Legal Ethics

  • June 05, 2025

    Med Mal Juror Misconduct Claim Won't Mean New Trial

    An Indiana state appeals court Thursday upheld a defense win in a medical malpractice trial despite a juror's post-verdict revelation that she had previously heard of a defense expert witness.

  • June 05, 2025

    Ex-Atty Says IRS Suit Over Property Sale Tactic Is Retaliatory

    A former attorney has asked an Idaho federal court to toss the government's suit accusing him and his company of promoting an abusive tax scheme, arguing that the underlying property sale transactions were above board but the government targeted him as punishment for suing the IRS and to gain backdoor access into confidential business records.

  • June 05, 2025

    Paralegal Gets Firm's Extortion Counterclaim Nixed

    A law firm's counterclaim accusing a paralegal of launching an unpaid overtime wages lawsuit against it in order to try to extort it for money cannot proceed, a Texas federal judge ruled Thursday, saying the claim isn't sufficiently linked to the underlying dispute.

  • June 05, 2025

    Dems, GOP Question Contempt Section Of Reconciliation Bill

    Senate Democrats have vowed to do whatever they can to defeat a provision in the budget reconciliation that would limit federal courts' ability to hold federal officials in contempt, and some Republicans are wary of it as well. 

  • June 05, 2025

    Fla. Justices Set New Atty Suspension Rule For Felony Cases

    Florida attorneys who are charged with a felony will soon be given the opportunity to respond before the issuing of an interim suspension under a new rule created by the Florida Supreme Court Thursday.

  • June 05, 2025

    Judge Rejects DC Bid To Toss Black Atty's Bias Suit

    A D.C. federal judge allowed a city attorney's discrimination and retaliation lawsuit to proceed to discovery Thursday, rejecting the D.C. government's motion to toss the claims that a city administrative law judge discriminated against Black women and paid the plaintiff attorney less than her male peers.

  • June 05, 2025

    Sills Cummis Slams 'Woefully Inadequate' Docs In Fees Suit

    Sills Cummis & Gross PC is asking a New Jersey state court to order a former client to produce documents to back up allegations the law firm padded legal bills that reached about $1.5 million, saying the man's responses have been "inadequate" and "vaguely written."

  • June 05, 2025

    Girardi's Son-In-Law Admits Contempt In Illinois Theft Case

    Tom Girardi's son-in-law pled guilty to criminal contempt Thursday in Illinois federal court, admitting he knew the once-celebrated plaintiffs lawyer failed to pay millions of dollars in plane crash settlement funds they had been ordered to distribute to their clients "as soon as practical."

  • June 05, 2025

    Convicted Fla. Atty Urges 11th Circ. To Reexamine Sentence

    A Florida lawyer sentenced to 75 months in prison over a COVID-19 loan fraud scheme has asked the Eleventh Circuit to rehear her sentencing en banc, arguing the appellate court should reexamine the district court's so-called Keane statement allegedly disregarding sentencing guidelines.

  • June 05, 2025

    Conn. Atty Seeks Digital Data To Unmask Alleged ID Thief

    Claggett Sykes & Garza LLC partner Andrew Garza told a Connecticut state court judge Thursday that someone used his identity to open bank accounts and file a fraudulent registration for his former law firm with the Secretary of the State's office, and he needs the court to order U.S. Bank and other companies to give him information that could reveal the perpetrator.

  • June 05, 2025

    Foley & Lardner Says Palestine Support Didn't Doom Job Offer

    Foley & Lardner LLP urged an Illinois federal judge to dismiss a bias suit by a former summer associate, arguing her job offer was rescinded not due to her Arab Muslim identity but because her public comments on Hamas' 2023 attack on Israel "violated the firm's core values" and showed "incredibly poor judgment."

  • June 05, 2025

    Atty Coalition Asks Fla. Bar To Open Ethics Probe Into Bondi

    A group of lawyers, law professors and former judges asked the Florida Bar on Thursday to open an ethics investigation into Pam Bondi's actions as attorney general, saying she has pushed U.S. Department of Justice attorneys to violate their ethical obligations under the guise of "zealous advocacy."

  • June 05, 2025

    Senate Panel Advances Picks For Nat. Sec. Post, Iowa US Atty

    The Senate voted 52-43 along party lines on Thursday to confirm John Andrew Eisenberg to be assistant attorney general for national security.

  • June 05, 2025

    Ga. Law Firm, Insurer Settle Over $6.4M Hotel Injury Case

    An insurance company that sued a law firm for malpractice in Georgia federal court after paying more than $6.4 million following a worker injury jury verdict against a construction company it insured, said Thursday that it had settled with the firm in connection with its representation of the company.

  • June 05, 2025

    Bernstein Litowitz Can Hire Ex-SEC Atty Over Musk Objection

    A New York federal judge on Thursday gave the all-clear for investor-side firm Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann LLP to hire the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's former litigation chief over the objections of Elon Musk.

