Legal Ethics

  • April 24, 2025

    ABA Sues DOJ For Ending Domestic, Sexual Violence Grants

    The American Bar Association sued the U.S. Department of Justice on Wednesday for terminating its grants to the Bar's Commission on Domestic and Sexual Violence, one of several federal funding cuts the ABA says are compelling it to lay off more than 300 people.

  • April 24, 2025

    Mich. Justices Deny Proposal For Reporting Suicide Threats

    A divided Michigan Supreme Court has rejected a proposed professional ethics rule that would have permitted lawyers to disclose a client's threat of self-harm as an exception to attorney-client confidentiality.

  • April 24, 2025

    Appeal Fast-Tracked In Feud Over Use Of Ex-Atty's Name

    The Second Circuit has fast-tracked an appeal by a Connecticut attorney who lost a lawsuit over his former law firm's alleged unauthorized use of his name and likeness after his firing.

  • April 23, 2025

    Susman Godfrey Seeks Permanent Shut Down Of Trump Order

    Susman Godfrey LLP on Wednesday urged a D.C. federal court to permanently block President Donald Trump's executive order revoking the law firm's access to government resources, chiding the order as a clear case of "unconstitutional retaliation" and an obvious bid to "chill protected advocacy."

  • April 23, 2025

    California Bar Says It Used AI To Craft Some Exam Questions

    The State Bar of California used artificial intelligence to develop certain multiple-choice questions that were included in the February exam, a revelation that left one law school assistant dean "shocked" and a move that the state bar said was "not clearly communicated" to its own leadership.

  • April 23, 2025

    Firm Can't Fight Conn. Scam Suit Fee Rulings, Ex-Client Says

    A Connecticut judge should not reconsider an award of attorney fees and interest against the law firm Mancini Provenzano & Futtner LLC because it already waived its arguments or brought them up in a pending appeal of a negligence judgment, a former client said this week.

  • April 23, 2025

    Judge's Same-Sex Wedding Ban Legal In Texas, Justices Hear

    A Texas appeals panel balked at a state judge's argument that refusing to officiate same-sex marriages keeps with Texas law during oral arguments Wednesday, saying the discussion had gotten "far afield" of the issues before the court.

  • April 23, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Won't Immediately Pause Sanctions On IP Attys

    A Federal Circuit judge on Wednesday declined to provide immediate relief to attorneys from Texas patent firm Ramey LLP fighting sanctions they've deemed "career ending," letting stand penalties coming due for practicing without licenses in California, among other conduct.

  • April 23, 2025

    After Sanction Bid, Savannah Aims To Toss Cop Shooting Suit

    Months after seeking sanctions against the attorneys representing the family of a Georgia man killed by police, the city of Savannah asked a federal judge Tuesday to toss the family's civil rights lawsuit and "refrain from second guessing" an officer's decision to shoot the man after he allegedly flashed a gun.

  • April 23, 2025

    Pryor Cashman Atty, Telebrands Beat RICO Suit Over Hose IP

    A Florida federal judge tossed Tristar Products' lawsuit claiming a Pryor Cashman LLP lawyer and his client Telebrands schemed to usurp a hose company's rights to a patent portfolio while also defrauding the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, finding none of the conduct alleged "comes even close to racketeering."

  • April 23, 2025

    Disney Seeks $532K Atty Sanctions In Artist's 'Moana' Suit

    Disney asked a California federal judge to issue $532,815 in sanctions against attorneys for an animator who alleged "Moana" lifted his Polynesian adventure story, arguing Tuesday that the plaintiff's lawyers vexatiously prolonged litigation with "sanctionable misconduct" by pursuing "baseless" trade secret misappropriation claims that were untimely and premised on a forged document.

  • April 23, 2025

    DC Judges Doubt Feds' Rationale For Orders Against Firms

    Two D.C. federal judges on Wednesday expressed skepticism toward the Trump administration's justifications for targeting WilmerHale and Perkins Coie LLP with executive orders, with one judge invoking a comparison to the Red Scare.

  • April 23, 2025

    Iraq's Counsel Can Stay In $120M Award Fight, DC Circ. Says

    The D.C. Circuit has declined to nix Pierson Ferdinand LLP's appearance as counsel for Iraq in an appeal challenging the enforcement of a $120 million arbitral award issued to a Cypriot construction and engineering firm, rejecting the company's allegations that Iraq engaged in "gamesmanship."

  • April 23, 2025

    Law Firm Fights Sanctions Bid In Mootness Fee Row

    Attorneys at Monteverde & Associates PC urged an Illinois federal judge not to order certain sanctions against them in a challenge to so-called mootness fees paid to settle and dismiss allegedly baseless merger disclosure suits, saying more sanctions would be inconsistent with "well-established" pleading and sanctions standards.

  • April 23, 2025

    Judge Orders MyPillow Attys To Explain AI Use, Fake Citations

    A Colorado federal judge on Wednesday ordered two attorneys for MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell to explain why she shouldn't refer them for discipline for a brief full of misquotes, miscited cases and references to cases that "do not exist," noting that it wasn't until she asked about artificial intelligence that one of the lawyers admitted to his use of it.

  • April 23, 2025

    Conservative Legal Group Sues For Federal Judiciary Records

    In its latest federal suit, the Washington-based conservative litigation group America First Legal Foundation has brought a claim against Chief U.S. Justice John Roberts, alleging that records held by the Judicial Conference must be subject to the Freedom of Information Act.

