Legal Ethics

  • May 05, 2025

    Calif. Atty Gets 21 Months In Prison For $8.8M Investor Scam

    An Orange County lawyer who purported to provide short-term high-interest loans to the rich and famous but used the funds to gamble away about $8.8 million at Las Vegas casinos and live a lavish lifestyle was sentenced to 21 months in prison on Monday in California federal court.

  • May 05, 2025

    Susman Godfrey Urges Court To Follow Perkins Coie EO Win

    The president doesn't have the power to "exact revenge against a law firm" for representing certain clients and causes, Susman Godfrey LLP told a D.C. federal judge Monday, asking her to "follow the same course" as the judge who granted Perkins Coie LLP permanent relief from a presidential order.

  • May 05, 2025

    Traxcell Fights $500K Atty Fee Owed To Verizon At Fed. Circ.

    A bankrupt patent-holding company that owes more than $500,000 in attorney fees to Verizon Wireless has told the Federal Circuit that Verizon waited too long after beating its telecommunications patent case to request the fees.

  • May 05, 2025

    Whistleblowing PTAB Judge Wins $125K, MSPB Finds

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office must pay a Patent Trial and Appeal Board judge more than $125,000 to compensate for retaliation he experienced due to speaking out about misconduct, the Merit Systems Protection Board has ruled.

  • May 05, 2025

    Kirkland And Other Law Firms Explain Deals With Trump

    The most recent law firms to cut deals with the Trump administration told lawmakers in letters, obtained by Law360 on Monday, that the deals affirmed their commitment to merit-based hiring and to pro bono work as they continue to choose their own clients.

  • May 05, 2025

    Defamation Litigation Roundup: Palin, Fox, Crime Podcasters

    In this month's review of ongoing defamation fights, Law360 looks back on developments in two voting technology companies' cases against news organizations that claimed they helped rig the 2020 election.

  • May 05, 2025

    7th Circ. Judge Slams University's Args In En Banc Denial

    The Seventh Circuit on Friday denied en banc review of a panel's decision to revive a Chicago law professor's retaliation suit after he was disciplined for including a redacted racist slur on an exam, with one judge suggesting the university's failure to invoke arguments over its right to academic freedom meant the appeal didn't justify consideration by the full court.

  • May 05, 2025

    Critical Deadline For Interim DC US Attorney Ed Martin Nears

    The clock might be ticking on Ed Martin's tenure as interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia.

  • May 05, 2025

    Pa. District Paid Female Teachers Thousands Less, Jury Told

    Central Bucks School District in Pennsylvania unfairly paid female teachers less than their male counterparts, in some cases by tens of thousands of dollars despite holding the same jobs, a federal jury was told Monday.

  • May 05, 2025

    7th Circ. Affirms Funder's Loss In Fraud Suit Against Law Firm

    The Seventh Circuit on Friday upheld an Illinois federal court's rulings ending a litigation funder's claims that a law firm illegally dropped the funder to represent a former employee and her competing venture, saying the lower court's detailed orders show it carefully resolved the issue.

  • May 05, 2025

    Ex-Seton Hall President Asks To Add Conspiracy Claim To Suit

    Seton Hall University's former president is seeking to add claims to his whistleblower suit against the school alleging that it conspired to "disparage" him in the press partly in retaliation for reporting sexual abuse-related allegations about the school's current president.

  • May 05, 2025

    Shutts & Bowen Takes Aim At Malpractice Suit Over Club Sale

    Florida firm Shutts & Bowen LLP and one of its partners pushed back against a real estate corporation's malpractice lawsuit alleging they sank the sale of a country club with a motion requesting the court either transfer or dismiss the case.

  • May 05, 2025

    Calif. Justices Adjust Bar Exam Passing Score Amid Turmoil

    In an en banc ruling, the California Supreme Court approved adjustments to the passing score for the state bar's embattled February bar exam in line with a formal request by the California Bar Association, resulting in the highest passing rates for the exam in close to five years.

