Legal Ethics

  • March 10, 2026

    Fla. Judge Admits To Misleading Campaign Tactics

    A Florida judge is facing a public reprimand and suspension from the bench after admitting to ethics violations in connection with her election campaign, including depicting misleading endorsements and appearing to personally solicit financial support. 

  • March 10, 2026

    Judge Nixed Over MAGA Op-Ed Seeks Reinstatement

    A retired Illinois state trial court judge pursuing First Amendment claims against the state Supreme Court after his right-wing opinion column resulted in his removal from a temporary judgeship has moved for immediate reinstatement to the Cook County Circuit Court.

  • March 10, 2026

    DLA Piper Can't Rep Itself At Bias Trial, Fired Atty Says

    DLA Piper should not be permitted to represent itself at trial in a pregnancy discrimination case brought by a senior associate who was fired in 2022, lawyers for the plaintiff told a Manhattan federal judge.

  • March 09, 2026

    Ex-DLA Piper Atty Alleging Rape Can't Remain Anonymous

    A former Boston-based DLA Piper associate cannot use a pseudonym to pursue a lawsuit alleging she was raped by one of the firm's former partners, a Massachusetts judge ruled, noting that she already publicly revealed her identity in a related suit against the accused attorney.

  • March 09, 2026

    Judge OKs Sanctions In $500M Miss America Ownership Fight

    A Florida federal judge Monday sanctioned a businessman and his attorney for submitting fraudulent documents in a $500 million dispute over ownership of the Miss America pageant and using the documents to put the company into Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

  • March 09, 2026

    Valve Gamers Seek Fees After Co. Dropped Them From Suit

    Gamers who were sued by Valve Corp. in an effort to stop hundreds of arbitration proceedings have urged a Washington federal judge to make the company cover their legal fees, arguing that as each defendant was dismissed from the lawsuit following a final arbitration award, they became a prevailing party entitled to recoup their costs.

  • March 09, 2026

    Reed Smith, Greenberg Traurig Fight Gas Feud Sanctions

    Both Reed Smith LLP and Greenberg Traurig LLP provided nothing more than "zealous advocacy" for their respective clients amid an international petroleum shipping dispute between Eletson Holdings and Levona Holdings Ltd., the two law firms have argued in separate opposition briefs fighting sanctions motions stemming from the matter.

  • March 09, 2026

    NJ US Atty Trio Booted In 2nd Leadership Ouster

    A federal judge on Monday disqualified the three assistant attorneys overseeing the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey, finding the "byzantine" leadership structure is unconstitutional.

  • March 09, 2026

    Proposed Changes To NJ Atty Ethics Rules Raise Worry In Bar

    The New Jersey Supreme Court is weighing a slate of proposed ethics rule changes requiring attorneys to update their online presences, including email and voicemail, when disbarred, suspended or on disability-inactive status — drawing concern from the state bar and, in particular, for small firms and solo practitioners.

  • March 09, 2026

    McGuireWoods Beats Sun Pharma's DQ Bid In NJ Suit

    A New Jersey federal court has denied Sun Pharmaceutical's bid to disqualify McGuireWoods LLP from representing pharmaceutical company Biofrontera in litigation over the alleged breach of a settlement agreement, ruling the firm's continued representation won't harm Sun Pharmaceutical and will avoid significant harm to Biofrontera.

  • March 09, 2026

    Lewis Brisbois Renews Bid To Force Paralegal To Arbitrate

    Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP asked a Florida state judge on Friday to have a former paralegal arbitrate her defamation claims that its actions tarnished her reputation and cost her a job at another firm.

  • March 09, 2026

    SCOTUSblog Founder Goldstein To Be Sentenced In June

    SCOTUSblog founder Thomas Goldstein, currently under home confinement in Washington, D.C., after a Maryland jury convicted him on tax evasion and mortgage fraud charges, will face sentencing in June.

  • March 09, 2026

    Wash. State Bill Would Expand AG Power To Demand Docs

    A bill making its way through the Washington Legislature would enhance the power of the state attorney general to demand document production and testimony in civil matters, including suspected violations of the U.S. and Washington constitutions, allowing prosecutors to seek documents from elected officials and law enforcement agencies.

  • March 06, 2026

    DOJ Forges Ahead With Law Firm EO Appeals At DC Circ.