  • April 23, 2025

    Crypto Co. Drops Suit Against K&L Gates, For Now

    A bitcoin mining company has dropped its lawsuit against its former counsel K&L Gates LLP, ending for now its claims that the firm overbilled it and missed a key deadline in a separate bankruptcy action.

  • April 23, 2025

    SCOTUSblog Sold Amid Goldstein's Criminal Case

    SCOTUSblog has been sold to digital media company The Dispatch, according to announcements from both publications Wednesday, marking a new chapter for the U.S. Supreme Court-focused legal publication while its co-founder Tom Goldstein faces criminal charges.

  • April 23, 2025

    Mich. Judge Faces Ethics Complaint After Criminal Plea

    Michigan's judicial watchdog on Tuesday filed a complaint against the chief judge of a Michigan state district court who pled guilty to domestic violence charges for hitting his spouse, alleging that the jurist violated ethical codes for the criminal case and for disrespecting officers during the investigation.

  • April 23, 2025

    Ex-Atlanta Atty Asks 11th Circ. To Revive Sex Harassment Suit

    A former attorney for the city of Atlanta urged the Eleventh Circuit on Wednesday to revive her sexual harassment and disability discrimination suit against the city alleging she was fired after complaining that her boss, a prominent civil rights lawyer, made sexual advances towards her.

  • April 23, 2025

    Ex-Morgan & Morgan Client Seeks Remand In Malpractice Suit

    A former client of Morgan & Morgan has urged a Georgia federal court to return his proposed class action to state court, arguing that his complaint accusing the firm and a trial attorney of legal malpractice is a "local controversy" while the firm says he should arbitrate his claims.

  • April 23, 2025

    Judge Slams TCPA Atty Over Filing With 'No Legitimate Basis'

    A North Carolina magistrate judge on Wednesday chastised a Telephone Consumer Protection Act litigant and his attorney for filing a reply to a discovery motion after the court had already ruled on it, striking the reply from the docket and warning that further filings without "a legitimate basis" could lead to sanctions.

  • April 23, 2025

    Ex-CEO Fires Back At Jackson Walker's Standing Argument

    The former CEO of a defunct barge company is fighting to keep alive his lawsuit blaming the company's downfall on the judicial secret romance scandal that has consumed the Texas bankruptcy courts, claiming Jackson Walker LLP is using its own misdeeds to shield itself from liability.

  • April 23, 2025

    Judge Exits Allied Wallet Exec's Trial Over Plea Interference

    A Massachusetts federal judge agreed to step aside Wednesday from the criminal bank fraud case of a former Allied Wallet executive after acknowledging that he had improperly inserted himself into plea negotiations.

  • April 23, 2025

    Investment Fund Insists On DQing Connell Foley From Bias Suit

    A Black-owned investment company asked a New Jersey federal court to overturn a magistrate judge's decision denying its bid to disqualify a Connell Foley LLP attorney from representing the state in the investment firm's bias case.

Expert Analysis

  • Trump Faces Uphill Battle If He Tries To Target Prosecutors

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    On the campaign trail, President-elect Donald Trump promised to go after the state and federal prosecutors who had investigated and prosecuted him, but few criminal statutes would be applicable — to say nothing of the evidence required to substantiate any charges against prosecutors, says William Johnston at Bird Marella.

  • Series

    Being A Navy Reservist Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Serving this country in uniform has not only been one of the greatest honors of my life, but it has also provided me with opportunities to broaden my legal acumen and interpersonal skills in ways that have indelibly contributed to my civilian practice, says Phillip Smith at Weinberg Wheeler.

  • So You Want To Move Your Law Practice To Canada, Eh?

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    Google searches for how to move to Canada have surged in the wake of the U.S. presidential election, and if you’re an attorney considering a move to the Great White North, you’ll need to understand how the practice of law differs across the border, says David Postel at Henein Hutchison.

  • Promoting Diversity In The Selection Of ADR Neutrals

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Choosing neutrals from diverse backgrounds is an important step in promoting inclusion in the legal profession, and it can enhance the legitimacy and public perception of alternative dispute resolution proceedings, say attorneys at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • Series

    Playing Ultimate Makes Us Better Lawyers

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    In addition to being fun, ultimate Frisbee has improved our legal careers by emphasizing the importance of professionalism, teamwork, perseverance, enthusiasm and vulnerability, say Arunabha Bhoumik and Adam Bernstein at Regeneron. 

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Recent Rulings On Metadata

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    Several recent rulings reflect the competing considerations that arise when parties dispute the form of production for electronically stored information, underscoring that counsel must carefully consider how to produce and request reasonably usable data, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Striking A Balance Between AI Use And Attorney Well-Being

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    As the legal industry increasingly adopts generative artificial intelligence tools to boost efficiency, leaders must note the hidden costs of increased productivity, and work to protect attorneys’ well-being while unlocking AI’s full potential, says Ed Sohn at Factor.

  • Empathy In Mediation Offers A Soft Landing For Disputes

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    Experiencing a crash-landing on a recent flight underscored to me how much difference empathy makes in times of crisis or stress, including during mediation, says Eydith Kaufman at Alternative Resolution Centers.

  • 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.

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