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Legal Ethics
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April 30, 2024
Texas Appeals Panel Keeps Court Reporter's AI Case Alive
An Austin, Texas, appeals panel on Tuesday kept alive a court reporter's attempt to pursue an administrative complaint against an artificial intelligence-powered "digital reporting firm," rejecting a state agency's argument that jurisdictional issues block the court reporter from seeking a writ of mandamus compelling the agency to consider her claims.
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April 30, 2024
Atty Tells Trump Jury That Hush Money Deal Almost Tanked
An attorney who previously represented adult film star Stormy Daniels told jurors Tuesday in the New York criminal trial of Donald Trump about how the $130,000 hush money agreement at the heart of the case was nearly derailed after former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen would not close the deal.
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April 30, 2024
9th Circ. Says Calif. Bar Didn't Violate Student's Fed. Rights
The Ninth Circuit on Tuesday affirmed the dismissal of an octogenarian law school student's claims that the State Bar of California violated his 14th Amendment protected rights when it refused to excuse his delay in taking a first-year exam, saying the California Supreme Court has original jurisdiction over admission matters.
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April 30, 2024
Debt Box Wants Attorney Fees Paid If SEC Brings New Action
Crypto project Debt Box has asked a Utah federal judge to impose multiple "guardrails" if the court allows the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to refile its troubled registration suit against the firm, including payment of all attorney fees arising from the original, compromised suit.
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April 30, 2024
Colo. Justice Says Judges Need To Squash Lawyers' Sniping
Colorado Supreme Court Justice Richard L. Gabriel said Tuesday that more judges should call out lawyers' unprofessional behavior in their courtrooms to help restore civility in the profession, aiming to stamp out those behaving like "kids fighting in the sandbox."
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April 30, 2024
Sills Cummis Atty Must Sit For Deposition In Malpractice Suit
A New Jersey state court judge has directed a Sills Cummis & Gross PC attorney to soon sit for a deposition in a malpractice suit filed by the former manager of musician, producer and songwriter Nile Rodgers.
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April 30, 2024
Conn. Atty Says Depo Reveals Referral Fee Deal Was Legit
An attorney who says another lawyer owes him a $58,333 referral fee for handing over a personal injury case has pointed to a deposition to argue that referral "discussions" occurred despite his opponent's apparent claims that they didn't, according to a supplemental argument submitted to a Connecticut state trial court judge.
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April 30, 2024
Atty Wants Out Of 'Coup' Suit Over Judge Romance
The former Jackson Walker LLP attorney whose secret relationship with a Texas judge ignited an ethics scandal wants out of a racketeering suit accusing her of "orchestrating a coup" in a bankruptcy case, calling the suit a "dubious" attempt to blame her for an ex-CEO's "disastrous" mismanagement of his family business.
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April 30, 2024
6th Circ. Nominee Denies Ethics Accusations Again
A nominee for the Sixth Circuit provided more detail to bolster his denial of claims of ethical misconduct during his time as a prosecutor, as outlined in a follow-up questionnaire.
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April 30, 2024
Buffalo Judge Won't Be Ejected For Brawl, Ethics Failures
New York state's judicial ethics watchdog said Tuesday that a Buffalo judge should be censured but not removed following an investigation into a street fight with neighbors during which the judge shoved an officer and touted his ties to the mayor and police, among other ethical lapses.
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April 30, 2024
Trial Set For Lin Wood's Ex-Partners' Defamation Suit
Controversial attorney Lin Wood will face trial in August in a defamation case brought by his former law partners who say he falsely accused them of trying to extort him, a Georgia federal judge decided Tuesday.
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April 30, 2024
Attys, Broker Can't Escape $4M Tax Fraud Convictions
A North Carolina federal judge has denied acquittal requests from two tax attorneys and an insurance agent who were convicted for their roles in a $4 million tax avoidance scheme, saying he agreed with federal prosecutors who argued there was sufficient evidence for the underlying charges.
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April 30, 2024
Conn. Firm Settles Copyright Feuds Over Website Photos
The Connecticut consumer law firm Lemberg Law LLC and its managing attorney have agreed to settle two suits tied to a multistate copyright battle with a stock photo provider that arose in 2020 after the firm was accused of using images on its website without permission, and then countered that it was the victim of an extortion attempt.
