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Legal Ethics
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June 20, 2024
Madonna Mulls Sanctions Bid After Fans Drop 'Frivolous' Suit
Attorneys defending Madonna, Live Nation and the Barclays Center against allegations that fans were "lulled" into buying tickets for a tardy show slammed the plaintiffs' unannounced dismissal of the "frivolous" case, telling a New York federal judge Wednesday they don't agree to bear their own costs and might seek sanctions.
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June 20, 2024
Conn. Atty Can't Get Reinstated Early After Embezzlement Rap
A Connecticut state court judge dismissed the reinstatement application of a disbarred attorney who, according to disciplinary authorities, filed it nearly 13 years early and without paying full restitution for the embezzlement that sent him to prison.
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June 20, 2024
Attys Accused Of Judge Shopping Rebut Fraud Allegations
An Alabama federal judge is conducting an in-camera review of a long-awaited "Q&A document" believed to have circulated among attorneys accused of judge shopping their efforts to fight a 2022 state law preventing transgender youth from accessing gender-affirming care, with the lawyers handing over the document but denying allegations of misconduct.
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June 20, 2024
Pa. Justices Rule 'Client Exception' Can't Save Med Mal Case
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that a law firm violated state discovery rules by simultaneously representing a physician and a nondefendant witness, saying a law firm representing a defendant treating physician cannot obtain information from a non-party treating physician without written consent or through discovery.
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June 20, 2024
Meet The Bridgegate Atty For NJ Power Broker In RICO Case
Law360 Pulse caught up with Michael Critchley Sr., counsel for recently indicted New Jersey Democratic power broker George E. Norcross III, and lawyers who know him about his decadeslong track record of successful legal defenses in high-profile cases and how he’s preparing for his latest challenge.
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June 20, 2024
2nd Circ. Affirms AIG's Win In Ex-Atty's Retaliation Suit
A former legal executive's retaliation lawsuit against American International Group Inc. has fizzled out as the Second Circuit on Thursday upheld an earlier ruling that found he was not fired for blowing the whistle on alleged fraud.
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June 20, 2024
Trump Says Willis Can't Erase DQ Appeal In Election Case
Former president Donald Trump urged the Georgia Court of Appeals on Thursday to keep alive his appeal of a trial court's decision that blocked Trump's bid to have Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis disqualified from the election interference case against him and co-defendants, arguing that his appeal involves issues of law.
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June 20, 2024
Calif. Court, Judge Escape Former Exec's Racial Bias Suit
A California federal judge handed an early win Wednesday to a state court and one of its judges, tossing out a racial discrimination and retaliation suit after finding that a former court executive officer failed to show how the judge who fired her had discriminated against her as a Black woman.
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June 20, 2024
Ex-McElroy Deutsch CFO Asks To Pull 5th Amend. Assertions
McElroy Deutsch Mulvaney & Carpenter LLC's former chief financial officer, who pled guilty to embezzling over $1.5 million from the firm in May, moved Wednesday to withdraw Fifth Amendment assertions he made in the firm's civil case against him.
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June 20, 2024
Judge Who Faced Ethics Trial Arrested At Atlanta Nightclub
A Georgia probate judge who has been the subject of a years-long judicial misconduct investigation was booked at the Fulton County Jail on Thursday after being arrested in the early morning hours.
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June 20, 2024
House Dems Ask Chief Justice To Say How He'll Review Ethics
Two top Democrats on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee asked Chief Justice John Roberts on Thursday how he's working to address the "glaring episodes" of ethical improprieties on the U.S. Supreme Court.
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June 20, 2024
Prosecutors Deny Spoiling Evidence In OneTaste Case
Brooklyn federal prosecutors have denied allegations of misconduct in the forced labor conspiracy case against two executives of sexual wellness company OneTaste, who claim an FBI agent instructed a potential key witness to delete emails.
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June 20, 2024
NC Law Firm Fights Ex-Client's Bid To Ditch Malpractice Deal
A personal injury law firm and one of its former attorneys urged a North Carolina state appeals court to enforce their settlement with a prior client in a legal malpractice suit, as the client asserts that he was sick during mediation and didn't know what he was doing when he signed the agreement.
