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Legal Ethics
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May 23, 2024
DC Judge Bars Giuliani From Defaming Ga. Poll Workers
A D.C. federal judge has entered an injunction barring Rudy Giuliani from repeating lies that two Georgia poll workers meddled with the 2020 presidential election, resolving a second lawsuit the election workers launched after securing a $146 million judgment against the former New York City mayor.
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May 23, 2024
J&J Loses Expedited Bid For Beasley Allen Docs In Talc MDL
Johnson & Johnson has lost its bid in New Jersey federal court to have the Beasley Allen Law Firm quickly produce documents related to what J&J said seems to be an "intentional effort" by the firm to "bias the vote" against a proposed $6.5 billion reorganization plan for its talc subsidiary.
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May 23, 2024
Stryker Unit And Seyfarth Attys Hit With $275K Sanctions
A Colorado federal judge has imposed $275,000 in sanctions jointly and severally on Stryker-owned Howmedica Osteonics Corp., along with Seyfarth Shaw LLP, for witness coaching and discovery violations in a bitter breach-of-contract dispute, amounting to roughly one-eighth of what plaintiff ORP Surgical LLC had sought.
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May 23, 2024
Alex Jones Atty Escapes Suspension, For Now
The Connecticut Appellate Court on Thursday threw out the six-month suspension of Norm Pattis, the lead attorney in Infowars host Alex Jones' Sandy Hook Elementary School defamation trial, ordering new proceedings against the attorney for supervising the transmission of the victims' confidential records to other Jones lawyers.
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May 22, 2024
Stubhub, Attys Beat Sanctions Bid For Lost Hyperlinked Docs
A California federal magistrate judge on Monday rejected a request for sanctions against StubHub and its counsel over problems finding hyperlinked documents in a case brought by consumers seeking refunds for events that were canceled or rescheduled due to COVID-19, saying the court's order requiring their production was "in most cases impossible to comply with."
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May 22, 2024
Pryor Cashman Atty Accused Of 'Brazen' Hose Patent Fraud
An attorney for Pryor Cashman LLP and his client were accused Wednesday in Florida federal court of engaging in a "brazen" scheme to usurp a hose company's rights to a patent portfolio while also defrauding the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
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May 22, 2024
'Appeal To Heaven' Flag Flew At Alito's Vacation Home: Report
Democratic lawmakers on Wednesday called for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito to immediately recuse himself from cases related to the 2020 election and face censure after The New York Times reported that flags tied to Donald Trump supporters had flown outside two homes owned by the justice in 2021 and again last year.
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May 22, 2024
Michael Best Accused Of Malpractice In Startup's Restructure
Michael Best & Friedrich LLP, one of its partners and one of its former attorneys are accused of mishandling a technology startup's reorganization, jeopardizing tax benefits for its founders, according to a legal malpractice lawsuit filed in Illinois state court.
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May 22, 2024
Feds To Extend Plea Offer To Oath Keepers Atty In Jan. 6 Case
Federal prosecutors said Wednesday that they plan to extend a plea offer to an attorney for the far-right Oath Keepers group charged in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, but the specifics of the offer could depend on the U.S. Supreme Court's stance on a federal statute often used to prosecute alleged Capitol rioters.
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May 22, 2024
Inventor To Take $102M IP Malpractice Row To Ga. High Court
A neurosurgeon pursuing a nearly $102 million legal malpractice case against FisherBroyles LLP and a legal services contractor over a missed patent filing deadline said Wednesday that he is planning to take the dispute to the highest court in the Peach State.
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May 22, 2024
Mich. Judge Not Satisfied By Atty's Letter Over Flint PR Stunt
The federal judge overseeing Flint, Michigan, water crisis cases isn't satisfied with a California attorney's letter denying involvement in an alleged smear campaign targeting a lawyer for Flint children, saying Wednesday that if the attorney doesn't provide more substantive information, she will be referred to the State Bar of California.
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May 22, 2024
Ex-Mich. Judge Loses Law License Challenge
A former Detroit trial court judge's failure to object to a magistrate judge's recommendation to toss her claims means she cannot continue to pursue a discrimination and defamation complaint against the state's judicial disciplinary board, a federal judge in Michigan ruled Wednesday.
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May 22, 2024
New Bill Calls For High Court To Explain Emergency Rulings
A coalition of Democratic lawmakers introduced a bill Wednesday that would require the U.S. Supreme Court to provide vote tallies and explanations for decisions in most cases on its elusive emergency docket.
