Legal Ethics

  • February 13, 2026

    Colorado Atty Delayed Filing, Gave Faulty Advice, Suit Says

    A Colorado attorney waited nearly five years to file a lawsuit on behalf of two clients and provided faulty advice, the former clients alleged Thursday in a malpractice lawsuit in state court.

  • February 13, 2026

    Feds Ordered To Return Mass. Student Deported To Honduras

    A Massachusetts college student who was deported to Honduras in violation of a court order must be returned to the United States within two weeks, a federal judge ruled Friday, directing the government to "make amends."

  • February 13, 2026

    NFL Found To Fumble Arbitration Over Bias, Must Go To Court

    A class of National Football League coaches will have their day in court after a New York federal judge on Friday denied the NFL its bid to force the coaches' discrimination claims into arbitration because it did not provide a fair and neutral arbitration forum.

  • February 13, 2026

    Louisiana Atty Takes Responsibility For AI Usage Snafu

    After facing the threat of sanctions alongside three of his co-counsel, a Louisiana attorney told a federal judge that he was solely responsible for an error-riddled brief written with the assistance of artificial intelligence. 

  • February 13, 2026

    Single Use Of Slur Not Enough To Revisit Ex-Clerk's Bias Suit

    A former clerk in the Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, prosecutor's office failed to revive a suit claiming she was fired for reporting a coworker's use of a racial slur when a federal judge said Thursday she'd presented no evidence the slur was used more than once.

  • February 13, 2026

    Indiana AG Declines Intervention In Posner Wage Suit

    Indiana's attorney general has declined to intervene in a pro se plaintiff's suit seeking to revive $170,000 in wage claims against retired Seventh Circuit Judge Richard A. Posner, finding the case did not pose a "substantial" constitutional challenge to a state statute mandating that delayed contracts must be written and signed to be enforced.

  • February 13, 2026

    Atty Fights Latest Bid To Sink Social Media Defamation Suit

    A New Jersey attorney suing a Texas-based social media personality for defamation urged the court to disregard the defendant's motion to reconsider a decision allowing the lawsuit to proceed.

  • February 13, 2026

    Talc MDL Law Firm Accuses Litigation Funders Of Case Piracy

    A leading plaintiffs law firm in the multibillion-dollar litigation over Johnson & Johnson's tainted talcum powder has alleged in Mississippi federal court three investment firms loaned it "tens of millions" of dollars under false pretenses in a "loan-to-own" scheme.

  • February 13, 2026

    Bogus Citations Show 'Lack Of Respect' For Legal Profession

    In recommending $10,000 in sanctions for a lawyer who submitted multiple briefs with nonexistent or misrepresented citations, a federal judge in Indiana lamented that the blunders show a "lack of respect for the profession."

  • February 13, 2026

    Another Atty Ordered To Explain Fake Case Citations

    Another attorney has been ordered to explain himself, after a California federal judge found his filing to contain nonexistent case citations that the court suspects were hallucinated by generative artificial intelligence.

  • February 13, 2026

    Mass. Judge's 'Show Me The Fentanyl' Dismissal Vacated

    A Boston judge overstepped by dismissing a narcotics case on the grounds that prosecutors, adhering to court rules, failed to bring dangerous fentanyl-containing drugs into the courtroom, a Massachusetts appeals court determined on Friday.

  • February 13, 2026

    Cayuga Tribe Slams Pot Shops' Request For Fees In RICO Suit

    The Cayuga Nation is urging a New York federal court to reject a motion by cannabis shop owners for attorney fees in a racketeering suit it brought, saying the owners didn't prevail on those claims.

  • February 12, 2026

    Judiciary Issues 'Rule Of Law' Ethics Guidance For Judges

    Federal judiciary advisers Thursday sought to clarify ethical boundaries for judges wading into politically charged legal waters, saying jurists can rebut "illegitimate criticism" and urge stronger security amid fears of violence while also eschewing "demeaning" or "acerbic" rhetoric.

