Legal Ethics

  • February 27, 2026

    Real Estate Law Firm Failed To Stop $400K Theft, Ga. Suit Says

    A South Carolina-based real estate law firm has been hit with a malpractice lawsuit in Georgia state court alleging its negligence led to nearly $400,000 being wired to a fraudulent account in connection with a closing on a mortgage refinancing transaction.

  • February 27, 2026

    UFC Accused Of Monopolizing Pay-Per-View MMA Fights

    Fans accused the Ultimate Fighting Championship in a new lawsuit of using its control over top-ranked fighters to monopolize the market for pay-per-view-level mixed martial arts events, allegedly resulting in higher prices.

  • February 27, 2026

    Katten Pushes For Atty Immunity To Non-Clients' Suit In Texas

    Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP is asking the Texas Supreme Court to shut down a state court lawsuit brought by co-defendants of a client they successfully represented in a federal criminal investigation over alleged healthcare fraud, saying lower courts that refused to dismiss are seeking to limit the state's "hundred-year-old doctrine" of attorney immunity.

  • February 27, 2026

    Life Insurer Sanctioned For Ignoring Orders To Transfer Policy

    An Ohio federal court sanctioned a life insurer for failing to comply with orders dating to 2003 that required the carrier to transfer control of a dead policyholder's account to the court-appointed receiver for a viatical funding company.

  • February 27, 2026

    Gibbons Wants NJ Malpractice Suit Over $35M Award Trimmed

    Gibbons PC has asked a New Jersey state court to pare down a malpractice suit from a group of former clients suing the firm for allegedly mishandling the appeal of a $35 million judgment against them.

  • February 27, 2026

    Up Next At High Court: Drug User Gun Possession

    The U.S. Supreme Court will close out its February oral argument session by hearing its newest Second Amendment case over a federal law that prohibits drug users from possessing firearms, as well as a dispute over whether motor carrier brokers can be held liable for truck crashes under state law.

  • February 26, 2026

    'One Way Or Another, ICE Will Comply,' Minn. Judge Vows

    The Minnesota federal court's chief judge who admonished U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for violating nearly 100 court orders concerning the Trump administration's immigration operations in the state vowed Thursday "to do whatever is required to protect the rule of law," including holding government officials in criminal contempt.

  • February 26, 2026

    Goldstein Placed Under Home Confinement Until Sentencing

    SCOTUSblog founder Thomas Goldstein was placed under home confinement by a Maryland federal judge until his sentencing, but will likely be able to keep his $3 million D.C. home after the jury that convicted him separately found there wasn't a clear nexus between the property and his mortgage fraud conviction.

  • February 26, 2026

    NC Lawyer Gets At Least 4 Years For Real Estate Fraud

    An Asheville, North Carolina, attorney has been convicted of charges related to real estate fraud and sentenced to at least 4 years in prison after prosecutors alleged he conspired with two others to steal property out from under homeowners, the North Carolina Secretary of State's Office announced Thursday.

  • February 26, 2026

    DOJ, Apple Clash Over Discovery For Monopolization Case

    The U.S. Department of Justice pushed back against a plan Apple pitched for discovery disputes in a monopolization suit against the company, arguing the company has sought sensitive information and asked a federal judge to fix an "'emergency' of its own making."

  • February 26, 2026

    Patent Examiner Settles Ethics Probe For $500K

    A veteran patent examiner has agreed to pay half a million dollars to settle claims that she prosecuted patents for companies in which she had a financial interest, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

  • February 26, 2026

    Calif. Atty Agrees To Discipline From State Bar Over AI Errors

    A Los Angeles attorney has agreed to be disciplined for filing appellate briefs rife with artificial intelligence-hallucinated case law quotations, according to a stipulation approved Wednesday by the California State Bar Court, which found that he "recklessly and with gross negligence failed to perform legal services with competence."

  • February 26, 2026

    Ga. House Speaker Beats Suit Over State Senator's Ban

    A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed against Georgia Speaker of the House Jon Burns by the constituents of a lawmaker who was barred from the chamber last January after calling Burns' predecessor "one of the most corrupt Georgia leaders we'll ever see in our lifetimes," finding they lack standing to sue.

  • February 26, 2026

    Defense Atty In Valve Patent Troll Trial Says He Never Used AI

    An intellectual property attorney who defended inventor Leigh Rothschild in a landmark patent-trolling trial has denied allegations that his firm used artificial intelligence to prep a pretrial brief, according to a Thursday filing, following a Seattle federal jury's Feb. 17 verdict in favor of plaintiff video game company Valve Corp.

  • February 26, 2026

    Hegseth Appeals Block On Sen. Kelly's Rank Reduction

    Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has appealed a district court order blocking him from reducing the U.S. Navy rank of Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., after the lawmaker told members of the military they don't have to follow unlawful orders. 

  • February 26, 2026

    11th Circ. Axes ATM Co.'s Latest Bid To Revive Patent Dispute

    The Eleventh Circuit ended an ATM technology company's attempt to relitigate a patent infringement suit against a competitor, ruling Thursday that the claims are barred because they could have been brought up in a previous suit.

  • February 26, 2026

    Insurer Dodges Spinoff Coverage Suit From 'Maya' Verdict

    A professional liability insurer does not have to defend the law firm that secured a $213 million award for the woman at the center of the documentary "Take Care of Maya" in a dispute over trial consultant fees, after a Florida federal judge found Wednesday that the claims are not covered by the insurance policy.

