Legal Ethics

  • November 06, 2025

    Lawmakers Rip Judges Over Anonymous High Court Criticism

    Two Republican lawmakers have asked Chief Justice John Roberts to rein in judges who've anonymously criticized the U.S. Supreme Court's flurry of "shadow docket" rulings, but a full-on investigation appears unlikely.

  • November 06, 2025

    Edwards Defends $945M Heart Valve Deal From FTC Challenge

    Edwards Lifesciences urged a D.C. federal court to reject the Federal Trade Commission's bid to put its planned $945 million acquisition of JenaValve on hold, saying the deal will increase innovation and save the lives of thousands of people with a form of heart valve disease.

  • November 06, 2025

    Atty Exits Bankruptcy Case Amid Judge Romance Fallout

    The embattled wind-down trustee for defunct life insurance bond seller GWG Holdings in a Houston Chapter 11 case has resigned from the role amid the fallout from her secret romance with a then-bankruptcy judge in the Southern District of Texas.

  • November 06, 2025

    Larry Klayman Gets 2-Year License Suspension In Florida

    The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday suspended conservative activist attorney Larry Klayman's law license for two years in a reciprocal disciplinary proceeding that arose from claims of ethical violations in the District of Columbia.

  • November 06, 2025

    SD Judge DQs Counsel, Denies Early Win In $1M Fraud Suit

    A South Dakota federal judge has disqualified a Miami attorney from defending an investment adviser in a $1 million fraud suit, finding the lawyer is likely to be a key witness in the case, on the same day she issued a separate order denying the adviser an early win on summary judgment.

  • November 06, 2025

    Ex-Ga. Atty Says Former Law Firm Violated Severance Deal

    An attorney who was disbarred in Georgia earlier this year has sued his former Atlanta-area law firm claiming that it owes him more than $70,000 for breaking his termination settlement by confiscating his files and trashing his name to his former paralegal and clients.

  • November 06, 2025

    Calif. Judge OKs $1.3M Deal Over Houser LLP Data Breach

    A California federal judge on Oct. 31 signed off on final approval of a $1.3 million settlement and $351,000 in attorney fees in a class action against business litigation firm Houser LLP over a 2023 data breach.

  • November 06, 2025

    Okla. Justices Claim Immunity In Pot Atty's Suspension Suit

    The Oklahoma Supreme Court is urging a federal court to dismiss a suit from a disbarred attorney who claimed his suspension was retaliation for public criticism of the justices and the state bar, saying the high court has sovereign immunity under the Eleventh Amendment.

  • November 06, 2025

    2nd Circ. Orders New Look At Trump's Hush Money Case

    In a published opinion, the Second Circuit on Thursday ordered a federal district judge to take a fresh look at President Donald Trump's attempt to move his New York hush money conviction to federal court, citing the U.S. Supreme Court's 2024 presidential immunity ruling as grounds for reconsidering the case.

  • November 05, 2025

    AGs Defend Bid To Intervene In DOJ's HPE Merger Deal

    More than a dozen Democratic attorneys general have assailed the Justice Department and Hewlett Packard Enterprise for fighting their bid to peek behind the controversial settlement clearing HPE's $14 billion purchase of Juniper Networks, telling a California federal judge that Congress created court oversight for deals just like this.  

  • November 05, 2025

    Everclear Maker Wants Plaintiff's Atty Gagged For Harassment

    Everclear's manufacturer has asked a Massachusetts federal judge to order an attorney representing an international exchange student claiming to have suffered third-degree burns fueled by the high-proof spirit to stop sending harassing emails and otherwise trying to upend the trial through public disclosures made in social media posts.

  • November 05, 2025

    Colo. Atty Censured For Misleading Court In Wages Suit

    The Colorado Supreme Court's disciplinary body publicly censured an attorney Tuesday for making misrepresentations while he served as general counsel for a company owner in an employment dispute.

  • November 05, 2025

    Investigator Immunity Limited In Death Row Exoneree Suit

    An exonerated Florida death row inmate who accused a fingerprint examiner and investigators of causing his wrongful double-murder convictions can continue his case against them, the Eleventh Circuit has ruled, affirming qualified immunity does not shield them from certain allegations.

