Legal Ethics

  • September 21, 2026

    Tesla Atty Misled Witness Days Before Bias Trial, Judge Hears

    The California Civil Rights Department asked a California judge for a protective order Monday on the first day of a bench trial over claims Tesla Inc. fostered racism at its Fremont factory, after a witness testified that an in-house Tesla attorney recently called him and misled him into believing he represented the agency.

  • September 21, 2026

    Costco Says It Didn't Say 'Zero Heavy Metals' In Protein Powder

    "Good, clean nutrition" doesn't actually mean "free of lead," Costco Wholesale Corp. told a Washington federal court on Friday as it pushed for dismissal of a proposed class action claiming its Orgain protein powders contained dangerous levels of toxic heavy metals.

  • September 21, 2026

    Ex-Prosecutor Escapes Jan. 6 Atty's Defamation Suit

    Former federal prosecutor Andrew Weissmann on Monday won judgment on the pleadings in a defamation case brought by attorney Stefan Passantino, who had represented Cassidy Hutchinson, after Passantino alleged Weissmann had defamed him when saying he'd "coached" Hutchinson "to lie" to the January 6th Select Committee.

  • September 21, 2026

    Sinema Denies Tryst With Ex-Guard Began During Marriage

    Former U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema has denied she started an affair with a former member of her security detail and U.S. Senate staff while he was married, according to an answer she filed in the ex-security guard's wife's federal suit under North Carolina's rare alienation of affection law.

  • September 21, 2026

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    The Delaware Chancery Court this past week dismissed a challenge to Alteryx Inc.'s $4.4 billion take-private sale, resolved a fight over the removal of a security technology company's director and declined to let Empery Digital Inc. immediately appeal a proxy contest ruling.

  • September 21, 2026

    IRS Properly Nixed Tax Deals, Couple Owe $1.8M, Judge Says

    A disbarred lawyer and his wife owe more than $1.8 million in outstanding tax liabilities the IRS has tried to collect for more than a decade, a Wisconsin federal judge said, finding the agency substantiated the liabilities and confirmed that it properly rescinded compromise offers to resolve the debts.

  • September 21, 2026

    $1.35M Class Deal Reached Over Botched Calif. Bar Exam

    Takers of the February 2025 California bar exam that was marred by technical failures have agreed to settle their proposed class action against the proctor for $1.35 million, while the company also agreed to complete quality checks before proctoring future bar examinations, according to a motion seeking preliminary approval in federal court.

  • September 21, 2026

    Greenberg Traurig Hit With Action Over Client Data Breach

    A proposed class of Greenberg Traurig LLP clients said the New York law firm failed to secure their personal data prior to a preventable data breach and delayed notifying clients of the breach for two weeks, in an action filed over the weekend in New York federal court seeking injunctive and other equitable relief to protect client data.

  • September 21, 2026

    Combs' Attys Call Him 'Difficult' In Bid To Exit Rape Suit

    Attorneys from Sher Tremonte LLP are asking a New Jersey federal court to let the firm withdraw from a civil suit against Sean Combs, saying the mogul has failed to pay a "substantial balance" of legal fees and has been uncooperative, rendering representation "unreasonably difficult."

  • September 21, 2026

    Ex-NJ AG Platkin Says Suit Over RICO Case Still Falls Short

    Former New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin says an amended malicious prosecution complaint against him, filed by a former CEO indicted in a now-dismissed racketeering case against South Jersey power broker George Norcross, still misses the mark.

  • September 21, 2026

    New Calif. Law Bars Legal Funders From Influencing Litigation

    Corporate investors and litigation funders will be barred from influencing litigation strategy in California under a new bill signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

  • September 18, 2026

    Ex-DOJ Chief Lambastes 'Abuses Of Power' In Goldstein Case

    The U.S. Department of Justice constantly made false statements in its criminal case against famed appellate advocate Tom Goldstein, and his convictions must be erased because "prosecutorial misconduct pervaded every stage of the proceedings," a former DOJ prosecutor told the Fourth Circuit.

  • September 18, 2026

    Maurene Comey Says DOJ's Firing Justification Is Off Base

    Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Maurene Comey on Friday urged a Manhattan federal judge to find the Trump administration unlawfully fired her due to its dislike of her father, former FBI director James Comey, saying there's no support for the claim that an AUSA can be terminated without cause.

