Legal Ethics

  • May 07, 2026

    Ex-Jackson Walker Atty Seeks Breakup With Romance Suit

    A former Jackson Walker LLP partner said Thursday that she should be dropped from a suit accusing her, a former Texas bankruptcy judge she had a secret relationship with and multiple law firms of fomenting "mass corruption" in Houston's bankruptcy court.

  • May 07, 2026

    NC Judge Tosses Atty's Suit Against State Bar Panel Member

    A North Carolina federal judge dismissed a suspended attorney's lawsuit against a State Bar Disciplinary Hearing Commission member he accused of bias and due process violations, finding Thursday that the defendant is entitled to absolute quasi-judicial immunity.

  • May 07, 2026

    Judge Grants Additional Deposition Time In Retaliation Suit

    An attorney suing her ex-mentor and former law firm for sexual harassment and retaliation has been ordered by a Michigan federal judge to sit for two additional hours of deposition testimony after the court found that conduct during her first deposition impeded the examination and that further questioning is warranted based on developments in discovery.

  • May 07, 2026

    Va. Judge Seeks More Info On Law Firm Wage Deal's Fees

    A Virginia federal judge declined to approve a proposed $52,500 settlement of a former case manager's lawsuit alleging that a law firm stiffed her on overtime, saying Thursday that the parties failed to provide enough information related to attorney fees and costs.

  • May 07, 2026

    Financial Cos. Say Atty Can't Represent Self In Securities Suit

    A group of financial services companies fighting an attorney's proposed securities class action has urged a New Jersey federal court to disqualify the attorney from serving as class counsel, arguing that precedent and ethical obligations prevent him from serving as both class counsel and the proposed class's named representative.

  • May 07, 2026

    Judge Cuts 13 Wire Fraud Counts From $1B Tax Shelter Case

    A Texas federal judge dismissed 13 wire fraud charges against four men accused of running a $1 billion tax shelter scheme, ruling prosecutors improperly relied on a statute with a lower intent standard than the applicable tax fraud law.

  • May 07, 2026

    Toss Of Ex-Shkreli Atty's Deal May Be Error, 2nd Circ. Hints

    A Second Circuit judge hinted Thursday that a trial judge may have erred in rejecting a retirement-fund garnishment deal that would have protected Martin Shkreli's convicted former lawyer from a potential $1 million "punitive tax event."

  • May 06, 2026

    Google Users Say DOJ Win 'Leaves Only Damages For Trial'

    Consumers want a California federal judge to go straight to trial over the amount of damages Google owes them for illegally monopolizing online search, arguing the company's violation of antitrust law "is now an undisputed fact as a matter of law."

  • May 06, 2026

    High Court Rejects Apple's Bid To Pause App Store Ruling

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected Apple's request to pause a mandate in the case from Epic Games that directs a lower court to determine what commission Apple can charge developers for purchases made outside of its app store through links.

  • May 06, 2026

    ACLU Seeks Full DC Circ. Review Of CECOT Contempt Halt

    The American Civil Liberties Union is asking for the full D.C. Circuit to review a panel's 2-1 decision halting U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg's criminal contempt inquiry into U.S. Department of Homeland Security flights that took 250 immigrants to El Salvador's notorious CECOT prison last year.

  • May 06, 2026

    4th Circ. Appears Unpersuaded By $22M Tax Fraud Appeal

    Two attorneys and an insurance agent faced a Fourth Circuit panel Wednesday that seemed hard-pressed to overturn their convictions for orchestrating a $22 million tax avoidance scheme, with the judges casting doubt on their venue objections and claims that the false tax returns contained truthful information.

  • May 06, 2026

    Feds Say 4th Circ. ICE Ruling Doesn't Help Ex-Wis. Judge

    Former Wisconsin state judge Hannah C. Dugan can't use a recent Fourth Circuit ruling to overturn her conviction for obstructing ICE officers, the federal government said Wednesday, calling that ruling "merely relevant" and not at all binding.

  • May 06, 2026

    Atty Sanctioned Over Bogus Citations In Forced Labor Case

    A Maine federal judge has sanctioned an attorney for submitting court filings with fake legal citations to oppose the dismissal of a forced labor trafficking suit against a school, after using an artificial intelligence platform.