  • November 05, 2025

    FTC Wants 'Tainted' Drs. Testimony Barred From Merger Case

    The Federal Trade Commission wants a D.C. federal judge to bar a pair of outside doctors and consultants from vouching for Edwards Lifesciences' planned JenaValve acquisition, arguing in a filing made public Tuesday that claims of minimal communication between the physicians' counsel and the companies were "at best, misleading."

  • November 05, 2025

    Texas Justices Mull Pro Se Atty's Contact With Opposite Party

    Texas' justices appeared skeptical that a lawyer deserved to get suspended for five years after he contacted members of the Commission for Lawyer Discipline, asking Wednesday whether the rule barring attorneys from directly contacting a party represented by counsel applies to lawyers representing themselves.

  • November 05, 2025

    Atty Is Still Making Cyberstalking Posts, Feds Say

    Federal prosecutors on Wednesday asked a Texas federal court to order an attorney who has been charged with cyberstalking detained until trial, saying she continues to make incriminating blog posts in violation of the terms of her pretrial release.

  • November 05, 2025

    NJ Panel Unsure Businessman's Threats Broke Law

    A New Jersey appellate panel on Wednesday appeared skeptical that the sprawling racketeering indictment against Garden State businessman George E. Norcross was improperly dismissed, asking the state in its bid to revive the case how the power broker's alleged threats outlined in its 111-page indictment were unlawful.

  • November 05, 2025

    Fired E-Biz Execs Sue Jackson Walker Over Judge's Romance

    A pair of former executives at e-commerce company Volusion LLC have hit Jackson Walker LLP with the latest in a series of suits accusing the firm of legal malpractice stemming from the undisclosed romance between a former partner and a Texas bankruptcy judge.

  • November 05, 2025

    Atty Owes More Than $1M For Note Default, Ga. Bank Says

    An attorney and his companies defaulted on a promissory note for more than $1.1 million, as well as interest, fees and costs, a Georgia-based bank alleges in a complaint filed Tuesday in Louisiana federal court.

  • November 05, 2025

    NJ Appeals Court Tosses Claim In Ex-Prosecutor's Suit

    A New Jersey state appeals court dismissed one count on Wednesday from the former Warren County prosecutor's suit against Gov. Phil Murphy and Attorney General Matthew Platkin that alleges he was deceived into resigning from his role.

  • November 05, 2025

    After Atty DQ, Family Preserves Claims Against Home Depot

    A child whose foot was run over by a lawn mower driven by her father will be allowed to put on hold her lawsuit against Home Depot USA Inc. and the mower's maker, a New Jersey federal judge ruled, giving the family time to find replacement counsel after their prior firm was disqualified due to a conflict.

  • November 05, 2025

    Conn. Firm Says Departing Atty Failed To Pay For Clients

    A five-attorney family law firm based in Stamford, Connecticut, told a state court that a contract attorney violated her employment agreement by failing to pay a fee for clients who went with her when she started a new practice at the end of her employment.

  • November 05, 2025

    What To Know About Changes To Texas Judicial Ethics Panel

    Lone Star State voters on Tuesday overwhelmingly supported a ballot measure that will eliminate the role of the State Bar of Texas in appointing members to a judicial misconduct commission and give more power to the governor, a move hailed by supporters as promoting accountability and derided by critics over politicization concerns.

  • November 05, 2025

    Judge Slams DOJ's 'Indict First' Strategy In Comey Case

    Federal prosecutors were given just over 24 hours to hand over all of the grand jury materials and anything seized under years-old warrants in the James Comey case when a Virginia federal judge said Wednesday that the government appeared to be pursuing an "indict first, investigate last" strategy.

  • November 05, 2025

    Ethics Case Dropped After Fla. State Judge Steps Down

    A Florida judicial ethics panel has dropped ethics charges against a state judge accused of improperly holding people in contempt, handcuffing an alleged crime victim and acting unprofessionally, days after the judge resigned.

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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