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Legal Ethics
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April 10, 2024
Dems Introduce Bill To Codify Policy Barring Judge Shopping
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., along with 37 other Democratic and two independent senators, introduced legislation on Wednesday to codify the new Judicial Conference of the United States policy against judge shopping after pushback from Republicans and a Texas court.
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April 10, 2024
Chicago Man Wants New Judge In Facebook Defamation Suit
A Chicago-area resident suing Meta over allegedly false sexual misconduct accusations on an "Are We Dating the Same Guy?" Facebook page wants a different judge to handle his case, arguing his current judge's "extensive professional relationship" with Meta's counsel warrants her recusal.
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April 10, 2024
Deported Man Can't Undo Fraud Conviction After Feds' Error
A deported Nigerian national who confessed to fraud on promises that prosecutors would submit a letter to immigration authorities supporting his deportation defense couldn't convince the Eighth Circuit to toss his guilty plea after prosecutors mistakenly disavowed the letter.
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April 10, 2024
Wells Fargo Can't Bar Atty From Deposition, NC Judge Rules
Wells Fargo lost its bid to stop the lawyer of a fired investment director, who is accusing the bank of disability discrimination, from questioning his former supervisor, with a North Carolina federal judge saying the bank fell short of showing that the attorney's previous representation of the supervisor was related in any way to the current action.
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April 10, 2024
'Varsity Blues' Judge Won't Recuse From Bid For Plea Redo
The Boston federal judge overseeing the waning "Varsity Blues" college admissions case said Wednesday he should be the one to decide whether a parent who pled guilty in the scandal's early days should be able to have the conviction erased, calling her recusal bid "fraught with judge-shopping."
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April 10, 2024
Fla. Lawyer Seeks 'Compassion' After Loan Fraud Conviction
Fresh off a failed bid to have her wire fraud conspiracy conviction nixed, a Florida attorney found guilty of fraudulently obtaining federal COVID-19 relief loans asked a Georgia federal judge for leniency in her upcoming sentencing.
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April 10, 2024
Fla. Atty Gets 8 Years For Fraudulent Tax Shelter Scheme
A Florida attorney was sentenced Wednesday to eight years in prison after pleading guilty in federal court to tax evasion and defrauding the U.S. government through a tax shelter scheme he pitched to clients that involved making purported charitable contributions so his clients could claim millions of dollars in tax deductions they weren't qualified to receive.
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April 10, 2024
Trump Fails Again To Halt NY Trial Over Claim Judge Is Biased
Donald Trump on Wednesday tried and failed for the third time in as many days to delay his upcoming hush-money trial, after arguing the judge should be removed for supposed bias and that the judge's rules were preventing him from defending himself.
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April 10, 2024
Alston & Bird Pushes Arbitration Of COVID Vax Claims
Alston & Bird LLP urged a Georgia federal court to reject a former aide's objection to a magistrate judge's recommendation to force her to arbitrate her claims alleging she was fired after refusing to get vaccinated for COVID-19.
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April 10, 2024
Fla. Judge Cops To Trimmed Charges Over Campaign Talk
A Florida county circuit court judge may face a shorter 25-day suspension over public statements he made favoring law enforcement during his 2022 campaign for his seat after the Florida Supreme Court rejected a 30-day suspension agreement because of an incorrect reading of the rules of conduct.
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April 10, 2024
Ex-Reed Smith Atty Can't DQ Judge In Bias Suit Against Firm
A former Reed Smith LLP attorney failed in her bid to have a New Jersey state judge disqualified from her gender discrimination suit against the firm, with the judge on Wednesday turning down her argument that he improperly reviewed a certification from the firm's general counsel.
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April 10, 2024
Major Lindsey Wins Bid To Have Sex Assault Suit Arbitrated
A former Major Lindsey & Africa LLC employee's sexual assault lawsuit against the legal recruiting giant must go to arbitration, a New York state judge has decided.
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April 10, 2024
Mich. Appellate Panel Won't Halt Election Case Against Atty
A Michigan appellate panel on Tuesday said it wouldn't pause criminal proceedings against an attorney accused of tampering with voting machines after the 2020 presidential election or consider her appeal of a trial court's decision to issue an arrest warrant for missing a hearing.
