Legal Ethics

  • January 17, 2025

    Law360 Names Firms Of The Year

    Eight law firms have earned spots as Law360's Firms of the Year, with 54 Practice Group of the Year awards among them, steering some of the largest deals of 2024 and securing high-profile litigation wins, including at the U.S. Supreme Court.

  • January 17, 2025

    Feds Drop Bribery, Fraud Suit Against Ex-New York Lt. Gov.

    Federal prosecutors on Friday dropped a bribery and fraud suit accusing former New York Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin of using his position to obtain state grant funds in exchange for campaign contributions, noting the death of a New York real estate lawyer who pled guilty as a cooperating witness in 2022.

  • January 17, 2025

    No Conflict In Judge's Friendship, John Deere, Farmers Say

    John Deere and the farmers suing it in a right-to-repair suit said they have no concerns about the potential conflict of interest an Illinois federal judge flagged, saying there was "no reason" for the jurist to recuse himself, according to a joint letter filed by the parties.

  • January 17, 2025

    Epic Wary Of Apple's Privilege Claims As Doc Review Wraps

    Epic Games' counsel took issue with the rising number of privilege assertions Apple is maintaining over its discovery documents in their ongoing antitrust compliance fight, telling a magistrate judge Friday he's "frankly surprised and concerned" by the sudden increase as Apple's privilege-assertion rereview draws to a close.

  • January 17, 2025

    Ga. Panel Won't Revive Nixed Charges Against Trump, Others

    The Georgia Court of Appeals on Friday affirmed the dismissal of six counts in the state's election interference case against President-elect Donald Trump, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and other co-defendants, upholding a trial judge's decision that the charges must be tossed for lack of detail.

  • January 17, 2025

    Meet The Key Players In Tom Goldstein's Tax-Crimes Case

    The tax-evasion indictment of U.S. Supreme Court expert lawyer and SCOTUSblog publisher Tom Goldstein features an eclectic cast of characters linked to his purported side career as a high-stakes poker player, including law firm partners, professional gamblers, a Texas billionaire, a movie producer and an actor.

  • January 17, 2025

    Firm Says Insurers Must Pay $2.6M Malpractice Suit Judgment

    A Georgia personal injury firm said its professional malpractice insurers must cover a $2.6 million default judgment entered against the firm in a suit brought by a former client, telling a federal court that a Berkshire Hathaway unit's failure to act caused the adverse ruling.

  • January 17, 2025

    Philly Judge Rejects Ex-Kline & Specter Attorney's DQ Bid

    A former Kline & Specter partner can't disqualify an attorney representing it from his lawsuit against the firm, a Philadelphia judge has determined, because he couldn't prove he had an attorney-client relationship with the lawyer before he resigned.

  • January 17, 2025

    Lowenstein Sandler Can Pursue Trimmed Dispensary Fee Suit

    A New Jersey state court judge dismissed part of Lowenstein Sandler LLP's $800,000 fee suit against a cannabis dispensary former client Thursday and told the firm it must give the former client the notice of its right to resolve the fee dispute through arbitration.

  • January 17, 2025

    Insurer Tried To 'Embarrass' Cadwalader, NC Court Told

    Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft LLP has accused a Lloyd's of London syndicate of attempting to "embarrass" the firm by publicly revealing the firm's data breach recoveries amid the insurer's bid to toss a coverage suit stemming from a 2022 hack.

  • January 17, 2025

    Ga. Law Firm Beats DQ Bid In FCA Suit Against Tool Co.

    A Georgia federal judge has rejected a former tool company employee's bid to have a Smith Gilliam Williams & Miles PA attorney disqualified from representing the business in a False Claims Act suit, saying he failed to show that the attorney violated ethical rules to warrant his removal.

  • January 17, 2025

    Trump Opposes DA Willis' Bid To Return To Ga. Election Case

    President-elect Donald Trump urged the Georgia Supreme Court on Friday not to review the state intermediate court's ruling that disqualified Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from prosecuting the Georgia election interference case.

  • January 17, 2025

    Ex-Pol's Atty Chided For Early Morning Sentencing Memo

    The lawyer for a former Massachusetts state senator convicted of tax and pandemic aid fraud was scolded by a federal judge on Friday for filing a sentencing memo at 3:30 a.m. on the day of the hearing, then showing up late to court, forcing a postponement.

