Legal Ethics

  • April 09, 2026

    MMA Law Accuses Lawyer, Insurance Co. Of RICO Scheme

    Embattled Texas firm MMA Law has filed nearly a score of complaints amid an ongoing bankruptcy action, including accusing a Louisiana attorney, his wife and an insurer of working together to "target, dismantle and destroy" the firm in an effort to avoid sharing a cut of legal fees stemming from storm damage claims.

  • April 09, 2026

    Law Grad Loses Wrongful Incarceration Award After 2nd Review

    The Connecticut Claims Commissioner's Office has rescinded a $75,456 award to a pardoned Vanderbilt Law School graduate who said he was wrongfully incarcerated after defending himself in a March 2008 fight among teenagers, expressing doubt that its analysis was sound enough to justify it.

  • April 09, 2026

    McCarter & English, Port Authority Rip Atty's Veteran Bias Suit

    McCarter & English LLP, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and Port Authority chair Kevin O'Toole blasted a veteran discrimination suit from a former McCarter & English attorney as based on an unfounded conspiracy theory in motions to dismiss this week.

  • April 09, 2026

    Ecolab Says Personal Injury Law Firm Holding Back $148K

    Ecolab and its self-funded employee benefit plan have accused a North Carolina personal injury firm of withholding around $148,000 in settlement funds the food safety company says it's owed for covering a worker's medical bills after a car accident.

  • April 09, 2026

    Juul Pricing Case Tossed Following Another Reversal

    An Illinois federal court has again dismissed a price discrimination case against Juul Labs over e-cigarette sales, after finding that a reversal of a previous ruling tossing the lawsuit was based on facts misrepresented by the wholesaler bringing the case.

  • April 08, 2026

    AEG, BigLaw Atty In Hot Seat As Live Nation Trial Nears End

    Live Nation on Wednesday concluded its defense case with glowing testimony about it from the manager for rap star Drake, while the Manhattan federal judge overseeing the case said rival company AEG Worldwide and a Hogan Lovells lawyer may face sanctions for revealing confidential information about a witness.

  • April 08, 2026

    Ex-US Atty Rollins Eyes Boston DA Comeback After Probes

    Former Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins, who stepped down amid multiple ethics investigations, pulled papers Wednesday to run for a return to her former office as Suffolk County district attorney, an elections official confirmed.

  • April 08, 2026

    Mich. Federal Judge Pleads No Contest In Drunk-Driving Case

    A Michigan federal judge pled no contest Wednesday to a misdemeanor drunken-driving charge in Emmet County court in connection with an incident where he crashed his Cadillac and registered a 0.27% blood alcohol level, apologizing and saying he "looks forward" to continuing his judicial service.

  • April 08, 2026

    NY Panel Backs DLA Piper's $482K Fee Win In Malpractice Suit

    A New York appellate court affirmed Tuesday the dismissal of a Chinese software company's legal malpractice suit against DLA Piper, along with a $482,000 sanctions order against the company and its counsel, noting that the company's frivolous claims also drew a $635,000 sanctions ruling in "mirror" federal court litigation.

  • April 08, 2026

    Colo. Woman Drops Debt Relief Suit Against Ga. Law Firm

    A woman has dropped her lawsuit in Colorado federal court accusing a Georgia law firm of charging her over $40,000 for debt settlement and credit repair services while doing little on her behalf. 

  • April 08, 2026

    NJ Power Broker, Atty Brother Push To End Developer's Suit

    South Jersey powerbroker George Norcross and his brother, Parker McCay PA shareholder Philip A. Norcross, asked a New Jersey state court this week to toss a civil racketeering suit from a real estate developer, which closely tracked a now-dismissed criminal indictment, arguing the allegations were settled in previous litigation and are time-barred.

  • April 08, 2026

    Colorado Firm Drops Google Suit Over Deleted Biz Profile

    A Colorado state judge has granted a bankruptcy attorney's request to dismiss his complaint against Google, in which he accused the company of removing his firm's business profile without explanation.