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April 30, 2024
Atty Sanctioned Over Missed Depo During Solar Eclipse Trip
A Florida lawyer whose client missed his own deposition while the attorney was solar eclipse viewing has been ordered to pay related attorney fees incurred by AAA as the business fights a gender discrimination lawsuit.
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April 30, 2024
DC Bar Prosecutors Say Jeffrey Clark 'Betrayed His Oath'
Attorney disciplinary authorities in Washington, D.C., have urged an ethics hearing committee to recommend disbarring former U.S. Department of Justice official Jeffrey Clark, saying he "betrayed his oath" to the Constitution by aiding former President Donald Trump's efforts to undermine the 2020 elections, and "is not fit to be a member of the District of Columbia Bar."
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April 30, 2024
Judge Says $4.5M Davis Wright Deal Should Be Approved
An Oregon federal magistrate judge has recommended approval of a $4.5 million deal resolving investor claims against Davis Wright Tremaine LLP for its role in endorsing an alleged real estate securities scheme.
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April 30, 2024
Ethics Probes Take Mental Toll On Solo, Small Firm Attorneys
Facing a disciplinary complaint can take a toll on any attorney’s mental health. But for solo practitioners and small firm lawyers, who typically juggle all aspects of their business from handling client matters to administrative tasks like managing trust accounts, it can threaten to upend their lives.
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April 30, 2024
Atty, Pot Entrepreneurs Get Conspiracy Claims Thrown Out
A California state appeals court has thrown out claims against a group of attorneys and cannabis entrepreneurs that they were part of a "straw man practice" conspiracy to monopolize the San Diego cannabis market, finding the complaint failed to allege they did anything illegal.
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April 30, 2024
Ga. High Court Tosses Atty's Road Rage Murder Conviction
The Supreme Court of Georgia threw out the murder conviction of a former corporate lawyer who was convicted of killing a real estate developer in a road rage incident, ruling Tuesday that the trial court erred by refusing to instruct the jury on the attorney's defense that the death was accidental.
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April 30, 2024
Trump Held In Contempt For Trashing Witnesses In NY Trial
A New York state judge on Tuesday found former President Donald Trump in contempt of court for repeatedly violating a gag order in his criminal hush money case by publicly attacking expected witnesses, including his former attorney Michael Cohen.
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April 30, 2024
Coverage Recap: Day 5 Of Trump's NY Hush Money Trial
Law360 reporters are providing live updates from the Manhattan criminal courthouse as Donald Trump goes on trial for allegedly falsifying business records related to hush money payments ahead of the 2016 election. Here's a recap from day five.
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April 29, 2024
6th Circ. Revives Co.'s Malpractice Suit Against Ohio Firm
The Sixth Circuit on Monday revived a Texas real estate developer's legal malpractice claim against an Ohio law firm, remanding the case back to a lower court to consider the viability of certain professional negligence claims.
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April 29, 2024
Maker Of 'Let's Go Brandon' Coin Seeks Lawsuit Transfer
An attorney behind the digital asset inspired by the "Let's Go Brandon" meme urged a Florida federal judge to hand off to another court a securities fraud lawsuit against him, arguing Monday that the remaining parties in the suit have no connection to the district where the action was filed.
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April 29, 2024
Chicago IP Firm Sues Again Over Atty Impersonation
Intellectual property law firm Greer Burns & Crain Ltd. has filed a second trademark infringement suit claiming an unknown defendant has been using a nearly identical website domain name to impersonate its attorneys and request the release of court-ordered asset restraints, after winning a similar case last year.
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April 29, 2024
1st Circ. Slashes Atty's Convictions In Email Fraud Case
An Illinois lawyer convicted of receiving proceeds from a business email compromise scheme had three of six counts vacated Monday by the First Circuit, which ruled that Massachusetts wasn't the right venue for those charges.
Expert Analysis
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How The Circuit Split Over CFPB Funding May Play Out
The Second Circuit created a circuit split last month when it found that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's funding structure doesn't violate the U.S. Constitution and clashed with the Fifth Circuit's holding that the CFPB itself is unconstitutional, but the U.S. Supreme Court may find a middle ground, say Andrew Braunstein and Casey Howard at Locke Lord.
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Short Message Data Challenges In E-Discovery
As short message platforms increasingly dominate work environments, lawyers face multiple programs, different communication styles and emoji in e-discovery, so they must consider new strategies to adapt their processes, says Cristin Traylor at Relativity.