  • February 12, 2026

    Goldman Sachs' CLO Resigns After Epstein Email Revelations

    Kathryn Ruemmler, the chief legal officer for Goldman Sachs, announced plans Thursday to step down, after the U.S. Department of Justice released emails showcasing her relationship with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

  • February 12, 2026

    Affairs, Spending Come Out In Goldstein Cross-Examination

    SCOTUSblog founder Thomas Goldstein was confronted Thursday with allegations of extramarital affairs, lavish spending and lies on asset disclosures, all in front of the jury in his ongoing tax fraud trial.

  • February 12, 2026

    Law Firm Shouldn't Have To Give Up 1MDB Docs, Judge Says

    A federal magistrate judge has recommended denying former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak's bid to obtain discovery from a Manhattan law firm in connection with his efforts to challenge his conviction in Malaysia, finding that the request would impose an "enormous" burden on defense counsel involved in the prosecution of the 1MDB bond bribery scandal.

  • February 12, 2026

    Hegseth Blocked From Reducing Sen. Kelly's Navy Rank

    Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., secured a court order on Thursday blocking Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth from reducing his U.S. Navy rank after he told members of the military they don't have to follow unlawful orders.

  • February 12, 2026

    Rein Tech Prez Again Sanctioned For Patent Order Violations

    A Delaware federal judge on Thursday permanently barred a patent attorney from participating in water meter patent prosecutions and barred his company from asserting water meter patent claims against a rival it claims infringed them, saying "serious" sanctions were warranted for a repeat violation of a protective order.

  • February 12, 2026

    9th Circ. Judges Doubt AG-Picked Nevada US Atty Can Serve

    Two judges on a Ninth Circuit panel doubted Thursday the government's argument that a lower court erred by finding the U.S. Attorney General wrongly appointed Nevada's top federal prosecutor, with both judges repeatedly noting that the government's legal theory suggests that U.S. attorneys could circumvent the nomination process indefinitely.

  • February 12, 2026

    NY Court Orders Ineffective-Counsel Hearing In Murder Case

    A New York appeals court ordered a lower court to hold a hearing for a man convicted of murder to present his case that he was given ineffective assistance of counsel when his trial attorney refused to request a lesser included offense in his case.

  • February 12, 2026

    Inventor Says Claims Against Baker Botts Atty Should Remain

    Inventor Leigh M. Rothschild and Analytical Technologies LLC are taking issue with a Florida federal judge recommending tossing some claims in their lawsuit alleging a patent attorney defamed him, arguing Rothschild's words should be considered commercial speech.

  • February 12, 2026

    IP Firms Are Navigating AI Era With Range Of Guardrails

    Intellectual property law firms are taking various approaches to implementing artificial intelligence into their professional routines, with some developing their own tools, others limiting what external AI platforms that lawyers can access and one firm saying it has banned attorneys from using AI to draft legal briefs.

  • February 12, 2026

    McCarter & English Can't Tank $22M Suit, Insurer Says

    Two insurance companies have urged a Connecticut Superior Court judge to maintain a $22.3 million professional negligence lawsuit against McCarter & English LLP, saying document production delays don't warrant killing the case less than a month before trial.

  • February 12, 2026

    Watchdog Defends Ex-Alex Jones Atty's Conn. Suspension

    A Connecticut judge did not abuse her discretion when she suspended an attorney who formerly represented conspiracy broadcaster Alex Jones in a $1.4 billion defamation case, the state's professional misconduct watchdog has told the Connecticut Supreme Court in asking the justices to skip Norman A. Pattis' appeal.

  • February 12, 2026

    NYC Board Fines Atty $8.5K For Use Of Laptop, Role With City

    A former special adviser to a New York City Human Resources Administration deputy commissioner has been hit with an $8,500 fine after admitting to use of his city laptop to send personal emails and invoking his role at a public meeting on behalf of a cannabis dispensary application.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Judges On AI: Practical Use Cases In Chambers

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    U.S. Magistrate Judge Allison Goddard in the Southern District of California discusses how she uses generative artificial intelligence tools in chambers to make work more efficient and effective — from editing jury instructions for clarity to summarizing key documents.