  • April 08, 2026

    ABA Says Attys Must Reveal When A Judge Needs To Recuse

    Attorneys have an ethical obligation to speak up when they have information that could lead to a judge's disqualification from a case, according to a new ethics opinion released by the American Bar Association on Wednesday.

  • April 08, 2026

    Firm Fights DQ Bid Against US Counsel In Chinese Arbitration

    A Chinese law firm suing a Washington resident over unpaid arbitration bills has slammed an effort to disqualify its Seattle-based local counsel, saying that while one of its attorneys had worked at the law firm representing the woman, the attorney was entirely walled off from the case.

  • April 08, 2026

    Insurer Says NC Law Firm's $130K Forgery Loss Isn't Covered

    Law firm Narron and Holdford PA isn't owed close to $130,000 in coverage for a forged cashier's check and wire transfer because the incident doesn't trigger coverage under the insurance policy it has with a pair of insurance companies, the insurers have told a North Carolina federal court. 

  • April 08, 2026

    ABA, State Bars Blast DOJ Proposal To Block Bar Probes

    The American Bar Association and a chorus of state and local bar groups have come out against a proposed rule that would allow the U.S. Department of Justice to pause and review state-level ethics complaints against its attorneys, calling the proposal "unlawful and unconstitutional."

  • April 08, 2026

    DLA Piper Offered Pregnant Atty 'Dignified' Exit, Jury Told

    A former DLA Piper associate who claims she was unlawfully fired after announcing her pregnancy was offered a chance to transition out of the firm "without anyone knowing that her work was subpar," a partner told a Manhattan federal jury Wednesday.

  • April 08, 2026

    Bondi To Skip Epstein Deposition After DOJ Cites AG Exit

    Former Attorney General Pam Bondi will not sit for her scheduled deposition next week on the Epstein files now that she has left the role, and the Justice Department has asked the House Oversight Committee to withdraw its subpoena.

  • April 07, 2026

    Fee And Atty Row Splinters Mass Medical Pot Licensing Suit

    An attorney's departure, fee disputes and clashes over who actually represents Oklahoma medical marijuana companies has caused a fissure in the litigation seeking to overturn the state's residency requirements, resulting in some plaintiffs being forced to file a separate lawsuit.

  • April 07, 2026

    SEC Says Firm, Atty Ran $6M High-Yield Investment Scheme

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday sued an investment firm, its owner and an attorney in Florida federal court for allegedly misappropriating $2.4 million from at least eight investors in a purported high-yield investment program that promised access to global financial tools.

  • April 07, 2026

    11th Circ. Faults Job Seeker's Atty But Upholds $3.4M Win

    The Eleventh Circuit declined Tuesday to grant a trucking company a new trial on a $3.4 million verdict handed to an applicant who claimed the business walked back a job offer after learning that he is Black, ruling his attorney's "improper" arguments didn't taint the trial's outcome.

  • April 07, 2026

    Law Firms Dodge Online Casinos' NY Retaliatory Litigation

    A New York state judge has tossed a malicious prosecution suit by online casinos against two law firms attempting to arbitrate consumer claims alleging illegal gambling, finding that the speech targeted by the suit falls within a state law protecting citizens from strategic lawsuits against public participation.

  • April 07, 2026

    Judge Who Quit Bench Amid Ethics Probe Hired By Fani Willis

    A Georgia trial court judge who resigned this year before facing the prospect of removal from the bench over a range of misconduct charges has been hired by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, a spokesperson for Willis confirmed Tuesday.

  • April 07, 2026

    States, DC Back NY AG James In DOJ Probe Appeal

    Backed by amici including the attorneys general of 20 states and the District of Columbia, New York Attorney General Letitia James is fighting the U.S. Department of Justice's bid to reopen an investigation into her office launched by a federal prosecutor found to have been serving unlawfully.

  • April 07, 2026

    FTC Must List Potential Remedies In Amazon Antitrust Case

    A Washington federal court ordered the Federal Trade Commission to respond to Amazon's discovery request asking for a list of remedies enforcers intend to seek in the antitrust case alleging its merchant rules drive up online retail prices.

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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