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Opinion
Thomas Report Is Final Straw — High Court Needs Ethics Code
As a recent report on Justice Clarence Thomas' ongoing conflicts of interest makes evident, Supreme Court justices should be subject to an enforceable and binding code of ethics — like all other federal judges — to maintain the credibility of the institution, says Erica Salmon Byrne at Ethisphere.
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Joint Representation Ethics Lessons From Ga. Electors Case
The Fulton County district attorney's recent motion to disqualify an attorney from representing her elector clients, claiming a nonconsentable conflict of interest, raises key questions about representing multiple clients related to the same conduct and highlights potential pitfalls, say Hilary Gerzhoy and Grace Wynn at HWG.
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Lawyer Discernment Is Critical In The World Of AI
In light of growing practical concerns about risks and challenges posed by artificial intelligence, lawyers' experience with the skill of discernment will position them to help address new ethical and moral dilemmas and ensure that AI is developed and deployed in a way that benefits society as a whole, says Jennifer Gibbs at Zelle.
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Don't Forget Alumni Engagement When Merging Law Firms
Neglecting law firm alumni programs after a merger can sever the deep connections attorneys have with their former firms, but by combining good data management and creating new opportunities to reconnect, firms can make every member in their expanded network of colleagues feel valued, say Clare Roath and Erin Warner at Troutman Pepper.
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Without Stronger Due Diligence, Attys Risk AML Regulation
Amid increasing pressure to mitigate money laundering and terrorism financing risks in gatekeeper professions, the legal industry will need to clarify and strengthen existing client due diligence measures — or risk the federal regulation attorneys have long sought to avoid, says Jeremy Glicksman at the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office.
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Insureds' Notice Pleading May Be Insufficient In Federal Court
A recent New Jersey federal court ruling in Bauman v. Hanover Insurance held that bare-bones notice pleading was insufficient and dismissed the policyholder's coverage complaint, a reminder that courts may require more than an expression of general disagreement with an insurance company's denial letter to proceed with the case, says Eugene Killian at The Killian Firm.
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Every Lawyer Can Act To Prevent Peer Suicide
Members of the legal industry can help prevent suicide among their colleagues, and better protect their own mental health, by learning the predictors and symptoms of depression among attorneys and knowing when and how to get practical aid to peers in crisis, says Joan Bibelhausen at Minnesota Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers.
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Building On Successful Judicial Assignment Reform In Texas
Prompt action by the Judicial Conference could curtail judge shopping and improve the efficiency and procedural fairness of the federal courts by implementing random districtwide assignment of cases, which has recently proven successful in Texas patent litigation, says Dabney Carr at Troutman Pepper.
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Opinion
Ga. Needs To Resolve Cannabis Counsel Confusion
Georgia’s medical cannabis regulator finally adopted rules for low-THC oil last month, but a 2021 ethics ruling prohibits lawyers from advising participants in the state’s legal program and creates a confounding landscape that the state bar and courts must address, say Whitt Steineker and Mason Kruze at Bradley Arant.
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Patent Litigants Should Be Vigilant After Rare Retrial Order
A California federal court's recent unusual order for a new trial for attorney misconduct in Pavemetrics v. Tetra Tech should remind patent litigants to be careful about arguments that frame an infringement case in a way that does not fairly reflect the dispute at hand, say Ranganath Sudarshan and Yuval Mor at Covington.
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DOJ's Compensation Reforms Pit Cos. Against Their Execs
The U.S. Department of Justice’s new policy, incentivizing compliance-focused corporate compensation programs and prompt disclosures of misconduct, will complicate the relationship between companies and their executives, and create potential ethical conflicts for counsel, say Solomon Shinerock and Annika Conrad at Lewis Baach.
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Do Videoconferences Establish Jurisdiction With Defendants?
What it means to have minimum contacts in a foreign jurisdiction is changing as people become more accustomed to meeting via video, and defendants’ participation in videoconferencing may be used as a sword or a shield in courts’ personal jurisdiction analysis, says Patrick Hickey at Moye White.
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Opinion
Humanism Should Replace Formalism In The Courts
The worrying tendency for judges to say "it's just the law talking, not me" in American decision writing has coincided with an historic decline in respect for the courts, but this trend can be reversed if courts develop understandable legal standards and justify them in human terms, says Connecticut Superior Court Judge Thomas Moukawsher.