Legal Ethics

  • July 02, 2026

    Breaking Down The Vote: The High Court Term In Review

    The U.S. Supreme Court's stark ideological divisions were on full display this term, particularly as it issued long-awaited rulings in the last few days of June. Here, Law360 dives into the numbers behind this court term.

  • July 02, 2026

    Judges To Tour Rust Belt To Build Trust In Courts

    Days after the Fourth of July celebration of America's 250th birthday, a group of current and retired judges will lead a four-day bus tour through three states to promote one of the bedrock principles of the country's independence: the rule of law.

  • July 02, 2026

    Georgia Atty Can't Revive Defamation Suit Over Ethics Case

    The Georgia Court of Appeals has upheld the dismissal of a Georgia attorney's defamation suit against two people involved in an unsuccessful disciplinary action against her, saying her rambling appeal failed to prove that the trial court erred in dismissing her claims.

  • July 02, 2026

    Insurer Balks At Defending NC Atty Accused Of Embezzlement

    An insurance company said Thursday it doesn't have to defend a North Carolina attorney in civil suits alleging he embezzled from clients, citing an exclusion in his former firm's professional liability policy that blocks coverage for the misappropriation of assets.

  • July 02, 2026

    Feds Inadvertently Disclosed Trump Classified Docs Report

    The government told a Florida federal court on Thursday that it inadvertently disclosed a report from former special counsel Jack Smith regarding the criminal case against President Donald Trump over his handling of classified documents to a former federal prosecutor separately accused of emailing confidential documents from the report to herself.

  • July 02, 2026

    Feds Seek Up To 21 Months For Ex-Judge On ICE Obstruction

    A former Wisconsin judge who was convicted of obstructing ICE officers' courthouse arrest of a man facing misdemeanor charges by pointing him to a side door should spend up to 21 months in prison, the government said in a sentencing memo, recommending she be made an example.

  • July 02, 2026

    Fla. Panel Nixes Challenge To Order Limiting Expert Payments

    A Tallahassee public defender may not petition a Florida appellate panel to challenge a circuit court chief judge's administrative order imposing a rate schedule for court-appointed expert compensation that denies payment for sanity evaluations, the panel found, determining that the appeals court lacks jurisdiction over an administrative order.

  • July 01, 2026

    Ill. Judge Can't Probe Robbery Dismissal Sanctions, Feds Say

    Federal prosecutors in Chicago say an Illinois magistrate judge looking to probe possible sanctions over missteps that led the government to dismiss a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives robbery case lacks authority to do so, and they anticipate seeking the Seventh Circuit's "immediate" intervention if she decides any differently.

  • July 01, 2026

    'Do Your Part,' Mass. Judge Chides Read Case Attys Post-Leak

    A Massachusetts judge on Wednesday lectured counsel in the high-profile civil case against Karen Read, the Massachusetts woman acquitted of murdering her Boston police officer boyfriend, to honor their ethical obligations after sensitive information leaked on social media.

  • July 01, 2026

    Aide To Ex-NYC Mayor Cites 'Glaring Holes' In Bribery Case

    An attorney for Frank Carone, the former chief of staff to former New York Mayor Eric Adams, on Wednesday said there are "glaring holes" in the indictment alleging Carone took bribes from a hotel owner in exchange for a multimillion-dollar migrant housing contract. 

  • July 01, 2026

    Watchdog Says DOL Needs Better Info Sharing Controls

    The U.S. Department of Labor's lack of controls over information sharing between subagencies and nongovernmental entities, including law firms and legal advocacy organizations, may have unfairly advantaged those parties with privileged investigative information, an agency watchdog reported, though use of the practice has dropped off. 

  • July 01, 2026

    Resale Ticket Buyers Must Arbitrate Live Nation Claims

    A New York federal court has sent antitrust claims from concertgoers who purchased Ticketmaster tickets on the secondary market to arbitration, after finding an arbitration clause in Live Nation's terms of service is enforceable.

  • July 01, 2026

    Mich. Judge Calls Ex-GM Worker Vexatious, Tosses Bias Suit

    A Michigan federal judge labeled a former General Motors employee a "vexatious litigator" in an opinion issued Tuesday after she filed "five separate lawsuits raising the same claims" against the same defendants and dismissed her workplace bias and harassment suit against General Motors Flint Assembly and UAW Local 598.