    The U.S. Department of Justice on Friday moved ahead with filing appeals at the D.C. Circuit to defend executive orders issued by President Donald Trump targeting four law firms, just three days after the agency backtracked on its decision to drop the fight.

  • March 06, 2026

    FCC Wants To Make It Easier To Kick People Out Of USF

    The Federal Communications Commission wants to make it easier to boot people or entities from the Universal Service Fund, the agency's multibillion-dollar subsidy fund, if it believes they aren't following the rules they agreed to when they signed up.

  • March 06, 2026

    Meta, Google Begin Defense As Mental Harm Plaintiff Rests

    Attorneys for the plaintiff in a landmark bellwether California trial in a suit accusing Instagram and YouTube of harming children's mental health rested their case Friday, opting not to call the plaintiff's mother to testify live despite the defense portraying her as the potential cause of the plaintiff's mental health struggles.

  • March 06, 2026

    Calif. Judge Blasts Ex-Venture Capitalist In Axing SVB Suit

    Convicted venture capitalist and self-described "Silicon Valley's party animal" Michael Rothenberg's conduct in his lawsuit against the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., acting on behalf of the failed Silicon Valley Bank, "consisted almost entirely of ignoring or frustrating" his litigation obligations, a California federal judge ruled in throwing out the case.

  • March 06, 2026

    Former Calif. Securities Atty Gets Year For Tax Evasion

    A former Southern California securities attorney Friday was sentenced to a year and a day in prison for evading paying his personal taxes and was ordered to pay over $350,000 in restitution to the IRS.

  • March 06, 2026

    Ex-Girardi Keese Atty Pleads Guilty For Role In Client Scandal

    Former Girardi Keese attorney Keith Griffin pled guilty to criminal contempt in Illinois federal court on Thursday for his role in the firm's failure to pay millions ​in client settlement funds to relatives of victims killed in the crash of Lion Air Flight 610.

  • March 06, 2026

    Courts Aren't Ignoring Justices' TPS Orders, Ex-Judges Say

    Over 175 former federal and state judges have slammed the Trump administration's claim that lower courts "flouted" interim orders from the U.S. Supreme Court in litigation involving the administration's revocation of foreign nationals' temporary protected status, saying they weren't binding.

  • March 06, 2026

    Bank Beats Sanctions Bid In Jail Debit Card Fees Suit

    Central Bank of Kansas City has been ordered to produce more documents related to a prepaid debit card program for formerly incarcerated people in an excessive fee class action, but will not face monetary sanctions for its failure to comply fully with a previous court order.

  • March 06, 2026

    Florida Bar Rescinds Claim Agency Is Investigating Halligan

    The Florida Bar said Friday that it is not investigating controversial former interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Lindsey Halligan, walking back a previous assertion it had made in a letter to a nonprofit that it was probing Halligan's actions.

  • March 06, 2026

    NJ Talc Suit Will Proceed Amid Beasley Allen DQ Appeal

    The New Jersey Supreme Court has declined to stay multicounty litigation over Johnson & Johnson's talc-based baby powder brought by hundreds of women who allege their ovarian cancer was linked to the product, while Beasley Allen appeals its removal as plaintiff's counsel over a firm partner's collaboration with the pharmaceutical giant's former outside counsel.

  • March 06, 2026

    Suspended Atty Can Become Paralegal After $3M Scheme

    A suspended Connecticut lawyer who pled guilty to moving $3 million in pump-and-dump stock scheme proceeds through his attorney trust account can become a paralegal under the supervision of another lawyer, according to a plan approved by a state trial court judge.

  • March 06, 2026

    Constantine Cannon Defends Handling Of Sutter $75M Fee

    Constantine Cannon LLP pushed back against Schneider Wallace Cottrell Kim LLP's allegations it unfairly reduced Schneider Wallace's share of a $75.4 million fee award in Sutter Health's $228.5 million antitrust deal, arguing in California federal court that the firm "sat on the sidelines" for most of the decadelong fight and isn't entitled to a bigger cut.

Expert Analysis

  • When Atty Ethics Violations Give Rise To Causes Of Action

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    Though the Model Rules of Professional Conduct make clear that a violation of the rules does not automatically create a cause of action, attorneys should beware of a few scenarios in which they could face lawsuits for ethical lapses, says Brian Faughnan at Faughnan Law.