  • May 06, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Backs Atty Fees In Bicycle Design Patent Case

    The Federal Circuit on Wednesday agreed with a Massachusetts federal judge that a case related to a set of design patents for a bicycle warranted attorney fees being awarded to Hyper Bicycles Inc., saying the judge's finding that the case was weak and unnecessarily dragged out was supported by the evidence.

  • May 06, 2026

    Conn. Lawyer Makes 3rd Bid To Rejoin Bar After $3M Scheme

    A Connecticut lawyer who pled guilty to moving $3 million in pump-and-dump stock scheme proceeds through his trust account is again seeking readmission to the state bar, about two months after a judge allowed him to work as a paralegal under the supervision of another attorney.

  • May 06, 2026

    Federalism Probed In Suit Over Judge's MAGA Op-Ed Ouster

    An Illinois federal judge said Wednesday he may have to abstain from exercising jurisdiction over a retired Illinois state court judge's claims that was wrongfully removed from the bench over protected speech in a political opinion column, saying the prospect of a federal court in the first instance instructing the state's top jurists about who can be a judge "seems to break the respect that federalism demands for state government."

  • May 06, 2026

    Feds Say Stolen BigLaw Deal Info Aided Huge Trading Scheme

    Federal prosecutors on Wednesday unveiled indictments outlining a massive insider trading scheme that allegedly netted tens of millions of dollars using nonpublic information about mergers and acquisitions worked on by some of the nation's biggest law firms.

  • May 06, 2026

    Mass. Justices Push For An End To AG-Auditor Deadlock

    Massachusetts' top court on Wednesday seemed to agree that an ongoing dispute between the state attorney general and auditor over a voter-backed audit of the legislature needs to come to an end, even as justices dinged both sides for the stalemate.

  • May 06, 2026

    NJ Prosecutor Gets OK To Trim Suit Over Alleged Interference

    Atlantic County Prosecutor William E. Reynolds can narrow his suit seeking independent outside counsel to represent his office due to the alleged attempts made by county counsel to interfere with prosecutions, a New Jersey state judge ruled.

  • May 06, 2026

    'Varsity Blues' Coach 'Not Close' In New Trial Bid, Judge Says

    A former University of Southern California water polo coach convicted in the "Varsity Blues" college admissions case missed the goal by a wide margin in his bid to secure a new trial, a Massachusetts federal judge said.

  • May 05, 2026

    DOJ Atty Faces Possible Discipline Over DHS 'Lack Of Candor'

    A Rhode Island federal judge, whom the U.S. Department of Homeland Security criticized for releasing a noncitizen with an alleged overseas warrant for homicide, on Tuesday said she is referring an assistant U.S. attorney for disciplinary proceedings for not disclosing the warrant to her beforehand.

  • May 05, 2026

    Potato Co. Gets Defense Attys DQ'ed In Benefits Plan Suit

    A Washington federal judge disqualified Cicotte Law Firm PLLC on Tuesday from representing a consultant accused of mismanaging Oregon Potato Co.'s employee benefits plan, concluding the food processor has shown a potential conflict of interest based on the reasonable belief that it was previously a client of the firm.

  • May 05, 2026

    Bike Trainer Co. Accuses Rival Of 'Hallucinations' In Brief

    A maker of bike trainers has alleged that a rival included "hallucinations" while reciting the language of claims from a patent in a Georgia federal suit seeking to toss a complaint before the U.S. International Trade Commission.

  • May 05, 2026

    Miner Looks To DQ Dorsey Under The 'Hot Potato' Doctrine

    A uranium mining company is looking to disqualify Dorsey & Whitney LLP as counsel for potential intervenors in a lawsuit in Colorado federal court over an arbitration initiated by another mining company based on a mineral assets purchase, saying Dorsey can't drop it like a "hot potato."

  • May 05, 2026

    NC Law Firm Can Pursue Coverage In $510K Loan Fraud Row

    A North Carolina federal judge on Tuesday said a professional liability insurer must face claims that it has to defend a law firm against allegations it was responsible for a $510,000 fraudulent home loan, finding documents in the closing package could preserve coverage. 