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June 20, 2024
Fla. Judge's 'Conservative' Label No Cause For Reprimand
The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday declined to sanction a judge for calling herself a "conservative" during her first campaign for office last year, but the state justices did issue a public reprimand over the jurist's approval of a social media post that misled voters about her fundraising ahead of the election.
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June 20, 2024
Boies Schiller Tapped To Represent Ex-Judge In Romance Suit
A former Texas bankruptcy judge has brought on Boies Schiller Flexner LLP attorneys to defend him against a racketeering lawsuit from a barge business over his undisclosed romantic relationship with a then-Jackson Walker LLP attorney involved in the company's bankruptcy case.
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June 18, 2024
Embattled Colo. DA Defends Handling Of Murder Case
An elected Colorado prosecutor facing disciplinary charges related to her handling of a high profile murder case testified before a disciplinary panel on Tuesday, insisting in sometimes combative testimony that she never made inappropriate public comments about the case.
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June 18, 2024
The 2 Attys Ensnared In A NJ Mogul's Racketeering Rap
New Jersey businessman George E. Norcross III may be the alleged mastermind of a racketeering scheme to reap millions in tax credits on waterfront property in a distressed city, but the explosive indictment also reveals the purported roles of two attorneys with close ties to the Democratic Party.
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June 18, 2024
Cuomo's Ex-Aide Details Sex Harassment Claims In New Suit
Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's onetime executive assistant has filed a civil lawsuit in New York state court, accusing Cuomo of "outrageous sex discrimination and retaliation" roughly two years after related misdemeanor charges over the alleged misconduct were dropped.
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June 18, 2024
11th Circ. Orders New Shrimp Secrets Trial Over Judge's Exit
The Eleventh Circuit ordered a new trial in a trade secrets dispute involving breeders of disease-resistant shrimp, saying Tuesday that a magistrate judge who oversaw the trial's conclusion so that a federal judge could catch a flight exceeded his authority by answering jury questions and rejecting a defense counsel's request for clarification on damages awarded.
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June 18, 2024
Group Home's Atty In Europe On Day Of Depos, Court Told
The Connecticut Institute for the Blind should be sanctioned because its attorney went to Europe and three witnesses, including the CEO, failed to appear for depositions after a $13.4 million verdict arising from the death of a group home resident, the man's family told a state court judge Tuesday.
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June 18, 2024
Texas Atty Pares Border Phone Search Suit To Just APA Claim
A Texas attorney has significantly trimmed a lawsuit over cellphone searches at the border, dismissing claims he brought under the First and Fourth Amendments but leaving intact allegations the practice represents a violation of the federal Administrative Procedure Act.
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June 18, 2024
Dems Ask For Update On Justice Thomas Gifts Investigation
A pair of Democratic lawmakers have asked the judiciary's governing body for an update on its review of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas' failure to disclose years of luxury gifts and travel he received from conservative billionaires.
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June 18, 2024
Atty Ends Defamation Suit Over False Background Check
Connecticut attorney Dori B. Hightower and an acquaintance who allegedly disseminated a false background check report about the attorney have settled a defamation lawsuit in state court, according to a judicial notice filed on the case docket.
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June 18, 2024
Ford Says Sanctions Violated Due Process In $1.7B Case
Attorneys for Ford Motor Co. urged the Georgia Court of Appeals on Tuesday either to order a new trial or substantially reduce a record-setting $1.7 billion punitive damages verdict returned against the automaker in litigation over a fatal rollover, arguing the award resulted from "death penalty sanctions" that essentially directed a verdict against it.
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June 18, 2024
Ga. Judge Won't Recuse Over Closed-Door Chat In YSL Case
A Georgia state judge on Tuesday denied a motion to disqualify himself from continuing to preside over Atlanta rapper Young Thug's racketeering trial, calling the bid "insufficient" and rejecting the rapper's claim that the judge had "joined the prosecutors' team" by unethically having a closed-door conversation with prosecutors and a witness.
Expert Analysis
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How Attys Can Avoid Pitfalls When Withdrawing From A Case
The Trump campaign's recent scuffle over its bid to replace its counsel in a pregnancy retaliation suit offers a chance to remind attorneys that many troubles inherent in withdrawing from a case can be mitigated or entirely avoided by communicating with clients openly and frequently, says Christopher Konneker at Orsinger Nelson.