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May 22, 2024
Ill. Judge Hands Over Case As Cautious Step Amid DQ Bid
An Illinois federal judge overseeing an Illinois tax attorney's witness tampering case — who previously presided over his fraud trial that ended in a mistrial — recused herself from a retrial "in an abundance of caution," but rejected the attorney's claims that she recommended to the government to add the tampering charge.
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May 22, 2024
NJ Law Firm Sued For Allegedly Botching Med Mal Action
New Jersey law firm Bramnick Rodriguez Grabas Arnold & Mangan LLC has been hit a legal malpractice lawsuit in state court from a former client alleging the firm botched a medical malpractice action by failing to submit an expert report.
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May 22, 2024
Deal Reached In Dispute Over Seward & Kissel Call Logs In NJ
The billionaire founder of hedge fund Two Sigma Investments LP agreed this week to allow records of his communications with Seward & Kissel LLP, with some limitations, to be turned over to his wife, who is suing the firm, alleging that it helped cheat her out of billions in the couple's ongoing divorce.
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May 22, 2024
Fla. Judges Cleared To Speak On Legal Process During Panels
A Florida judge can participate in a local bar association discussion panel that addresses how judges confer with colleagues and consider amicus filings without violating the Florida Code of Judicial Conduct, according to a new advisory opinion by the Florida Judicial Ethics Advisory Committee.
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May 22, 2024
DeSantis Ducks Voters' Suit Over Fla. Prosecutor Suspension
A Florida federal judge on Wednesday tossed voters' attempt to undo Gov. Ron DeSantis' suspension of elected prosecutor Monique Worrell, finding that the voters had not shown they were injured by the suspension.
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May 22, 2024
NJ Atty Faces Fla. Suspension Over Sale Of $1.6M Painting
An attorney suspended for one year in New Jersey last year for smuggling a $1.6 million painting out of his house to avoid an asset sale has agreed to a guilty plea accepting another yearlong suspension in Florida related to the scheme.
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May 22, 2024
Texas Attys Get Green Light To Charge Subscription Fees
An opinion recently issued by the Professional Ethics Committee of the State Bar of Texas gives Lone Star State lawyers the go-ahead to offer subscription-based legal services so long as the arrangement doesn't result in the charging of an "unconscionable fee."
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May 22, 2024
5 'Fat Leonard' Bribery Pleas Axed Over Misconduct
A California federal judge has agreed to toss felony plea deals for five former U.S. Navy officers who admitted they took bribes from the Malaysian defense contractor known as "Fat Leonard," after the government acknowledged prosecutorial missteps had tainted the high-profile case.
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May 22, 2024
LA Investor Sues Greenberg Glusker Over 'Appalling' Filings
A Los Angeles investor has filed a suit against Greenberg Glusker and two of its partners for allegedly bungling his defense in an underlying suit brought by his stepson, accusing the firm of sharing a draft complaint prior to filing and including inaccuracies and unnecessary personal attacks in another filing, while also pressuring him to accept a bad settlement.
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May 22, 2024
Oil Tanker Operators To Pay $2M For Dumping Oil From Ship
The operators of the motor tanker PS Dream pled guilty in Louisiana federal court as part of a $2 million plea deal with the U.S. Department of Justice that includes four years of probation, after a whistleblower shared a video of oil being deliberately pumped overboard in January 2023.
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May 21, 2024
Toll Bros. Lobs Legal Malpractice Claims At Gordon Rees
Luxury home builder Toll Bros. Inc. has filed legal malpractice and breach of contract claims against Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani LLP, claiming that the California-based firm didn't comply with discovery obligations, among other failures while representing Toll Bros. in a dispute over a project in Washington state.
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May 21, 2024
LoanDepot's $3.5M Deal In IPO Disclosure Suit Gets Final OK
A California federal judge has granted final approval to LoanDepot's $3.5 million settlement in a suit alleging it misled investors leading up to the company's initial public offering, despite a shareholder's objection that the settlement is insufficient.
Expert Analysis
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Industry Must Elevate Native American Women Attys' Stories
The American Bar Association's recent research study into Native American women attorneys' experiences in the legal industry reveals the glacial pace of progress, and should inform efforts to amplify Native voices in the field, says Mary Smith, president of the ABA.