  • February 26, 2026

    Ga. Panel Eyes Alternative Discipline Against Resigned Judge

    The investigative panel of the Georgia judicial ethics commission told the state Supreme Court on Thursday that it wants to consider sanctions other than removal against a former Fulton County Superior Court judge now that she has resigned, arguing that "judges cannot resign in order to avoid discipline for judicial misconduct."

  • February 26, 2026

    How Epstein Referred Clients To BigLaw Partners In His Orbit

    Billionaire and child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein always had top lawyers in his orbit. He also had extensive and lasting relationships with several partners at BigLaw firms, files newly released by the Department of Justice show.

  • February 26, 2026

    Arete Wealth, GC Can't Slip SEC Claims In Offering Fraud Suit

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission can move forward with its case against a broker-dealer and its former general counsel and chief compliance officer over an allegedly fraudulent stock offering by a "sham" energy company that Arete representatives sold, an Illinois federal judge ruled Thursday, while dismissing some claims related to off-channel communications and settlement releases, among other things.

  • February 26, 2026

    Reed Smith Says Atty Can't Expand Pay Bias Damages Period

    Reed Smith LLP is urging a New Jersey state court to rule that an attorney who claimed the firm unlawfully underpaid her cannot expand the time window for which she's seeking damages, arguing a legal doctrine used to revive continuing claims can't be used to collect back pay.

  • February 26, 2026

    'Almost At A Loss For Words': Judge Fines Attys For AI Errors

    An Ohio federal judge sanctioned two attorneys Monday for repeatedly submitting false and inaccurate citations generated using artificial intelligence, calling the conduct the most egregious violation of Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 11 he'd seen in his 46 years on the federal bench.

  • February 26, 2026

    Feds Seek To Toss DOJ Official's Suit Over Epstein-Talk Firing

    The U.S. Department of Justice has asked a D.C. federal court to ax a wrongful termination lawsuit brought by a former DOJ official who was fired after he was surreptitiously filmed talking about Jeffrey Epstein on what he thought was a date, saying district courts don't have jurisdiction and the matter belongs in front of the Merit Systems Protection Board.

  • February 26, 2026

    Firm Seeks Contempt Order In Mich. Atty Retaliation Suit

    An ongoing discovery fight has intensified between a metro Detroit law firm and a former associate pursuing sexual harassment claims against her ex-boss and mentor, with the firm asking a Michigan federal court to hold the attorney's new law partner in contempt for allegedly defying a subpoena and withholding documents related to their new firm.

  • February 25, 2026

    Levona Wants Permanent Injunction In Eletson Gas Spat

    Levona Holdings urged a New York district court to permanently bar the former majority shareholders of Eletson Gas from exercising any control over the company or interfering with Levona's ownership of the preferred interests in the company, several weeks after the federal court vacated a $102 million arbitration award in the feud.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Practicing Resilience

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    Resilience is a skill acquired through daily practices that focus on learning from missteps, recovering quickly without internalizing defeat and moving forward with intention, says Nicholas Meza at Quarles & Brady.

  • NYC Bar Opinion Warns Attys On Use Of AI Recording Tools

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    Attorneys who use artificial intelligence tools to record, transcribe and summarize conversations with clients should heed the New York City Bar Association’s recent opinion addressing the legal and ethical risks posed by such tools, and follow several best practices to avoid violating the Rules of Professional Conduct, say attorneys at Smith Gambrell.

  • Series

    The Biz Court Digest: Dispatches From Utah's Newest Court

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    While a robust body of law hasn't yet developed since the Utah Business and Chancery Court's founding in October 2024, the number of cases filed there has recently picked up, and its existence illustrates Utah's desire to be top of mind for businesses across the country, says Evan Strassberg at Michael Best.

  • 4 Quick Emotional Resets For Lawyers With Conflict Fatigue

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    Though the emotional wear and tear of legal work can trap attorneys in conflict fatigue — leaving them unable to shake off tense interactions or return to a calm baseline — simple therapeutic techniques for resetting the nervous system can help break the cycle, says Chantel Cohen at CWC Coaching & Therapy.

  • Series

    Playing Tennis Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    An instinct to turn pain into purpose meant frequent trips to the tennis court, where learning to move ahead one point at a time was a lesson that also applied to the steep learning curve of patent prosecution law, says Daniel Henry at Marshall Gerstein.

  • Series

    Judges On AI: How Judicial Use Informs Guardrails

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    U.S. Magistrate Judge Maritza Dominguez Braswell at the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado discusses why having a sense of how generative AI tools behave, where they add value, where they introduce risk and how they are reshaping the practice of law is key for today's judges.

  • Presidential Pardon Brokering Can Create Risks For Attys

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    The emergence of an apparent “pardon shopping” marketplace, in which attorneys treat presidential pardons as a market product, may invite investigative scrutiny of counsel and potential criminal charges grounded in bribery, wire fraud and other statutes, says David Klasing at The Tax Law Offices of David W. Klasing.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: 5 Tips From Ex-SEC Unit Chief

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    My move to private practice has reaffirmed my belief in the value of adaptability, collaboration and strategic thinking — qualities that are essential not only for successful client outcomes, but also for sustained professional satisfaction, says Dabney O’Riordan at Fried Frank.

  • 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.

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