Legal Ethics

  • May 13, 2025

    IT Worker Accuses Feds Of Malware Trial Evidence 'Ambush'

    A former IT worker at an Ohio power management company has asked for a new trial on charges that he intentionally corrupted his employer's computer system with malware, saying prosecutors withheld evidence until the last minute that directly rebutted a key aspect of his defense.

  • May 13, 2025

    Law Firms Expected To Settle Veteran's TCPA Suit

    A veteran told a North Carolina federal judge he expects to settle a suit accusing several law firms and lawyers of badgering him about representing him in litigation over Camp Lejeune's drinking water even though he was never stationed at the base.

  • May 13, 2025

    Buzbee Beats Suit Claiming He Coerced Client To Settle

    Texas attorney Anthony Buzbee, who is making headlines by filing sexual abuse lawsuits against music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs, has defeated a malpractice suit filed in Louisiana federal court by a ship captain alleging that the attorney pushed him to settle a work injury claim, then took 98% of the final disbursement.

  • May 13, 2025

    CFTC Faces Sanctions For 'Bad Faith' Actions In Forex Case

    The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission is staring down sanctions in a case accusing a foreign exchange firm of fraud, with a special master recommending Tuesday that the agency pay the firm's legal fees for acting in bad faith in order to gain a "tactical advantage" in the case.

  • May 13, 2025

    MoFo DQ Sought In IP Case After Perkins Coie Ouster

    A software developer pursuing intellectual property claims against another technology company in San Francisco federal court has followed through with its threat to seek removal of Morrison & Foerster LLP after it succeeded in disqualifying Perkins Coie LLP, arguing the firms worked closely together and new counsel is necessary to avoid prejudice.

  • May 13, 2025

    Ga. Justices Nix Atty Immunity Doctrine, Uphold Tossing Case

    The Georgia Supreme Court on Tuesday overturned a long-standing attorney immunity doctrine that a lower court found shielded Barnes & Thornburg LLP from a legal malpractice suit, but the justices concluded that a onetime client's claims still fell short.

  • May 13, 2025

    Ex-Defender Can't Block Mystery Info In Sex Bias Case Appeal

    The federal government can submit additional documents from a district court case record in an appeal by a former assistant public defender in North Carolina who accused the federal judiciary of sex bias, the Fourth Circuit ruled Tuesday over the assistant public defender's objections.

  • May 13, 2025

    Insurers Say McCarter Can't Blame NY Town In $22M Loan Suit

    Two insurers asked a Connecticut judge to nix four of McCarter & English LLP's defenses in a $22.3 million lawsuit over the firm's role in crafting loans for recreational improvements in a Long Island, New York, town, saying the firm can't blame municipal officials while defending contract and malpractice claims.

  • May 13, 2025

    Suspended Atty Accused Of Bomb Threat Seeks To DQ Judge

    A suspended attorney accused of threatening to firebomb a Nashville, Tennessee, federal courthouse wants to disqualify the judge handling his case, claiming he harbors a "deep-seated antagonism" toward his defense counsel over a previous trial that ended in "disaster."

  • May 13, 2025

    Fla. Medical Cos. Sue Akerman For Malpractice, Fight Fees Bid

    After Akerman LLP filed suit against Rennova Health Inc. and medical laboratories for unpaid fees last month, the healthcare services company swung back with a motion to dismiss that case, while the labs filed their own malpractice lawsuits.

  • May 13, 2025

    Attys Push 11th Circ. To Weigh Judge Shopping Sanctions

    The Eleventh Circuit can hear three attorneys' appeal of sanctions against them for judge shopping during their legal challenge to an Alabama law criminalizing gender-affirming care, because the underlying case was dismissed, making the jurisdictional question moot, two of those lawyers told the appellate court.

  • May 13, 2025

    Ga. Judge Resigns To End Ethics Probe Over Spending

    A Georgia chief probate judge resigned Friday as part of a deal to end a state judicial ethics investigation into allegations that she improperly voided traffic payments to the court in multiple instances and used a county-issued card for a personal trip and lodging.