  • January 17, 2025

    Fla. Watchdog Seeks Judge Reprimand For Election Violation

    Florida's judicial ethics watchdog has recommended that Circuit Court Judge Stefanie C. Moon, who presides in the family court in Broward County, be reprimanded for actions including discussing her reelection campaign on the bench and improperly contacting a witness.

  • January 17, 2025

    Attorney General Nominee Bondi Outlines Ethics Parameters

    Pam Bondi, President-elect Donald Trump's pick for attorney general, outlined in an ethics agreement posted on Friday how she intends to avoid possible conflicts of interest with her previous positions, such as her role as a partner at a lobbying firm, and how she will divest from Trump's media company. 

  • January 16, 2025

    Atty Suspended Over Wrongful Imprisonment Case Fees

    A Florida attorney accused of overcharging two intellectually disabled stepbrothers avoided disbarment when the New Jersey Supreme Court imposed a five-year suspension instead of opting for the permanent license revocation recommended by the court's disciplinary review board.

  • January 16, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Calls Newman's Constitutional Challenge 'Meritless'

    The Federal Circuit Judicial Council urged the D.C. Circuit on Thursday to reject U.S. Circuit Judge Pauline Newman's argument that the suspension her colleagues have imposed on her for refusing to participate in an investigation into her fitness to serve on the bench is unconstitutional.

  • January 16, 2025

    Trump AG Nominee Pam Bondi's Net Worth Tops $12M

    President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general, Pam Bondi, has a net worth of over $12 million and holds stock in Trump's media company, according to financial disclosures shared with Law360. 

  • January 16, 2025

    Baltimore Court Clerk Can Proceed With Bulk Of Bias Suit

    A Maryland federal judge refused Thursday to toss the bulk of a lawsuit from a Black judiciary clerk, finding she put forward enough details to support her allegations that a circuit court acted out of bias when it suspended her without pay and barred her from earning overtime.

  • January 16, 2025

    Leon Black Rape Case Halted As Wigdor Faces Sanctions Bid

    A Manhattan federal judge froze discovery Thursday in a sexual assault case against ex-Apollo Global Management CEO Leon Black to allow him to file a sanctions motion against the Jane Doe plaintiff and Wigdor LLP, pointing to sealed documents.

  • January 16, 2025

    Madigan Racketeering Case Will Go To Jury

    The Illinois federal judge overseeing a criminal racketeering trial against former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and his longtime friend and political ally made certain Thursday that the jury will deliberate and decide the case, rejecting severance and acquittal requests on the last day of evidence.

  • January 16, 2025

    Ex-Atty's Audit Rightly Tied To State Farm Fight, Panel Rules

    State Farm and two clients were properly ushered into a case examining a disbarred attorney's trust accounts, a Connecticut appeals court ruled Thursday, shutting down the ex-lawyer's demand for $52,100 in purported attorney fees by upholding a judge's decision linking settlement payout, audit and ethics feuds under one docket.

  • January 16, 2025

    Fulton DA Willis Fights Subpoenas In Trump Case Probe

    Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis this week outlined her objections to subpoenas issued by a Georgia state Senate committee investigating her prosecution of President-elect Donald Trump, arguing they are overbroad, intended to embarrass her and "defunct" due to the swearing in of a new general assembly.

  • January 16, 2025

    Cousins Of Wife Killed By Ex-BigLaw Atty Seek Deal Funds

    The cousins of a Georgia woman killed by her husband, former Fisher Phillips partner Claud "Tex" McIver, urged a state court to block McIver's designees from receiving proceeds from a settlement of an underlying wrongful death suit, arguing that they "are implicitly her next of kin" and should receive the proceeds.

  • January 16, 2025

    Calif. Law Firm Settles 2 Suits Alleging Debt Relief Fraud

    A debt relief law firm in California reached settlements Thursday in two separate lawsuits that accused the firm of charging its clients for worthless services, a little more than two weeks after the cases were brought in federal courts.

Expert Analysis

  • Money, Money, Money: Limiting White Collar Wealth Evidence

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    As courts increasingly recognize that allowing unfettered evidence of wealth could prejudice a jury against a defendant, white collar defense counsel should consider several avenues for excluding visual evidence of a lavish lifestyle at trial, says Jonathan Porter at Husch Blackwell.