  • July 01, 2026

    Chinese Investors Say Wash. EB-5 Developer Misused Funds

    Chinese investors have filed a RICO Act lawsuit in Washington federal court, alleging that developers of a partially completed mixed-use project on a former copper smelter Superfund site along Puget Sound misused funds from their $39 million investment in the venture and let it fall into default.

  • July 01, 2026

    Judiciary Dems Seek DOJ Replies Before Blanche Hearing

    Ahead of acting Attorney General Todd Blanche's confirmation hearing for the permanent position, Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee are demanding he provide answers to their outstanding oversight inquiries.

  • July 01, 2026

    Chen Says Herridge Must Name Source Even Under Her Test

    A woman claiming that an FBI agent smeared her by leaking confidential records to then-Fox News journalist Catherine Herridge told the U.S. Supreme Court not to halt Herridge's contempt finding and $800-per-day fine any longer, saying that even under Herridge's preferred test, she would still have to identify her source.

  • July 01, 2026

    Mazie Slater Beats Benicar Fees Sanctions Row Discovery Bid

    A New Jersey federal judge has blocked the latest bid by former Mazie Slater Katz & Freeman clients to conduct more discovery in order to fight the firm's sanctions bid in their suit over allegedly excessive attorney fees, finding they failed to show exceptional circumstances existed.

  • July 01, 2026

    Wash. Atty Loses Bid For Jury In Dispute Over Bar Sanctions

    A Washington lawyer sanctioned and disciplined for bringing a "frivolous" election suit in 2021 against then-Gov. Jay Inslee has lost her bid to have her ethics charges heard by a jury, with a state appeals panel finding no error in a trial court's ruling that it lacked jurisdiction to take on the disciplinary matter.

  • July 01, 2026

    Pullman & Comley Escapes Challenge To Municipal Tax Work

    Pullman & Comley LLC has escaped claims that a Connecticut town illegally delegated its tax collection authority to it and one of its attorneys, with a judge agreeing to dissolve an order blocking a home sale and dismiss the action at the request of the parties.

  • July 01, 2026

    Whistleblower's Ex-Atty Must Pay $111K For Fighting DQ

    A New Jersey magistrate judge on Wednesday refused to revisit sanctions against an attorney removed from a business dispute for mishandling privileged documents, ordering him to pay nearly $111,000 in legal fees to a South Korean company for the costs of litigating his disqualification and failed appeal.

  • July 01, 2026

    White House Recordkeeping Suit Paused While Gov't Appeals

    A D.C. federal judge has paused a suit accusing the Trump administration of skirting White House recordkeeping rules while the government appeals the preliminary injunction granted last month.

  • July 01, 2026

    Texas Federal Judge Requires Confirmation Of AI Checks

    Attorneys and self-represented parties appearing before U.S. District Judge Ernest Gonzalez of the Western District of Texas are now required to certify that they have independently verified the contents of any filings created or edited using artificial intelligence.

  • June 30, 2026

    Pot Co. Fights To Keep Defamation Claims Against Atty Alive

    A Montana intellectual property attorney and his wife shouldn't be allowed to escape a cannabis cultivator's defamation lawsuit accusing them of posting falsehoods on social media, the company told a federal court, saying it could prove the posts were lies and resulted in $700,000 in losses.

  • June 30, 2026

    Claims Full Of 'Fog' Cloud Pa. Nurse's Racial Bias Suit

    An employment lawsuit argued Tuesday in Pittsburgh could raise questions of a joint employer's obligation to investigate and oppose alleged racial bias by another employer, but a federal judge said the claims were obscured by "a bunch of fog" and sharply challenged the plaintiff's lawyer to state the case more clearly.

  • June 30, 2026

    Morgan & Morgan Wins Bid To Arbitrate Ga. Malpractice Suit

    A Georgia appellate panel on Tuesday sent to arbitration a legal malpractice case accusing Morgan & Morgan of inducing a former auto collision client to accept a $750,000 settlement when the case was purportedly worth more, saying a broad arbitration clause in the representation agreement was valid and enforceable.

Expert Analysis

  • Attys Beware: Generative AI Can Also Hallucinate Metadata

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    In addition to the well-known problem of AI-generated hallucinations in legal documents, AI tools can also hallucinate metadata — threatening the integrity of discovery, the reliability of evidence and the ability to definitively identify the provenance of electronic documents, say attorneys at Law & Forensics.

