul artist Isaac Lee Hayes Jr. over President Donald Trump playing his song "Hold On, I'm Comin'," disputing claims they submitted a "frivolous" dismissal bid.

  • March 31, 2025

    Disbarred Fraudster Gets 25 Years For $18M Hemp Scam

    A disbarred attorney with a history of investor fraud was sentenced to 25 years in prison for a scheme in which he solicited more than $18 million from investors by claiming to own a hemp farm that didn't exist and overhyping an edibles company.

  • March 31, 2025

    Ex-Workday Atty's Bias Claims Axed, Stock Dispute Kept Alive

    A California federal judge tossed a Black ex-Workday attorney's claims that he endured race and disability bias that culminated in the software vendor sending police to his house to conduct an unnecessary wellness check, but the judge allowed the attorney pursue claims that he was shorted on stock options.

  • March 31, 2025

    Perkins Coie DQ'd From Facial Recognition IP Suit

    Perkins Coie LLP has been disqualified from defending Jumio Corp. in a patent infringement lawsuit involving facial recognition technology, with the San Francisco federal judge who signed the order citing the firm's prior general corporate and intellectual property representation of plaintiff FaceTec Inc.

  • March 31, 2025

    Boston Bomber Judge Won't Recuse From Juror Bias Inquiry

    A Massachusetts federal judge declined to recuse himself from conducting an inquiry into potential juror bias during the trial of Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

  • March 31, 2025

    Eric Adams Urges Speedy Dismissal As NYC Primaries Loom

    New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Monday urged a Manhattan federal judge to promptly throw out his bribery and corruption charges, pointing to an upcoming mayoral election filing deadline and the court's previous vows to rule quickly.

  • March 29, 2025

    Up Next At High Court: Terror Liability, Health Provider Choice

    The U.S. Supreme Court will return to the bench this week to consider whether a federal law subjecting Palestinian government organizations to federal jurisdiction violates due process principles and if the Medicaid Act's provider choice provision allows individual benefit recipients to sue states over the disqualification of healthcare providers. 

  • March 28, 2025

    Judge Blocks Bid To 'Hijack' $44M Ga. Realtor Settlement

    A Georgia federal judge on Friday rejected a bid by the plaintiffs who brought a series of landmark fee inflation claims against the National Association of Realtors and major brokerages to intervene in a similar Peach State action, putting their bid to block an alleged lowball settlement on ice.

  • March 28, 2025

    Failed Software Secrets Case Costs MasterCard Unit $2.8M

    A federal judge in Utah has ordered a MasterCard unit to cough up over $2.8 million in legal fees for "aggressively" litigating an "objectively specious" trade secrets suit against two McKinsey consultants who went on to found one of MasterCard's only serious rivals in a corner of the business analytics software market.

  • March 28, 2025

    TSI Ch. 7 Trustee Opposes Firm's Withdrawal From The Case

    The Chapter 7 trustee for the Teams Systems International estate is opposing the withdrawal of law firm Cross & Simon from representing the defunct company and its principals in an adversary action alleging the misappropriation of some $14 million of funds in the years leading up to the bankruptcy, arguing it will leave the defendants without counsel with multiple matters pending.

  • March 28, 2025

    Judge Won't End Atty Dispute Over Beirut Bombing Suit

    A federal judge declined to give a Maryland law firm a pretrial win in a lawsuit brought by two Houston attorneys who accused it of unfairly terminating a joint venture for litigation over the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing.

  • March 28, 2025

    Tubi Says Keller Postman Breached Deal In Arbitration Fight

    The D.C. federal judge overseeing video streaming service Tubi Inc.'s tortious interference suit against Keller Postman LLC over mass arbitration claims ordered the parties on Friday to schedule a status conference for next month, in light of Tubi's claims that the firm violated an agreement.

  • March 28, 2025

    No Admission Needed For Conn. Atty To Use Anti-SLAPP Law

    A Connecticut attorney and his Hartford firm weren't required to admit that they engaged in allegedly disparaging speech against a former employee in order to use the anti-SLAPP statute in their attempt to toss the case, a state appeals court ruled Friday in a matter of first impression. 

  • March 28, 2025

    Shutts & Bowen Accused Of Sinking Florida Country Club Sale

    A real estate corporation is suing Florida firm Shutts & Bowen LLP and one of its partners for malpractice, alleging that as part of a fee dispute, they scuttled a deal for the sale of a country club that the business had been negotiating.

  • March 28, 2025

    3rd Circ. Preview: April Arguments Feature Class Action Rows

    The Third Circuit's April argument lineup springs into action with securities litigation brought by Walmart investors claiming they were misled about the government's opioid investigation into the company, and a bid to upend an attorney fee award stemming from the settlement of data breach litigation against convenience store chain Wawa.

  • March 28, 2025

    NC Atty Can't Shield Bank Docs From Tycoon In Hacking Suit

    A North Carolina attorney and former FBI agent can't stop aviation tycoon Farhad Azima from parsing through his bank records as part of an international hacking conspiracy case, a federal judge said Friday, though he did limit the scope of the records Azima sought.

  • March 28, 2025

    NJ Law Firm Beats DQ Bid Over Atty's Indictment

    The indictment of Brown & Connery LLP senior partner William Tambussi on since-dismissed racketeering charges does not create a conflict of interest that would require the firm to stop representing New Jersey in an employee retaliation lawsuit, a state appellate court has ruled.