  • How Associates Can Build A Professional Image

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    As hybrid work arrangements become the norm in the legal industry, early-career attorneys must be proactive in building and maintaining a professional presence in both physical and digital settings, ensuring that their image aligns with their long-term career goals, say Lana Manganiello at Equinox Strategy Partners and Estelle Winsett at Estelle Winsett Professional Image Consulting.

  • Firms Must Rethink How They Train New Lawyers In AI Age

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    As law firms begin to use generative artificial intelligence to complete lower-level legal tasks, they’ll need to consider new ways to train summer associates and early-career attorneys, keeping in mind the five stages of skill acquisition, says Liisa Thomas at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: Always Be Closing

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    When a lawyer presents their case with the right propulsive structure throughout trial, there is little need for further argument after the close of evidence — and in fact, rehashing it all may test jurors’ patience — so attorneys should consider other strategies for closing arguments, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • Series

    Playing Chess Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    There are many ways that chess skills translate directly into lawyer skills, but for me, the bigger career lessons go beyond the direct parallels — playing chess has shown me the value of seeing gradual improvement in and focusing deep concentration on a nonwork endeavor, says attorney Steven Fink.

  • Litigation Inspiration: Attys Can Be Heroic Like Olympians

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    Although litigation won’t earn anyone an Olympic medal in Paris this summer, it can be worthy of the same lasting honor if attorneys exercise focused restraint — seeking both their clients’ interests and those of the court — instead of merely pursuing every advantage short of sanctionable conduct, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • Lean Into The 'Great Restoration' To Retain Legal Talent

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    As the “great resignation,” in which employees voluntarily left their jobs in droves, has largely dissipated, legal employers should now work toward the idea of a “great restoration,” adopting strategies to effectively hire, onboard and retain top legal talent, says Molly McGrath at Hiring & Empowering Solutions.

  • Series

    Fishing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Atop the list of ways fishing makes me a better lawyer is the relief it offers from the chronic stress of a demanding caseload, but it has also improved my listening skills and patience, and has served as an exceptional setting for building earnest relationships, says Steven DeGeorge​​​​​​​ at Robinson Bradshaw.

  • A Healthier Legal Industry Starts With Emotional Intelligence

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    The legal profession has long been plagued by high rates of mental health issues, in part due to attorneys’ early training and broader societal stereotypes — but developing one’s emotional intelligence is one way to foster positive change, collectively and individually, says attorney Esperanza Franco.

  • To Make Your Legal Writing Clear, Emulate A Master Chef

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    To deliver clear and effective written advocacy, lawyers should follow the model of a fine dining chef — seasoning a foundation of pure facts with punchy descriptors, spicing it up with analogies, refining the recipe and trimming the fat — thus catering to a sophisticated audience of decision-makers, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • Circuit Judge Writes An Opinion, AI Helps: What Now?

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    Last week's Eleventh Circuit opinion in Snell v. United Specialty Insurance, notable for a concurrence outlining the use of artificial intelligence to evaluate a term's common meaning, is hopefully the first step toward developing a coherent basis for the judiciary's generative AI use, says David Zaslowsky at Baker McKenzie.

  • Perspectives

    Trauma-Informed Legal Approaches For Pro Bono Attorneys

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    As National Trauma Awareness Month ends, pro bono attorneys should nevertheless continue to acknowledge the mental and physical effects of trauma, allowing them to better represent clients, and protect themselves from compassion fatigue and burnout, say Katherine Cronin at Stinson and Katharine Manning at Blackbird.

  • Opinion

    NY Should Pass Litigation Funding Bill To Protect Plaintiffs

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    New York state should embrace the regulatory framework proposed in the Consumer Litigation Funding Act, which would suppress the unregulated predatory lenders that currently prey on vulnerable litigants but preserve a funding option that helps personal injury plaintiffs stand up to deep-pocketed corporate defendants, says Alan Ripka at Alan Ripka & Associates.

  • Series

    Playing Music Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My deep and passionate involvement in playing, writing and producing music equipped me with skills — like creativity, improvisation and problem-solving — that contribute to the success of my legal career, says attorney Kenneth Greene.

  • How Attys Can Avoid Pitfalls When Withdrawing From A Case

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    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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