  • September 18, 2026

    Texas Oil Exec Asks 5th Circ. To Ax 'Lopsided' $210M Verdict

    Exxon-acquired company InterOil's founder has urged the Fifth Circuit to reverse his $210 million loss in a lengthy Texas battle with a Swiss financier, arguing it resulted from a "lopsided" trial with sleeping and distracted jurors and a "cascading series of prejudicial errors" that wrongly allowed his ex-lawyer to testify.

  • September 18, 2026

    Judge Questions Whether 'Lawfare' Fund Fight Is Really Moot

    A Virginia federal judge seemed unlikely to toss a challenge to the Trump administration's nixed "Anti-Weaponization Fund" and tax audit immunity for the Trump family Friday, saying she worries the fund could be revived in a different form down the road.

  • September 18, 2026

    Ex-Animal Rescue Dir. Owes $975K In TM Feud, Judge Says

    A Pennsylvania federal judge has awarded animal shelter and rescue Last Chance Ranch a $975,000 judgment against its former director, saying the cyberpiracy and trademark infringement merited damages and attorney fees.

  • September 18, 2026

    Fla. Firm Looks To Dodge Bank's DQ Bid In Trade Secrets Suit

    Florida-based Trenam Law fought Friday against a disqualification bid in a trade secrets case over residential solar lending technology, arguing that its prior representation of defendant Climate First Bank ended two years ago and was limited to handling a few real estate deals.

  • September 18, 2026

    Patent Atty Can't Stop His USPTO Discipline Case

    An Ohio federal court rejected a patent attorney's suit looking to stop U.S. Patent and Trademark Office disciplinary proceedings against him, saying Friday that he misread a "plain, unambiguous and easily understood" statute in making his failed constitutional challenge.

  • September 18, 2026

    Fontainebleau Wins Case-Ending Sanctions In Rabbi Fight

    A Florida federal judge on Thursday issued case-ending sanctions against a rabbi for violating a gag order in the Fontainebleau Miami Beach's defamation suit against him, ruling that severe sanctions were necessary after repeated violations of the order.

  • September 18, 2026

    Ex-Wis. Judge Keeps License Amid ICE Conviction Appeal

    The ex-Wisconsin judge convicted of obstructing an ICE arrest will remain an attorney in good standing while she appeals, after the Supreme Court of Wisconsin declined to suspend her law license.

  • September 18, 2026

    Reed Smith Defends Docs Production In Ex-Atty's Bias Suit

    Reed Smith LLP urged a New Jersey court on Thursday to reject an "impulsive" motion from a former attorney suing it for gender discrimination seeking to strike its answer and affirmative defenses.

  • September 18, 2026

    Carlton Fields Can Fight For Fees In Miss America Case

    A Florida federal judge has ruled that Carlton Fields can intervene in a dispute involving its charging lien for unpaid legal fees in a $500 million fight over the ownership of the Miss America competition, saying the firm has a "sufficient interest" to intervene.

  • September 17, 2026

    AI Flubs, More Secure PACER Get Judiciary Forum Spotlight

    Misuse of artificial intelligence tools and a "state-of-the-art" revamp of electronic dockets in federal cases were among the hottest topics Thursday at a major meeting of judiciary leaders, who also heard a lawmaker warn of eroding trust in the U.S. Department of Justice.

  • September 17, 2026

    Immigration Attorney Wants SEC Sanctioned In EB-5 Case

    An immigration attorney and her firm asked a New York federal judge to sanction the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for failing to reasonably investigate an allegedly bogus unregistered securities claim it brought against them in an EB-5 immigrant investor case.

  • September 17, 2026

    $107M Union Carbide Asbestos Verdict Won't Be Revived

    A California appeals court on Wednesday affirmed a lower court's order for a new trial in an asbestos wrongful-death suit that produced a $107 million verdict, holding that substantial evidence supported the jury's findings against Union Carbide Corp. and a subcontractor.