  • Series

    Practicing Stoicism Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Practicing Stoicism, by applying reason to ignore my emotions and govern my decisions, has enabled me to approach challenging situations in a structured way, ultimately providing advice singularly devoted to a client's interest, says John Baranello at Moses & Singer.

  • Series

    The Biz Court Digest: Texas, One Year In

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    A year after the Texas Business Court's first decision, it's clear that Texas didn't just copy Delaware and instead built something uniquely its own, combining specialization with constitutional accountability and creating a model that looks forward without losing touch with the state's democratic and statutory roots, says Chris Bankler at Jackson Walker.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Educating Your Community

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    Nearly two decades prosecuting scammers and elder fraud taught me that proactively educating the public about the risks they face and the rights they possess is essential to building trust within our communities, empowering otherwise vulnerable citizens and preventing wrongdoers from gaining a foothold, says Roger Handberg at GrayRobinson.

  • 5 Crisis Lawyering Skills For An Age Of Uncertainty

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    As attorneys increasingly face unprecedented and pervasive situations — from prosecutions of law enforcement officials to executive orders targeting law firms — they must develop several essential competencies of effective crisis lawyering, says Ray Brescia at Albany Law School.

  • Opinion

    It's Time For The Judiciary To Fix Its Cybersecurity Problem

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    After recent reports that hackers have once again infiltrated federal courts’ electronic case management systems, the judiciary should strengthen its cybersecurity practices in line with executive branch standards, outlining clear roles and responsibilities for execution, says Ilona Cohen at HackerOne.

  • Series

    Writing Novels Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Writing my debut novel taught me to appreciate the value of critique and to never give up, no matter how long or tedious the journey, providing me with valuable skills that I now emphasize in my practice, says Daniel Buzzetta at BakerHostetler.

  • Trader Joe's Ruling Highlights Trademark Infringement Trends

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    The Ninth Circuit's recent decision in Trader Joe's Co. v. Trader Joe's United explores the legal boundaries between a union's right to advocate for workers and the protection of a brand's intellectual property, and illustrates a growing trend of courts disfavoring early dismissal of trademark infringement claims in the context of expressive speech, say attorneys at Mitchell Silberberg.

  • Decoding Arbitral Disputes: Arbitrator's Conviction Upheld

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    The Supreme Court of Spain recently upheld the criminal conviction of arbitrator Gonzalo Stampa for grave disobedience to judicial authority, rejecting the proposition that an arbitrator's independence can prevail over a court order retroactively disabling the very judicial act conferring arbitral jurisdiction, says Josep Galvez at 4-5 Gray's Inn.

  • SDNY OpenAI Order Clarifies Preservation Standards For AI

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    The Southern District of New York’s recent order in the OpenAI copyright infringement litigation, denying discovery of The New York Times' artificial intelligence technology use, clarifies that traditional preservation benchmarks apply to AI content, relieving organizations from using a “keep everything” approach, says Philip Favro at Favro Law.

  • In NY, Long COVID (Tolling) Still Applies

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    A series of pandemic-era executive orders in New York tolling state statutes of limitations for 228 days mean that many causes of action that appear time-barred on their face may continue to apply, including in federal practice, for the foreseeable future, say attorneys at Sher Tremonte.

  • Opinion

    High Court, Not A Single Justice, Should Decide On Recusal

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    As public trust in the U.S. Supreme Court continues to decline, the court should adopt a collegial framework in which all justices decide questions of recusal together — a reform that respects both judicial independence and due process for litigants, say Michael Broyde at Emory University and Hayden Hall at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.

  • Reel Justice: 'One Battle After Another' And The Limits Of Zeal

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    The political thriller “One Battle After Another,” following a former revolutionary who became a recluse, offers a potent metaphor for attorneys on diligence and the ethical boundaries of zealous advocacy, says Veronica Finkelstein at Wilmington University School of Law.

  • Series

    Traveling Solo Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Traveling by myself has taught me to assess risk, understand tone and stay calm in high-pressure situations, which are not only useful life skills, but the foundation of how I support my clients, says Lacey Gutierrez at Group Five Legal.

  • 6th Circ. FirstEnergy Ruling Protects Key Legal Privileges

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    The Sixth Circuit’s recent grant of mandamus relief in In re: First Energy Corp. confirms that the attorney-client privilege and work-product protections apply to internal investigation materials, ultimately advancing the public interest, say attorneys at Cooley.

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