  • March 28, 2025

    Ohio Judge Admits To Steering Receivership Work To Friend

    Ohio's judicial disciplinary panel on Friday tossed objections to an ethics grievance filed against a family court judge, after the judge admitted she jockeyed for divorce cases in other judges' courts and funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of work to her friend, a court-appointed receiver with whom she said she had fallen in love.

Expert Analysis

  • The Legal Industry Needs A Cybersecurity Paradigm Shift

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    As law firms face ever-increasing risks of cyberattacks and ransomware incidents, the legal industry must implement robust cybersecurity measures and privacy-centric practices to preserve attorney-client privilege, safeguard client trust and uphold the profession’s integrity, says Ryan Paterson at Unplugged.

  • 5 Reasons Associates Shouldn't Take A Job Just For Money

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    As a number of BigLaw firms increase salary scales for early-career attorneys, law students and lateral associates considering new job offers should weigh several key factors that may matter more than financial compensation, say Albert Tawil at Lateral Hub and Ruvin Levavi at Power Forward.

  • Series

    Playing Competitive Tennis Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My experience playing competitive tennis has highlighted why prioritizing exercise and stress relief, maintaining perspective under pressure, and supporting colleagues in pursuit of a common goal are all key aspects of championing a successful legal career, says Madhumita Datta at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • Series

    The Pop Culture Docket: Judge Djerassi On Super Bowl 52

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    Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judge Ramy Djerassi discusses how Super Bowl 52, in which the Philadelphia Eagles prevailed over the New England Patriots, provides an apt metaphor for alternative dispute resolution processes in commercial business cases.

  • Considerations For Lawyer Witnesses After FTX Trial

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    Sam Bankman-Fried's recent trial testimony about his lawyers' involvement in FTX's business highlights the need for attorney-witnesses to understand privilege issues in order to avoid costly discovery disputes and, potentially, uncover critical evidence an adversary might seek to conceal, says Lawrence Bluestone at Genova Burns.

  • Employee Experience Strategy Can Boost Law Firm Success

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    Amid continuing business uncertainty, law firms should consider adopting a holistic employee experience strategy — prioritizing consistency, targeting signature moments and leveraging measurement tools — to maximize productivity and profitability, says Haley Revel at Calibrate Consulting.

  • Series

    Competing In Triathlons Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    While practicing law and competing in long-distance triathlons can make work and life feel unbalanced at times, participating in the sport has revealed important lessons about versatility, self-care and perseverance that apply to the office as much as they do the racecourse, says Laura Heusel at Butler Snow.

  • Opinion

    History Reveals Folly Of Absolute Presidential Immunity

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    As a federal appeals court grapples with former President Donald Trump’s claims that he’s immune from prosecution on election interference charges, it’s a fitting time for lawyers to reflect on the rule of law — from 13th century jurisprudence to Watergate and the Clinton impeachment — and how the idea of absolute presidential immunity is unwise, says attorney Steven Reske.

  • Where Justices Stand On Chevron Doctrine Post-Argument

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    Following recent oral argument at the U.S. Supreme Court, at least four justices appear to be in favor of overturning the long-standing Chevron deference, and three justices seem ready to uphold it, which means the ultimate decision may rest on Chief Justice John Roberts' vote, say Wayne D'Angelo and Zachary Lee at Kelley Drye.

  • Perspectives

    6 Practice Pointers For Pro Bono Immigration Practice

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    An attorney taking on their first pro bono immigration matter may find the law and procedures beguiling, but understanding key deadlines, the significance of individual immigration judges' rules and specialized aspects of the practice can help avoid common missteps, says Steven Malm at Haynes Boone.

  • Lessons From Country Singer's Personal Service Saga

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    Recent reports that country singer Luke Combs won a judgment against a Florida woman who didn’t receive notice of the counterfeit suit against her should serve as a reminder for attorneys on best practices for effectuating service by electronic means, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.

  • Series

    Baking Bread Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    After many years practicing law, and a few years baking bread, I have learned that there are a few keys to success in both endeavors, including the assembly of a nourishing and resilient culture, and the ability to learn from failure and exercise patience, says Rick Robinson at Reed Smith.

  • Federal Courts And AI Standing Orders: Safety Or Overkill?

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    Several district court judges have issued standing orders regulating the use of artificial intelligence in their courts, but courts should consider following ordinary notice and comment procedures before implementing sweeping mandates that could be unnecessarily burdensome and counterproductive, say attorneys at Curtis.

  • Wachtell-X Ruling Highlights Trend On Arbitrability Question

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    A growing body of case law, including a California state court's recent decision in X Corp. v. Wachtell, holds that incorporation of specific arbitral body rules in an arbitration provision may in and of itself constitute clear and unmistakable evidence of delegation of arbitrability to an arbitrator, and thus such clauses should be drafted carefully, say attorneys at Norton Rose.

  • 7 E-Discovery Predictions For 2024 And Beyond

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    The legal and technical issues of e-discovery now affect virtually every lawsuit, and in the year to come, practitioners can expect practices and policies to evolve in a number of ways, from the expanded use of relevancy redactions to mandated information security provisions in protective orders, say attorneys at Littler.

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