  • May 05, 2025

    Morgan & Morgan Pushes To Arbitrate Malpractice Claims

    Morgan & Morgan is urging a Georgia federal court to send a former client's malpractice class claims into arbitration and reject his bid to move the case to state court, arguing the matter belongs there, and the client agreed to arbitrate such disputes.

  • May 05, 2025

    Justice Dept. Seeks To Nix ABA Suit Over Terminated Grants

    The U.S. Department of Justice has moved to throw out the American Bar Association's lawsuit over the termination of grants to the ABA's Commission on Domestic and Sexual Violence, arguing the courts lack power to force the government to honor a contractual obligation.

  • May 05, 2025

    Agri Stats Wants Judge Recused From DOJ Case

    Agri Stats asked the Minnesota federal judge overseeing the government's case accusing the data firm of helping meat processors exchange sensitive information to recuse himself because one of his law clerks previously worked on the case for one of the state enforcers.

  • May 05, 2025

    Veterans Look To Bar Firm's Contacts With Potential Class

    Veterans urged a North Carolina federal judge to bar a consulting firm from contacting potential class members about litigation accusing the firm of charging illegal fees, saying it has emailed tens of thousands of them asking to help with the firm's defense.

  • May 05, 2025

    Justices Skip Recusal Case Over Fitbit Judge's Google Ties

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to consider a patent owner's argument that a California federal judge should have recused herself from an infringement suit against Fitbit due to her alleged financial ties to the wearable tech company's parent, Google.

  • May 02, 2025

    Judge Axes Trump's Perkins Order With Shakespearean Flourish

    A Washington, D.C., federal judge on Friday struck down as unconstitutional President Donald Trump's retaliatory executive order targeting Perkins Coie LLP, permanently blocking enforcement of the directive and likening the president's action to a Shakespeare character's suggestion that the way to amass power is to "kill all the lawyers."

  • May 02, 2025

    Omnitracs Alleges Religious Bias In IP Trial Tainted Outcome

    A fleet management company relied on making "improper religious and racial insinuations" to a jury, along with other concerning behavior, in order to beat a rival's infringement claims, the patent owner told a California federal judge.

  • May 02, 2025

    Plaintiffs Seek Redo Over Sterilization Co.'s Trial Tactics

    Four women who claimed a Colorado sterilization company caused their cancers asked a state court to order a new trial, arguing the business won a favorable verdict with prejudicial evidence about law firm ads and by suggesting the women are not "real victims but pawns in a scheme orchestrated by their lawyers."

  • May 02, 2025

    NY Officials Say Feds' Memo In Filing Mishap Is Fair Game

    New York officials told a federal judge on Friday that a mistakenly filed memo from the federal government detailing its weak rationale for trying to cancel Manhattan's congestion pricing program is fair game and cannot be shielded after media outlets widely reported on it.

  • May 02, 2025

    Cannabis Drink Co. Accuses Stoel Rives Attorneys Of Fraud

    A startup that develops nonalcoholic cannabis beers has claimed in a California state court action that attorneys from Stoel Rives LLP and others conspired on a scheme to defraud the company out of millions by allegedly trying to sell an unlicensed marijuana business.

  • May 02, 2025

    A Look At Trump's Pick For The 6th Circuit

    President Donald Trump's first judicial nominee, Whitney Hermandorfer, who's been tapped for a seat Democrats tried to fill while Joe Biden was in the White House, has been part of litigation on several politically charged issues due to her job with the Tennessee Attorney General's office.

  • May 02, 2025

    FIFA Seeks Fees After Citation Mistakes In Antitrust Case

    FIFA is demanding attorney fees from plaintiffs for misusing artificial intelligence in an antitrust suit against the soccer federation in Puerto Rico, with a formatting error revealing that it is seeking more than $50,000 for work performed by Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP and a local firm, according to court documents.

Expert Analysis

  • How Attys Can Use A Therapy Model To Help Triggered Clients

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    Attorneys can lean on key principles from a psychotherapeutic paradigm known as the "Internal Family Systems" model to help manage triggered clients and get settlement negotiations back on track, says Jennifer Gibbs at Zelle.