  • May 13, 2025

    Venable Wants Out Of 'It Ends With Us' Subpoena

    Venable LLP asked a D.C. federal judge to toss a subpoena of the firm stemming from litigation between actors Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni over the movie "It Ends with Us," accusing Baldoni and his production company of embarking on an "unwarranted fishing expedition."

  • May 13, 2025

    Attys Invoke 5th Amendment In Mexican Bank Discovery Row

    Lawyers for a Mexican businessman told a Houston federal court that sanctions are not warranted in their response to a subpoena amid discovery by a Mexican bank, arguing their client is justified in preserving his Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination.

  • May 12, 2025

    3M Says It'll Pay $285M To End Past, Future NJ PFAS Claims

    3M has agreed to shell out $285 million to put to rest environmental claims brought by New Jersey officials over purported PFAS contamination at the Chamber Works manufacturing facility in Salem County as well as statewide claims the Garden State may have in the future, according to an announcement made Monday.

  • May 12, 2025

    Missouri Hit With Sanctions In Generics Price-Fixing Fight

    A Connecticut federal judge Monday agreed to sanction and potentially dismiss for good the state of Missouri from antitrust litigation by state enforcers accusing generic-drug makers of conspiring to raise drug prices, finding Missouri violated a court order by ignoring the drugmakers' repeated discovery requests.

  • May 12, 2025

    DC Judge Grapples With Jurisdiction In ABA Grant Row

    A D.C. federal judge wrestled with his court's jurisdiction Monday as the American Bar Association sought a court order reviving terminated federal grant funding for its Commission on Domestic & Sexual Violence.

  • May 12, 2025

    Ex-Trump Attys Can't Dodge Jan. 6 In Ethics Case, Panel Told

    The Michigan Attorney Grievance Commission has told a disciplinary panel the events of Jan. 6, 2021, should be open for discussion at a hearing for attorneys accused of violating ethics rules by filing a challenge to the state's 2020 election results, despite commissioners having no plans to elicit testimony about the protests.

  • May 12, 2025

    Colo. Justices Undo DA's DQ From Judicial Stalking Case

    The Colorado Supreme Court on Monday said a lower court erred in disqualifying a district attorney's office from prosecuting criminal claims against someone accused of stalking a trial court judge, finding the office's alleged conflicts of interest amounted to routine actions amid the normal course of business.

  • May 12, 2025

    Wyo. Atty Asks To Scrap Widow's Suit Over Millions In Assets

    A Wyoming attorney hired to protect the assets of a lawyer who later took his own life is seeking an early exit from his widow's lawsuit laying claim to the money her late husband left behind, telling North Carolina's business court he has no ties to the state, where the complaint was filed.

  • May 12, 2025

    BigLaw Student Fellowship Faces Discrimination Charge

    A new legal advocacy organization alleged that a decades-old program that partners with dozens of BigLaw firms to support incoming law students is racially discriminatory.

  • May 12, 2025

    Cadwalader Drops Data Breach Coverage Suit Against Lloyd's

    Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft LLP and a Lloyd's of London syndicate it sued seeking coverage for litigation stemming from a 2022 data breach have agreed to end their dispute in North Carolina's business court with prejudice, according to a joint stipulation from the parties.

  • May 12, 2025

    Attys Face Sanctions Motion Over Combs Assault Suit

    Comedian Drew "Druski" Desbordes wants a California federal court to sanction the attorneys who've accused him of participating in a violent Bay Area gang rape alongside embattled rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs, claiming they willfully ignored a mountain of exonerating evidence.

  • May 12, 2025

    Texas Judge Suspended Over Vote Harvesting Indictment

    A Texas county judge was suspended without pay Monday by the state's judicial disciplinary body in connection with a felony indictment charging her with taking part in a vote harvesting scheme related to the 2022 election.

  • May 12, 2025

    Ex-California Court Commissioner Scolded For Texting Parties

    A former California state court commissioner has been publicly reprimanded for engaging in unsolicited communications with several of the litigants who appeared before him, both in person and by text, according to an order Friday.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • 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.

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