Expert Analysis

  • Prisoners' Access To Health Info Should Have No Bars

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    To safeguard against unnecessary deaths in custody, courts and policymakers should clarify that incarcerated individuals’ constitutional right to medical care also includes access to sufficient information about their medical conditions, lifting current restrictions that can lead to crucial information being withheld, says Jaehyun Oh at Jacob Fuchsberg Law.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: How To Start A Law Firm

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    Launching and sustaining a law firm requires skills most law schools don't teach, but every lawyer should understand a few core principles that can make the leap calculated rather than reckless, says Sam Katz at Athlaw.

  • Series

    Hosting Exchange Students Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Opening my home to foreign exchange students makes me a better lawyer not just because prioritizing visiting high schoolers forces me to hone my organization and time management skills but also because sharing the study-abroad experience with newcomers and locals reconnects me to my community, says Alison Lippa at Nicolaides Fink.

  • How A 1947 Tugboat Ruling May Shape Work Product In AI Era

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    Rapid advances in generative artificial intelligence test work-product principles first articulated in the U.S. Supreme Court’s nearly 80-year-old Hickman v. Taylor decision, as courts and ethics bodies confront whether disclosure of attorneys’ AI prompts and outputs would reveal their thought processes, say Larry Silver and Sasha Burton at Langsam Stevens.

  • Navigating Privilege Law Patchwork In Dual-Purpose Comms

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    Three years after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to resolve a circuit split in In re: Grand Jury, federal courts remain split as to when attorney-client privilege applies to dual-purpose legal and business communications, and understanding the fragmented landscape is essential for managing risks, say attorneys at Covington.

  • Considerations In Building Guardrails For AI Use In Arbitration

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    A recent California federal court case involving allegations of artificial intelligence ghostwriting an arbitration award, prior analogous practice on tribunal delegation, and emerging generative AI recommendations all support building a forward-looking framework for arbitration rules to minimize the risk of AI-based challenges, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • Series

    Fly-Fishing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Much like skilled attorneys, the best anglers prize preparation, presentation and patience while respecting their adversaries — both human and trout, says Rob Braverman at Braverman Greenspun.

  • 4 Ways GCs Can Manage Growing Service Of Process Volume

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    As automation and arbitration increase the volume of legal filings, in-house counsel must build scalable service of process systems that strengthen corporate governance and manage risk in real time, says Paul Mathews at Corporation Service Co.

  • Series

    The Law Firm Merger Diaries: Forming Measurable Ties

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    Relationship-building should begin as early as possible in a law firm merger, as intentional pathways to bringing people together drive collaboration, positive client response, engagements and growth, says Amie Colby at Troutman.

  • Wis. Sanctions Order May Shake Up Securities Class Actions

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    A Wisconsin federal court’s recent decision to impose sanctions on a plaintiffs law firm for filing a frivolous Private Securities Litigation Reform Act complaint in Toft v. Harbor Diversified may cause both plaintiffs and defendants law firms to reconsider certain customary practices in securities class actions, says Jonathan Richman at Brown Rudnick.

  • 5 E-Discovery Predictions For 2026 And Beyond

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    2026 will likely be shaped by issues ranging from artificial intelligence regulatory turbulence to potential evidence rule changes, and e-discovery professionals will need to understand how to effectively guide the responsible and defensible adoption of emerging tools, while also ensuring effective safeguards, say attorneys at Littler.

  • Series

    Judges On AI: How Courts Can Boost Access To Justice

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    Arizona Court of Appeals Judge Samuel A. Thumma writes that generative artificial intelligence tools offer a profound opportunity to enhance access to justice and engender public confidence in courts’ use of technology, and judges can seize this opportunity in five key ways.

  • Opinion

    The Case For Emulating, Not Dividing, The Ninth Circuit

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    Champions for improved judicial administration should reject the unfounded criticisms driving recent Senate proposals to divide the Ninth Circuit and instead seek to replicate the court's unique strengths and successes, says Ninth Circuit Judge J. Clifford Wallace.

  • 3 DC Circ. Rulings Signal Shift In Search And Seizure Doctrine

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    A trio of decisions from courts in the District of Columbia Circuit, including a recent order compelling prosecutors to return materials seized from James Comey’s former attorney, makes clear that continued government possession of digital evidence may implicate the Fourth Amendment, says Gregory Rosen at RJO.

  • Series

    Muay Thai Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Muay Thai kickboxing has taught me that in order to win, one must stick to one's game plan and adapt under pressure, just as when facing challenges by opposing counsel or judges, says Mark Schork at Feldman Shepherd.

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