  • Series

    Trail Running Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Navigating the muddy, root-filled path of trail marathons and ultramarathons provides fertile training ground for my high-stakes fractional general counsel work, teaching me to slow down my mind when the terrain shifts, sharpen my focus and trust my training, says Eric Proos at Next Era Legal.

  • Malpractice Claim Assignability Continues To Divide Courts

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    Recent decisions from courts across the country demonstrate how different jurisdictions balance competing policy interests in determining whether legal malpractice claims can be assigned, providing a framework to identify when and how to challenge any attempted assignment, says Christopher Blazejewski at Sherin & Lodgen.

  • Series

    Teaching Logic Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Teaching middle and high school students the skills to untangle complicated arguments and identify faulty reasoning has made me reacquaint myself with the defined structure of thought, reminding me why logic should remain foundational in the practice of law, says Tom Barrow at Woods Rogers.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Practicing Resilience

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    Resilience is a skill acquired through daily practices that focus on learning from missteps, recovering quickly without internalizing defeat and moving forward with intention, says Nicholas Meza at Quarles & Brady.

  • NYC Bar Opinion Warns Attys On Use Of AI Recording Tools

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    Attorneys who use artificial intelligence tools to record, transcribe and summarize conversations with clients should heed the New York City Bar Association’s recent opinion addressing the legal and ethical risks posed by such tools, and follow several best practices to avoid violating the Rules of Professional Conduct, say attorneys at Smith Gambrell.

  • Series

    The Biz Court Digest: Dispatches From Utah's Newest Court

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    While a robust body of law hasn't yet developed since the Utah Business and Chancery Court's founding in October 2024, the number of cases filed there has recently picked up, and its existence illustrates Utah's desire to be top of mind for businesses across the country, says Evan Strassberg at Michael Best.

  • 4 Quick Emotional Resets For Lawyers With Conflict Fatigue

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    Though the emotional wear and tear of legal work can trap attorneys in conflict fatigue — leaving them unable to shake off tense interactions or return to a calm baseline — simple therapeutic techniques for resetting the nervous system can help break the cycle, says Chantel Cohen at CWC Coaching & Therapy.

  • Series

    Playing Tennis Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    An instinct to turn pain into purpose meant frequent trips to the tennis court, where learning to move ahead one point at a time was a lesson that also applied to the steep learning curve of patent prosecution law, says Daniel Henry at Marshall Gerstein.

  • Series

    Judges On AI: How Judicial Use Informs Guardrails

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    U.S. Magistrate Judge Maritza Dominguez Braswell at the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado discusses why having a sense of how generative AI tools behave, where they add value, where they introduce risk and how they are reshaping the practice of law is key for today's judges.

  • Presidential Pardon Brokering Can Create Risks For Attys

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    The emergence of an apparent “pardon shopping” marketplace, in which attorneys treat presidential pardons as a market product, may invite investigative scrutiny of counsel and potential criminal charges grounded in bribery, wire fraud and other statutes, says David Klasing at The Tax Law Offices of David W. Klasing.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: 5 Tips From Ex-SEC Unit Chief

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    My move to private practice has reaffirmed my belief in the value of adaptability, collaboration and strategic thinking — qualities that are essential not only for successful client outcomes, but also for sustained professional satisfaction, says Dabney O’Riordan at Fried Frank.

  • Prisoners' Access To Health Info Should Have No Bars

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    To safeguard against unnecessary deaths in custody, courts and policymakers should clarify that incarcerated individuals’ constitutional right to medical care also includes access to sufficient information about their medical conditions, lifting current restrictions that can lead to crucial information being withheld, says Jaehyun Oh at Jacob Fuchsberg Law.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: How To Start A Law Firm

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    Launching and sustaining a law firm requires skills most law schools don't teach, but every lawyer should understand a few core principles that can make the leap calculated rather than reckless, says Sam Katz at Athlaw.

  • Series

    Hosting Exchange Students Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Opening my home to foreign exchange students makes me a better lawyer not just because prioritizing visiting high schoolers forces me to hone my organization and time management skills but also because sharing the study-abroad experience with newcomers and locals reconnects me to my community, says Alison Lippa at Nicolaides Fink.

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