Expert Analysis

  • NY Ch. 7 Ruling Continues Cash Advance Recharacterization

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    A New York bankruptcy court recently ruled in the Kossoff Chapter 7 proceedings that a merchant cash advance agreement was not a true asset sale, joining a growing number of decisions in concluding that such transactions are disguised loans and therefore subject to avoidance actions, says Schuyler Carroll at Manatt.

  • Series

    Being In A Band Made Me A Better Lawyer

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    Playing shows in storied New York City venues and rehearsing with my bandmates in poorly ventilated rooms helped develop the professional qualities I rely on as a litigator, including an ability to collaborate with strong-minded equals and the determination to treat each client with singular focus, says Eliad Shapiro at Herrick Feinstein.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Surviving A Long Trial

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    Most of law school trial advocacy is geared toward the sprint of trying a short case, but beyond managing a cross-examination or closing argument, effectively handling the marathon of a lengthy trial requires the ability to maintain composure, organization and credibility with the jury, says Mihir Elchuri at Hirschler.

  • Series

    Going To Hardcore Shows Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    While government contracts law and the hardcore scene may seem entirely unrelated, in my experience, both are about community, focus, being prepared for the unexpected and managing chaos, says Isaac Natter at Fluet.

  • 4 Tips For Using AI To Max Fee Awards In NY Lease Disputes

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    As New York's new artificial intelligence court filing rule takes effect, lawyers handling commercial lease disputes should set up an efficient billing structure, verify AI-generated research and calculations, and align fee requests to improve recoveries and avoid sanctions, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • Series

    Being A Sommelier Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Being a sommelier has quietly shaped how I practice law by changing the way I think, communicate and connect with people, and offers a constant reminder that expertise is about making your knowledge useful and accessible to others, says Kara Du at Sheppard.

  • Series

    Teaching SEC Investigations Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Instructing a law school course on U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission investigations has made me a more thoughtful, deliberate practitioner because it requires me to continually reassess and challenge what I know about securities law enforcement, how I know it and how best to explain it, says David Chase at Miami Law.

  • Series

    Judges On AI: Examining Administrative, Organizational Uses

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    U.S. District Judge Alan Albright of the Western District of Texas examines how artificial intelligence could transform a court's ability to deal with administrative work and organize materials when preparing for hearings or drafting opinions, thereby affording judges more time to resolve contested issues.

  • Series

    Being A Singer Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Before law school, I spent seven years trying to make it as a professional singer in Los Angeles, and nearly everything I learned about preparation, humility, confidence and more has followed me into my legal practice, says Jessica Caterina at Moses & Singer.

  • JPMorgan Ruling Shows Courts' Limited Role In Fee Fights

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    The Delaware Chancery Court's recent decision that JPMorgan Chase must cover more than $21 million in disputed legal fees for two former executives of the startup Frank illustrates the reality that companies, not the courts, are responsible for ongoing supervision of legal spending, says Theodore Edelman at GCE Advisors.

  • Series

    Being A Magician Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    The skills I've developed as a lifelong magician have translated directly into tangible benefits in the courtroom because performing magic and trying cases both live at the intersection of psychology, storytelling, timing and disciplined rehearsal, says Mark Dombroff at Fox Rothschild.

  • Series

    Bass Fishing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Landing a trophy striped bass and closing a big deal both require cultivating the patience to finesse — not force — your way to desired outcomes, changing course when your old approach isn’t working and learning from the ones that got away, says Jon Ruiss at Alston & Bird.

  • Roundup

    The Most Talked-About Supreme Court Decisions Of 2026

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    This term, 11 U.S. Supreme Court decisions quickly became hot topics among Law360's guest writers.

  • 'Tiger King' Funeral Clip Ruling Offers Fair Use Road Map

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    The Tenth Circuit's decision in Whyte Monkee v. Netflix that the streaming service's use of another party's funeral footage in the docuseries "Tiger King" constituted fair use lays out a framework for producers to apply the four statutory fair use factors to their own projects, says Frank D’Angelo at Loeb & Loeb.

  • Series

    Choral Singing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Singing in the New York City Bar Chorus — a hobby partly inspired by the late U.S. District Judge Richard Owen, who infused my clerkship year with opera music — has improved my legal career by refining my abilities to listen, exude confidence and develop emotional intelligence, says Bonnie Baker at Friedman Kaplan.

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