Legal Ethics

  • May 20, 2025

    Apple Can't Get Quick Pause Of App Store Order At 9th Circ.

    The Ninth Circuit agreed Monday to expedite briefing in Apple's appeal challenging a lower court's new injunction mandating certain App Store policy changes, but the panel declined to rule on Apple's emergency request to pause the injunction as Apple and Epic Games brief the hotly contested dispute.

  • May 20, 2025

    Texas Bar Bans Cos. From Hiring Out In-House Attys

    For-profit companies in Texas can't provide legal services to customers, even if they offer those services on an "at cost" basis, the State Bar of Texas has said.

  • May 20, 2025

    Veterans Seek Certification For VA Consultant Fee Claims

    A proposed class of veterans urged a North Carolina federal judge to certify their claims against a consulting firm they allege charged them millions in illegal fees, arguing that the individual claims of thousands all hinge on a single statutory interpretation.

  • May 19, 2025

    Goldstein Assails 'Radical' DOJ Case, Probe Of 'Sexual Habits'

    In his most forceful attack on tax evasion charges that have roiled the U.S. Supreme Court bar, indicted appellate icon Thomas C. Goldstein is accusing the U.S. Department of Justice of embracing "breathtaking" legal theories and revealing prurient information about him "to bias the grand jury."

  • May 19, 2025

    Posner Wins Ex-Staffer's $170K Wage Suit

    A former executive at retired Seventh Circuit Judge Richard Posner's short-lived pro bono legal services organization lost his bid for $170,000 in back pay he claimed to be owed on Monday when an Indiana federal court found claims to be untimely.

  • May 19, 2025

    Va. State Judge Clears VLSI's Fraud Suit Against PQA

    Patent Quality Assurance and an associated attorney must face litigation accusing them of fraud during an inter partes review against VLSI Technology, a Virginia state judge has concluded.

  • May 19, 2025

    DuPont And Garden State Clash In PFAS Trial Opener

    New Jersey and E.I. du Pont de Nemours were at odds on Monday in federal court over the risks and cleanup of "forever chemical" contamination at a Salem County manufacturing facility, with the state claiming it was intentionally misled and DuPont arguing the state is changing the rules.

  • May 19, 2025

    Apple's Refusal To Put Fortnite On App Store Prompts Hearing

    A California federal judge issued an order Monday requiring Apple to show why she should not find that the company has violated her recent injunction requiring changes to its App Store policies, after Epic Games complained that the tech giant is refusing to put Fortnite back on its U.S. online storefront.

  • May 19, 2025

    Amazon Asks 9th Circ. To Flip 'Inadvertent' Discovery Ruling

    Amazon asked the Ninth Circuit to reverse a Washington federal court's ruling that refused its bid to claw back documents inadvertently produced in proposed antitrust class actions, saying companies need to be able to fix mistakes made when designating privileged documents.

  • May 19, 2025

    Trump Signs Anti-Revenge Porn Bill Into Law

    President Donald Trump on Monday signed into law a bipartisan bill to combat deep fake revenge porn, a major priority for first lady Melania Trump that has been met with criticism from some technology groups over security and constitutional concerns.

  • May 19, 2025

    CFTC Should Pay $3M Atty Fees After Sanctions, Firm Says

    A foreign exchange firm that won dismissal of a U.S. Commodity Futures Exchange Commission case after a New Jersey federal judge sanctioned the agency for bad faith behavior now says the CFTC should have to pay nearly $3 million for failing to own up to its mistake sooner.

  • May 19, 2025

    Cos. Fight Recusal Bid In Antitrust Case Over Clerk Ties

    The Minnesota federal judge overseeing a major pork price-fixing case shouldn't have to recuse himself just because one of his clerks worked at plaintiffs-side firms, pork purchaser plaintiffs say, calling the defendants' request a cynical ploy that comes on the eve of trial.

  • May 19, 2025

    Investment Adviser Seeks Cadwalader Notes In Fraud Case

    An investment manager who used to be represented by U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche when Blanche was a partner at Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft LLP has asked a Brooklyn federal judge to order the firm to turn over documents that he called "critical" to his defense on fraud and money laundering charges.

  • May 19, 2025

    Fla. Judge Resigns Amid Call For Removal Over 'Bigot' Remark

    A Florida judge who accused her opponent of antisemitism and bigotry said she will resign from the bench after the Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission "reluctantly, but of necessity" recommend her removal.