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April 10, 2024
Ex-Coupang Atty Fights Bid To Toss Whistleblower Suit
A former in-house attorney at South Korean conglomerate Coupang told a Washington federal judge this week that his whistleblower claims against the company are valid according to the terms of his employment contract.
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April 10, 2024
Ex-Judge Dropped From Harassment Suit After NJ Courts' Win
A New Jersey municipal court administrator has agreed to end a suit alleging she was sexually harassed by a former municipal court judge after a state superior court ruled she could not include the Administrative Office of the Courts as a defendant in the case.
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April 10, 2024
NJ Law Firm Not Covered In Malpractice Suit, Insurer Says
A law firm in Princeton, New Jersey, is not owed coverage of a malpractice action alleging one of its attorneys misappropriated the assets of a client's husband, the firm's insurer argued, telling a federal court the firm knew of the underlying legal claims before its policy's inception.
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April 10, 2024
Feds Cleared To Use Undercover Recording In Atty's Tax Trial
Federal prosecutors trying an attorney next week on charges he orchestrated a tax fraud scheme that spanned seven states will be allowed to play for the jury an audio recording made by an undercover agent, a North Carolina federal judge ruled.
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April 10, 2024
DA Says SEPTA Prosecutor Law Unfairly Singles Out Philly
An attorney for Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner told a Pennsylvania appellate court Wednesday that a law mandating a "special prosecutor" within the Attorney General's Office to handle crimes within the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority had unfairly and unconstitutionally singled out Philadelphia and his office.
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April 10, 2024
Ex-BigLaw Atty In OneCoin Scam A Flight Risk, Feds Say
A former Locke Lord LLP partner who was convicted of laundering proceeds from the OneCoin cryptocurrency scam has "every incentive" to flee the country, prosecutors told a New York federal judge, arguing he shouldn't be allowed to stay out on bail while his appeal is pending.
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April 10, 2024
Conn. Ethics Panel Finds 'No Reason' To Reinstate Atty Early
The Connecticut Statewide Grievance Committee, an arm of the state's judicial system tasked with ethics complaints, slammed a disbarred lawyer's reinstatement bid, stating that his application is 12 years early and that he still owes $146,031 in restitution for the embezzlement that got him disbarred.
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April 09, 2024
Quinn Emanuel, Davidoff Hutcher Sued Over Mansion Sale
The trustee for a bankrupt entity once owned by HFZ Capital Group has sued Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP and Davidoff Hutcher & Citron, seeking to claw back up to $2 million the firms allegedly fraudulently received from a $45 million Hamptons mansion sale linked to developer Nir Meir.
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April 09, 2024
5th Circ. Asks For Briefing Amid Scrutiny Of Judge's Citi Stock
The Fifth Circuit has ordered additional briefing in a banking industry-backed legal challenge to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's $8 credit card late-fee rule amid questions that have been raised about a potential conflict of interest involving a circuit court judge on the case.
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April 09, 2024
Quinn Emanuel Atty Spiro Faces Sanctions Bid In Musk Case
A Los Angeles man suing Elon Musk for defamation has asked a Texas court to sanction Musk's attorney, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP partner Alex Spiro, arguing that the lawyer showed up "unannounced" to defend Musk in a deposition despite lacking permission to practice law there.
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April 09, 2024
In Trump Case, Justices Get Reminded Presidents Aren't Kings
Former President Donald Trump's bid for absolute presidential immunity from criminal prosecution flies in the face of a major feature of the U.S. Constitution, and would create novel obstacles for the military and the economy, backers of special counsel Jack Smith have told the U.S. Supreme Court.
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April 09, 2024
Contractor Says Corruption Claims In $47M Army Fight Are False
An Afghanistan-based fuel supplier seeking $47.2 million after the U.S. Army terminated two contracts has urged the Court of Federal Claims to reject government allegations that the company was involved in a corruption scheme, saying those arguments were inaccurate and irrelevant.
Expert Analysis
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Trump's 'I Thought I Won' Jan. 6 Defense Is Unlikely To Prevail
Since being indicted for his alleged attempts to overthrow the 2020 presidential election, former President Donald Trump’s legal team has argued that because he genuinely believed he won, his actions were not fraudulent — but this so-called mistake of fact defense will face a steep uphill battle for several key reasons, says Elizabeth Roper at Baker McKenzie.