  • Opinion

    Third-Party Funding Transparency Is Key In Patent Suits

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    Third-party litigation funding is a growing industry that could benefit from enhanced disclosure standards to ensure transparency, as challenges in obtaining discovery of such funding can complicate patent litigation against nonpracticing entities, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • 3 Steps For In-House Counsel To Assess Litigation Claims

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    Before a potential economic downturn, in-house attorneys should investigate whether their company is sitting on hidden litigation claims that could unlock large recoveries to help the business withstand tough times, says Will Burgess at Hilgers Graben.

  • Series

    Teaching College Students Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Serving as an adjunct college professor has taught me the importance of building rapport, communicating effectively, and persuading individuals to critically analyze the difference between what they think and what they know — principles that have helped to improve my practice of law, says Sheria Clarke at Nelson Mullins.

  • Atty Insurance Implications Of Rising Nonclient Cyber Claims

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    As law firms are increasingly targeted in cyberattacks, claims by clients as well as nonclients against lawyers are also on the rise, increasing the scope of exposure that attorneys face in their practice, say attorneys at Wilson Elser.

  • Why Attys Should Get Familiar With Quantum Computing

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    Quantum computing is projected to pose significant updates to current practices in cryptography, making the issue relevant to policymakers and the legal profession generally, particularly when it comes to data storage, privacy regulations and pharmaceutical industry market changes, say professors at the University of San Francisco.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From DOJ Enviro To Mid-Law

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    Practitioners leaving a longtime government role for private practice — as when I departed the U.S. Department of Justice’s environmental enforcement division — should prioritize finding a firm that shares their principles, values their experience and will invest in their transition, says John Cruden at Beveridge & Diamond.

  • Legal Ethics Considerations For Law Firm Pro Bono Deals

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    If a law firm enters into a pro bono deal with the Trump administration in exchange for avoiding or removing an executive order, it has an ethical obligation to create a written settlement agreement with specific terms, which would mitigate some potential conflict of interest problems, says Andrew Altschul at Buchanan Angeli.

  • Series

    Playing Football Made Me A Better Lawyer

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    While my football career ended over 15 years ago, the lessons the sport taught me about grit, accountability and resilience have stayed with me and will continue to help me succeed as an attorney, says Bert McBride at Trenam.

  • 10 Arbitrations And A 5th Circ. Ruling Flag Arb. Clause Risks

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    The ongoing arbitral saga of Sullivan v. Feldman, which has engendered proceedings before 10 different arbitrators in Texas and Louisiana along with last month's Fifth Circuit opinion, showcases both the risks and limitations of arbitration clauses in retainer agreements for resolving attorney-client disputes, says Christopher Blazejewski at Sherin and Lodgen.

  • Perspectives

    The Benefits Of Aligning States On Legal Paraprofessionals

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    Texas' proposal to become the latest state to license paraprofessional providers of limited legal services could help firms expand their reach and improve access to justice, but consumers, attorneys and allied legal professionals would benefit even more if similar programs across the country become more uniform, says Michael Houlberg at the University of Denver.

  • 10 Soft Skills Every GC Should Master

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    As businesses face shifting regulatory and technological uncertainty, general counsel will need to strengthen certain soft skills to succeed, from admitting when they make a mistake to maintaining a healthy dose of dispassion, says Douglas Brown at Manatt.

  • An Unrestrained, Bright-Eyed View Of Legal AI's Future

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    Todd Itami at Covington offers a bright-eyed, laughing-all-the-way, skydive look at what the legal industry could look like after an artificial intelligence revolution, which he believes may happen much sooner and more dramatically than we expect.

  • Tracking The Evolution In Litigation Finance

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    Despite continued innovation, litigation finance remains an immature market with borrowers recieving significantly different terms as lenders learn to value cases, which firms need a strong handle on to ensure lending terms do not overwhelm collateral value, says Robert Wilkins at Lightfoot Franklin.

  • Series

    Volunteer Firefighting Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    While practicing corporate law and firefighting may appear incongruous, the latter benefits my legal career by reminding me of the importance of humility, perspective and education, says Nicholas Passaro at Ford.

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