  • May 19, 2025

    Atty Says Texas Firm Fired Her For Taking Protected Leave

    A former associate at a prominent Texas personal injury firm who claims she was fired after she took medical leave for a disabling eye condition and bereavement leave upon her mother's death has brought a disability discrimination suit against the firm and associated entities in federal court in Houston.

  • May 19, 2025

    Ex-Staffer Fights NJ Law Firm Blume Forte's Arbitration Bid

    A former staff member who is suing personal injury law firm Blume Forte Fried Zerres & Molinari PC, alleging disability discrimination, is disputing an assertion that she signed a valid arbitration agreement with the firm, arguing that any such agreement is unenforceable in New Jersey state court.

  • May 19, 2025

    Ex-Bank GC Fights $7.4M Fraud Restitution Schedule

    A former Webster Bank general counsel has opposed part of a government plan for repaying the $7.4 million he pled guilty to taking by fraud, saying he will be in prison for four years, resigned as an attorney, remains unemployed and cannot work in banking once he's free.

  • May 19, 2025

    Ex-Litigator Settles Disability Bias Suit Against Wilson Elser

    A former Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker LLP litigator on Monday agreed to permanently drop his federal disability bias suit against the firm, after the sides came to a confidential resolution.

  • May 19, 2025

    Avenatti Rips 'Draconian' Bid To Add 13 Years To Sentence

    Former high-profile attorney Michael Avenatti asked a California federal judge to reject the government's request to tack on more than 13 years to his prison term, saying such a "draconian" result would conflict with a Ninth Circuit ruling wiping out a previous sentence in the fraud case.

  • May 19, 2025

    Pa. County Must Face Suit Over Ex-DA's Sex Assault

    The government of Somerset County, Pennsylvania, can't duck a lawsuit brought by a woman who claims the county should have stopped its then-district attorney from stalking, harassing and sexually assaulting her, a federal judge ruled Monday.

  • May 19, 2025

    Partner Hire Kills Jurisdiction In Referral Suit, Mass. Firm Says

    A Boston law firm told a Massachusetts federal court on Monday that it plans to refile its suit seeking a referral fee from a Minnesota firm that served as co-lead counsel in a salmon purchaser antitrust case, after the latter firm's hiring of a Massachusetts-based partner defeated federal court jurisdiction.

  • May 16, 2025

    9th Circ. Mulls DOJ Shield Of Jones Day VW Documents

    A Ninth Circuit panel on Friday questioned whether it could force the U.S. Department of Justice to hand over confidential Volkswagen documents it obtained through a grand jury subpoena that were part of Jones Day's internal investigation into the automaker's 2015 emissions-cheating scandal.

  • May 16, 2025

    Anthropic's AI-Hallucinated Errors Taint Filing, Publishers Say

    Music publishers suing Anthropic for copyright infringement accused the artificial intelligence company on Friday of downplaying the seriousness of errors in a filing caused by Anthropic's own Claude AI tool, saying the company's counsel violated a judge's standing order and arguing that the filing at issue should be tossed.

  • May 16, 2025

    Injured Ross Shopper Sanctioned For Discovery Violations

    A woman suing Ross Dress for Less Inc. for injuries she suffered in a fall was sanctioned for failing to disclose that she received medical treatment stemming from a car accident two years prior, but a Florida federal judge stopped short of granting the "ultimate" sanction of dismissal.

  • May 16, 2025

    Attys With 'Borrowed' Claims Can't Skip Inquiry, Lumen Says

    Telecommunications company Lumen has told the Colorado Supreme Court that attorneys still need to conduct their own "objectively reasonable inquiry" when borrowing claims from outside litigants, in the hopes of beating a shareholder suit that took allegations from other cases despite attorneys not speaking to the witnesses.

Expert Analysis

  • This Earth Day, Consider How Your Firm Can Go Greener

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    As Earth Day approaches, law firms and attorneys should consider adopting more sustainable practices to reduce their carbon footprint — from minimizing single-use plastics to purchasing carbon offsets for air travel — which ultimately can also reduce costs for clients, say M’Lynn Phillips and Lisa Walters at IMS Legal Strategies.