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High Court Injunction Case Could Shake Up Fee-Shifting Rules
In agreeing to review a Virginia case rendered statutorily moot before final judgment, the U.S. Supreme Court could finally settle the question of if — and when — a preliminary injunction can win attorney fees for a prevailing party, but all possible answers could disrupt fee-shifting schemes written into major laws, says Laurens Wilkes at Winston & Strawn.
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Using A Children's Book Approach In Firm Marketing Content
From “The Giving Tree” to “Where the Wild Things Are,” most children’s books are easy to remember because they use simple words and numbers to tell stories with a human impact — a formula law firms should emulate in their marketing content to stay front of mind for potential clients, says Seema Desai Maglio at The Found Word.
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Series
Being An EMT Makes Me A Better Lawyer
While some of my experiences as an emergency medical technician have been unusually painful and searing, the skills I’ve learned — such as triage, empathy and preparedness — are just as useful in my work as a restructuring lawyer, says Marshall Huebner at Davis Polk.
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Exploring An Alternative Model Of Litigation Finance
A new model of litigation finance, most aptly described as insurance-backed litigation funding, differs from traditional funding in two key ways, and the process of securing it involves three primary steps, say Bob Koneck, Christopher Le Neve Foster and Richard Butters at Atlantic Global Risk LLC.
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Trump Hush Money Case Offers Master Class In Trial Strategy
The New York criminal hush money trial of former President Donald Trump typifies some of the greatest challenges that lawyers face in crafting persuasive presentations, providing lessons on how to handle bad facts, craft a simple story that withstands attack, and cross-examine with that story in mind, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.
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Series
Teaching Yoga Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Being a yoga instructor has helped me develop my confidence and authenticity, as well as stress management and people skills — all of which have crossed over into my career as an attorney, says Laura Gongaware at Clyde & Co.
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A Vision For Economic Clerkships In The Legal System
As courts handle increasingly complex damages analyses involving vast amounts of data, an economic clerkship program — integrating early-career economists into the judicial system — could improve legal outcomes and provide essential training to clerks, say Mona Birjandi at Data for Decisions and Matt Farber at Secretariat.
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E-Discovery Quarterly: Recent Rulings On Text Message Data
Electronically stored information on cellphones, and in particular text messages, can present unique litigation challenges, and recent court decisions demonstrate that counsel must carefully balance what data should be preserved, collected, reviewed and produced, say attorneys at Sidley.
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'Fat Leonard' Case Shows High Bar For Rescinding Guilty Plea
Prosecutors’ recent move in the “Fat Leonard” bribery case, supporting several defendants’ motions to withdraw their guilty pleas, is extremely unusual – and its contrast with other prosecutions demonstrates that the procedural safeguards at plea hearings are far from enough, says Sara Kropf at Kropf Moseley.
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Series
Swimming Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Years of participation in swimming events, especially in the open water, have proven to be ideal preparation for appellate arguments in court — just as you must put your trust in the ocean when competing in a swim event, you must do the same with the judicial process, says John Kulewicz at Vorys.
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As Arbitrator Bias Claims Rise, Disclosure Standards Evolve
The growth in post-award challenges based on arbitrators' alleged conflicts of interest has led to the release of new guidance and new case law on the topic — both supporting the view that professional familiarity alone does not translate to a lack of impartiality, say attorneys at Skadden.
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Don't Use The Same Template For Every Client Alert
As the old marketing adage goes, consistency is key, but law firm style guides need consistency that contemplates variety when it comes to client alert formats, allowing attorneys to tailor alerts to best fit the audience and subject matter, says Jessica Kaplan at Legally Penned.
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Series
Walking With My Dog Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Thanks to my dog Birdie, I've learned that carving out an activity different from the practice of law — like daily outdoor walks that allow you to interact with new people — can contribute to professional success by boosting creativity and mental acuity, as well as expanding your social network, says Sarah Petrie at the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office.
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Think Like A Lawyer: Follow The Iron Rule Of Trial Logic
Many diligent and eager attorneys include every good fact, point and rule in their trial narratives — spurred by the gnawing fear they’ll be second-guessed for leaving something out — but this approach ignores a fundamental principle of successful trial lawyering, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.