  • DOJ Faces Potential Discovery Pitfalls In Comey Prosecution

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    The unusual circumstances surrounding the prosecution of former FBI Director James Comey increase the odds of a discovery misstep for the U.S. Department of Justice, offering important reminders for defense counsel on how to ensure the government fulfills its obligations, says Kenneth Notter at MoloLamken.

  • When Atty Ethics Violations Give Rise To Causes Of Action

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    Though the Model Rules of Professional Conduct make clear that a violation of the rules does not automatically create a cause of action, attorneys should beware of a few scenarios in which they could face lawsuits for ethical lapses, says Brian Faughnan at Faughnan Law.

  • Series

    Practicing Stoicism Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Practicing Stoicism, by applying reason to ignore my emotions and govern my decisions, has enabled me to approach challenging situations in a structured way, ultimately providing advice singularly devoted to a client's interest, says John Baranello at Moses & Singer.

  • Series

    The Biz Court Digest: Texas, One Year In

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    A year after the Texas Business Court's first decision, it's clear that Texas didn't just copy Delaware and instead built something uniquely its own, combining specialization with constitutional accountability and creating a model that looks forward without losing touch with the state's democratic and statutory roots, says Chris Bankler at Jackson Walker.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Educating Your Community

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    Nearly two decades prosecuting scammers and elder fraud taught me that proactively educating the public about the risks they face and the rights they possess is essential to building trust within our communities, empowering otherwise vulnerable citizens and preventing wrongdoers from gaining a foothold, says Roger Handberg at GrayRobinson.

  • 5 Crisis Lawyering Skills For An Age Of Uncertainty

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    As attorneys increasingly face unprecedented and pervasive situations — from prosecutions of law enforcement officials to executive orders targeting law firms — they must develop several essential competencies of effective crisis lawyering, says Ray Brescia at Albany Law School.

  • Opinion

    It's Time For The Judiciary To Fix Its Cybersecurity Problem

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    After recent reports that hackers have once again infiltrated federal courts’ electronic case management systems, the judiciary should strengthen its cybersecurity practices in line with executive branch standards, outlining clear roles and responsibilities for execution, says Ilona Cohen at HackerOne.

  • Series

    Writing Novels Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Writing my debut novel taught me to appreciate the value of critique and to never give up, no matter how long or tedious the journey, providing me with valuable skills that I now emphasize in my practice, says Daniel Buzzetta at BakerHostetler.

  • Trader Joe's Ruling Highlights Trademark Infringement Trends

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    The Ninth Circuit's recent decision in Trader Joe's Co. v. Trader Joe's United explores the legal boundaries between a union's right to advocate for workers and the protection of a brand's intellectual property, and illustrates a growing trend of courts disfavoring early dismissal of trademark infringement claims in the context of expressive speech, say attorneys at Mitchell Silberberg.

  • Decoding Arbitral Disputes: Arbitrator's Conviction Upheld

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    The Supreme Court of Spain recently upheld the criminal conviction of arbitrator Gonzalo Stampa for grave disobedience to judicial authority, rejecting the proposition that an arbitrator's independence can prevail over a court order retroactively disabling the very judicial act conferring arbitral jurisdiction, says Josep Galvez at 4-5 Gray's Inn.

  • SDNY OpenAI Order Clarifies Preservation Standards For AI

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    The Southern District of New York’s recent order in the OpenAI copyright infringement litigation, denying discovery of The New York Times' artificial intelligence technology use, clarifies that traditional preservation benchmarks apply to AI content, relieving organizations from using a “keep everything” approach, says Philip Favro at Favro Law.

  • In NY, Long COVID (Tolling) Still Applies

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    A series of pandemic-era executive orders in New York tolling state statutes of limitations for 228 days mean that many causes of action that appear time-barred on their face may continue to apply, including in federal practice, for the foreseeable future, say attorneys at Sher Tremonte.

  • Opinion

    High Court, Not A Single Justice, Should Decide On Recusal

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    As public trust in the U.S. Supreme Court continues to decline, the court should adopt a collegial framework in which all justices decide questions of recusal together — a reform that respects both judicial independence and due process for litigants, say Michael Broyde at Emory University and Hayden Hall at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.

  • Reel Justice: 'One Battle After Another' And The Limits Of Zeal

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    The political thriller “One Battle After Another,” following a former revolutionary who became a recluse, offers a potent metaphor for attorneys on diligence and the ethical boundaries of zealous advocacy, says Veronica Finkelstein at Wilmington University School of Law.

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