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Caregiver Flexibility Is Crucial For Atty Engagement, Retention
As the battle for top talent continues post-pandemic, many firms are attempting to attract employees with progressive hybrid working environments — and supporting caregivers before, during and after an extended leave is a critically important way to retain top talent, says Manar Morales at The Diversity & Flexibility Alliance.
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How Judicial Privilege Shields Attys Facing Wiretap Violations
A recent ruling from the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, as well as past rulings across the country, indicates that the judicial privilege is applicable to alleged violations of wiretapping laws, so attorneys presented with audio evidence beneficial to their case should not fear being sued, says David Scott at Kang Haggerty.
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In-Office Engagement Is Essential To Associate Development
As law firms develop return-to-office policies that allow hybrid work arrangements, they should incorporate the specific types of in-person engagement likely to help associates develop attributes common among successful firm leaders, says Liisa Thomas at Sheppard Mullin.
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Perspectives
A Judge's Pitch To Revive The Jury Trial
Ohio state Judge Pierre Bergeron explains how the decline of the jury trial threatens public confidence in the judiciary and even democracy as a whole, and he offers ideas to restore this sacred right.
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How To Recognize And Recover From Lawyer Loneliness
Law can be one of the loneliest professions, but there are practical steps that attorneys and their managers can take to help themselves and their peers improve their emotional health, strengthen their social bonds and protect their performance, says psychologist and attorney Traci Cipriano.
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Noncompetes Hold Atty Privilege Pitfalls For Health Industry
Providers negotiating with medical professionals bound by enforceable restrictive covenants must tread carefully due to not only risk of breaching physicians' covenants but also risk of wrongful conduct that pierces attorney-client privilege, says Scott O'Connell at Holland & Knight.
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Opinion
Litigation Funding Disclosure Should Be Mandatory
Despite the Appellate Rules Committee's recent deferral of the issue of requiring third-party litigation funding disclosure, such a mandate is necessary to ensure the even-handed administration of justice across all cases, says David Levitt at Hinshaw.
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Recalling USWNT's Legal PR Playbook Amid World Cup Bid
As the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team strives to take home another World Cup trophy, their 2022 pay equity settlement with the U.S. Soccer Federation serves as a good reminder that winning in the court of public opinion can be more powerful than a victory inside the courtroom, says Hector Valle at Vianovo.
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Opinion
Guardrails Needed Against Politically Motivated Atty Discipline
As illustrated by revelations about disbarred attorney Tom Girardi’s influence, there is a need to revamp attorney discipline to protect the public, but any reforms to misconduct rules must also consider how bar-directed disciplinary hearings are increasingly used as a political weapon, says Deborah Winokur at Cozen O'Connor.
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Groundbreaking Nev. Law May Alter Insurance Landscape
The Nevada Legislature recently passed a law prohibiting insurers from issuing liability policies with eroding limits provisions that has the potential to create massive shifts in the marketplace — and specifically in areas like professional liability, cyber, and directors and officers insurance, says Will Bennett at Saxe Doernberger.
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Perspectives
Mallory Gives Plaintiffs A Better Shot At Justice
Critics of the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Mallory v. Norfolk Southern claim it opens the door to litigation tourism, but the ruling simply gives plaintiffs more options — enabling them to seek justice against major corporations in the best possible court, say Rayna Kessler and Ethan Seidenberg at Robins Kaplan.
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Durham Hearing Shows Common Cross-Examination Errors
Trial attorneys can glean several key cross-examination lessons from the mistakes made by several members of the U.S. House of Representatives during a recent hearing on special counsel John Durham’s FBI probe, say Luke Andrews and Asha Laskar at Poole Huffman.
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Opinion
When Corporate Self-Disclosure Threatens Individuals' Rights
The prosecution of former Cognizant executives in New Jersey federal court demonstrates how the U.S. Department of Justice’s corporate enforcement policy can contravene the constitutional rights of individual defendants who are employed by cooperating companies, says Gideon Mark at the University of Maryland.
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Pitfalls Of Attorney AI Use In Brief Prep Has Judges On Alert
Some lawyers are attempting to leverage generative artificial intelligence as a brief drafting tool, which may serve to greatly reduce the burden of motion practice, but several recent cases show that generative AI is not perfect and blind reliance on this tool can be very risky, say Matthew Nigriny and John Gary Maynard at Hunton.