  • Weisselberg's Perjury At Trial Spotlights Atty Ethics Issues

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    Former Trump Organization executive Allen Weisselberg’s recent guilty plea for perjury in the New York attorney general's civil fraud trial should serve as a reminder to attorneys of their ethical duties when they know a client has lied or plans to lie in court, and the potential penalties for not fulfilling those obligations, say Hilary Gerzhoy and Julienne Pasichow at HWG.

  • Practicing Law With Parkinson's Disease

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    This Parkinson’s Awareness Month, Adam Siegler at Greenberg Traurig discusses his experience working as a lawyer with Parkinson’s disease, sharing both lessons on how to cope with a diagnosis and advice for supporting colleagues who live with the disease.

  • Why Incorporating By Reference Is Rarely Good Practice

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    The Federal Circuit’s recent ruling in Promptu Systems v. Comcast serves as a reminder that while incorporating by reference may seem efficient, it is generally prohibited by courts and can lead to sanctions when used to bypass a word count limit, says Cullen Seltzer at Sands Anderson.

  • Series

    Playing Hockey Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Nearly a lifetime of playing hockey taught me the importance of avoiding burnout in all aspects of life, and the game ultimately ended up providing me with the balance I needed to maintain success in my legal career, says John Riccione at Taft.

  • For Lawyers, Pessimism Should Be A Job Skill, Not A Life Skill

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    A pessimistic mindset allows attorneys to be effective advocates for their clients, but it can come with serious costs for their personal well-being, so it’s crucial to exercise strategies that produce flexible optimism and connect lawyers with their core values, says Krista Larson at Stinson.

  • Trump's NY Civil Fraud Trial Spotlights Long-Criticized Law

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    A New York court’s recent decision holding former President Donald Trump liable for fraud brought old criticisms of the state law used against him back into the limelight — including its strikingly broad scope and its major departures from the traditional elements of common law fraud, say Mark Kelley and Lois Ahn at MoloLamken.

  • Opinion

    Requiring Leave To File Amicus Briefs Is A Bad Idea

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    A proposal to amend the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure that would require parties to get court permission before filing federal amicus briefs would eliminate the long-standing practice of consent filing and thereby make the process less open and democratic, says Lawrence Ebner at the Atlantic Legal Foundation and DRI Center.

  • 4 Ways To Motivate Junior Attorneys To Bring Their Best

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    As Gen Z and younger millennial attorneys increasingly express dissatisfaction with their work and head for the exits, the lawyers who manage them must understand and attend to their needs and priorities to boost engagement and increase retention, says Stacey Schwartz at Katten.

  • Series

    Serving As A Sheriff's Deputy Made Me A Better Lawyer

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    Skills developed during my work as a reserve deputy — where there was a need to always be prepared, decisive and articulate — transferred to my practice as an intellectual property litigator, and my experience taught me that clients often appreciate and relate to the desire to participate in extracurricular activities, says Michael Friedland at Friedland Cianfrani.

  • Former Minn. Chief Justice Instructs On Writing Better Briefs

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    Former Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie Gildea, now at Greenberg Traurig, offers strategies on writing more effective appellate briefs from her time on the bench.

  • Stay Interviews Are Key To Retaining Legal Talent

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    Even as the economy shifts and layoffs continue, law firms still want to retain their top attorneys, and so-called stay interviews — informal conversations with employees to identify potential issues before they lead to turnover — can be a crucial tool for improving retention and morale, say Tina Cohen Nicol and Kate Reder Sheikh at Major Lindsey.

  • The Fed. Circ. In February: A Reminder On Procedure Rule 28

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    Because the Federal Circuit does not often issue a sua sponte precedential order emphasizing an important rule of practice, it is useful to look at how the court applied the restrictions of appellate procedure Rule 28 in Promptu v. Comcast last month, and in cases that preceded it, say Jeremiah Helm and Sean Murray at Knobbe Martens.

  • Opinion

    DOJ Press Office Is Not Fulfilling Its Stated Mission

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    The U.S. Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs’ apparent practice of issuing press releases when someone is indicted or convicted, but not when a defendant prevails, undermines its stated mission to disseminate “current, complete and accurate” information, and has negative real-world ramifications, says Sara Kropf at Kropf Moseley.

  • Series

    Spray Painting Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My experiences as an abstract spray paint artist have made me a better litigator, demonstrating — in more ways than one — how fluidity and flexibility are necessary parts of a successful legal practice, says Erick Sandlin at Bracewell.

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