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Understanding Discovery Obligations In Era Of Generative AI
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Attorneys and businesses must adapt to the unique discovery challenges presented by generative artificial intelligence, such as chatbot content and prompts, while upholding the principles of fairness, transparency and compliance with legal obligations in federal civil litigation, say attorneys at King & Spalding.
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Asserting 'Presence-Of-Counsel' Defense In Securities Trials
As illustrated by the fraud trial of FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, defense attorneys in securities trials might consider arguing that counsel had some involvement in the conduct at issue — if the more formal advice-of-counsel defense is unavailable and circumstances allow for a privilege waiver, say Joseph Dever and Matthew Elkin at Cozen O'Connor.
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Key Takeaways From DOJ's Recent FARA Advisory Opinions
The U.S. Department of Justice recently published several redacted advisory opinions on the Foreign Agents Registration Act, clarifying its current thinking on when a person or entity is required to register as a foreign agent under the statute, and when they may qualify for an exemption, says Tessa Capeloto at Wiley Rein.
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The Case For Post-Bar Clerk Training Programs At Law Firms
In today's competitive legal hiring market, an intentionally designed training program for law school graduates awaiting bar admission can be an effective way of creating a pipeline of qualified candidates, says Brent Daub at Gilson Daub.
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Attorneys Have An Ethical Duty To Protect The Judiciary
The tenor of public disagreement and debate has become increasingly hostile against judges, and though the legislative branch is trying to ameliorate this safety gap, lawyers have a moral imperative and professional requirement to stand with judges in defusing attacks against them and their rulings, says Deborah Winokur at Cozen O'Connor.
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AI Can Help Lawyers Overcome The Programming Barrier
Legal professionals without programming expertise can use generative artificial intelligence to harness the power of automation and other technology solutions to streamline their work, without the steep learning curve traditionally associated with coding, says George Zalepa at Greenberg Traurig.
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Preparing Law Students For A New, AI-Assisted Legal World
As artificial intelligence rapidly transforms the legal landscape, law schools must integrate technology and curricula that address AI’s innate challenges — from ethics to data security — to help students stay ahead of the curve, say Daniel Garrie at Law & Forensics, Ryan Abbott at JAMS and Karen Silverman at Cantellus Group.
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General Counsel Need Data Literacy To Keep Up With AI
With the rise of accessible and powerful generative artificial intelligence solutions, it is imperative for general counsel to understand the use and application of data for myriad important activities, from evaluating the e-discovery process to monitoring compliance analytics and more, says Colin Levy at Malbek.
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Navigating Discovery Of Generative AI Information
As generative artificial intelligence tools become increasingly ubiquitous, companies must make sure to preserve generative AI data when there is reasonable expectation of litigation, and to include transcripts in litigation hold notices, as they may be relevant to discovery requests, say Nick Peterson and Corey Hauser at Wiley.
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Finding Focus: Strategies For Attorneys With ADHD
Given the prevalence of ADHD among attorneys, it is imperative that the legal community gain a better understanding of how ADHD affects well-being, and that resources and strategies exist for attorneys with this disability to manage their symptoms and achieve success, say Casey Dixon at Dixon Life Coaching and Krista Larson at Stinson.
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Attorneys, Law Schools Must Adapt To New Era Of Evidence
Technological advancements mean more direct evidence is being created than ever before, and attorneys as well as law schools must modify their methods to account for new challenges in how this evidence is collected and used to try cases, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.
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1st Tax Easement Convictions Will Likely Embolden DOJ, IRS
After recent convictions in the first criminal tax fraud trial over allegedly abusive syndicated conservation easements, the IRS and U.S. Department of Justice will likely pursue other promoters for similar alleged conspiracies — though one acquittal may help attorneys better evaluate their clients' exposure, say Bill Curtis and Lauren DeSantis-Then at Polsinelli.
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Tips For Litigating Against Pro Se Parties In Complex Disputes
Litigating against self-represented parties in complex cases can pose unique challenges for attorneys, but for the most part, it requires the same skills that are useful in other cases — from documenting everything to understanding one’s ethical duties, says Bryan Ketroser at Alto Litigation.
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Pro Bono Work Is Powerful Self-Help For Attorneys
Oct. 22-28 is Pro Bono Week, serving as a useful reminder that offering free legal help to the public can help attorneys expand their legal toolbox, forge community relationships and create human connections, despite the challenges of this kind of work, says Orlando Lopez at Culhane Meadows.