  • June 04, 2025

    Apple Loses Bid To Pause App Store Order Amid Appeal

    A Ninth Circuit panel Wednesday refused to lift a lower court's injunction mandating certain App Store policy changes while Apple appeals it, saying that it wasn't "persuaded that a stay is appropriate" in the high-profile litigation brought by Epic Games.

  • June 04, 2025

    Skadden Foundation Chief Exits, Urging Pro Bono 'Courage'

    The executive director of Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP's Fellowship Foundation, which funds public interest legal work, announced her resignation Wednesday, two months after the firm struck a deal with President Donald Trump to avert an executive order that could have interfered with its business.

  • June 04, 2025

    High Court Told 'Categorical' Right To Counsel Must Persist

    A criminal defendant's right to consult with counsel during an overnight trial recess is "clear and categorical," a man who didn't receive that right has told the U.S. Supreme Court in preparation for his Sixth Amendment case to be heard before the justices.

  • June 04, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Pushes Back As Ramey Fights Fee Award To Google

    A Federal Circuit panel on Wednesday questioned Ramey LLP managing partner William Ramey's challenge to one of several sanctions that have recently been imposed on his firm in patent cases, with some judges suggesting that the order in question in a case against Google LLC appeared warranted.

  • June 04, 2025

    NC Biz Court Bulletin: TikTok Tussle And Merger Melee

    Spring has sprung momentous decisions and quiet resolutions in some of the North Carolina Business Court's top cases, from clearing for trial the attorney general's suit over a hospital's post-merger standard of care to Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft LLP dropping its coverage dispute over a 2022 data breach.

  • June 04, 2025

    FIFA Slams Atty's Bid To 'Circumvent' DQ In Puerto Rico Case

    A Puerto Rican attorney may not sidestep a disqualification order by dropping his personal claims from an antitrust case against FIFA in which he is both counsel and plaintiff, the organization told a federal judge Wednesday, arguing the lawyer is a "necessary fact witness" and therefore a conflict is unavoidable.

  • June 04, 2025

    Ill. Atty Faces 1 Year Suspension, Left Watchdog 'Baffled'

    An Illinois attorney who was sanctioned $1 million alongside his client for frivolously litigating a condominium governance fight and later helped that client engage in knowingly improper bankruptcy conduct should be suspended for a year and complete a professionalism seminar, a state disciplinary watchdog says.

  • June 04, 2025

    FTC Fights Attys Who Want State Bar Input On Ethics Worries

    The Federal Trade Commission doesn't want staff attorneys to be able to seek state bar association guidance if they dispute the legality of an instruction, arguing in a fight with the FTC's union that seeking such guidance would gum up the gears of commission work.

  • June 04, 2025

    Last Defendant In 'Shell Factory' Scheme Gets 1½ Yrs

    A Florida federal judge Wednesday sentenced the final defendant rounded up in the "Shell Factory Fraud" to 18 months in prison for his role in creating fake shell companies as part of a pump-and-dump scheme.

  • June 04, 2025

    Pa. Firm Defends Informal Biz Arrangement In Coverage Bid

    A Philadelphia law firm and its insurer sparred Wednesday in Pennsylvania court over whether the firm needed to be an incorporated business entity to have standing for a coverage lawsuit, with the firm's attorney saying that the insurer never questioned the informal business arrangement that consisted of two seasoned lawyers sharing office space and a secretary.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Being An Artist Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My work as an artist has highlighted how using creativity and precision together — qualities that are equally essential in both art and law — not only improves outcomes, but also leads to more innovative and thoughtful work, says Sarah La Pearl at Segal McCambridge.

  • How Judiciary Can Minimize AI Risks In Secondary Sources

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    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.

  • How Attorneys Can Break Free From Career Enmeshment

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    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.

  • Ex-Chicago Politician's Case May Further Curb Fraud Theories

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    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.

  • Lawyers With Disabilities Are Seeking Equity, Not Pity

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    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.

  • Opinion

    Judicial Committee Best Venue For Litigation Funding Rules

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    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.

  • The Strategic Advantages Of Appointing A Law Firm CEO

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    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.

  • Series

    Beekeeping Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    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.

  • Opinion

    Legal Institutions Must Warn Against Phony Election Suits

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    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.

  • How Cos. Can Build A Strong In-House Pro Bono Program

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    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.

  • Series

    Home Canning Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    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.

  • Use The Right Kind Of Feedback To Help Gen Z Attorneys

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    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.

  • Opinion

    Congress Can And Must Enact A Supreme Court Ethics Code

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    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.

  • Series

    The Pop Culture Docket: Justice Lebovits On Gilbert And Sullivan

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    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.

  • State Of The States' AI Legal Ethics Landscape

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    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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