Legal Ethics

  • May 07, 2025

    Mich. Justices May Avoid Double Jeopardy In Contempt Case

    The Michigan Supreme Court puzzled Wednesday over whether an attorney must undergo a second contempt trial for what a judge described as rude comments, with the chief justice suggesting the court could rule on other grounds and avoid deciding if double jeopardy applies.

  • May 07, 2025

    Feds Seek 13 Years In Avenatti's California Resentencing

    California federal prosecutors asked a judge Wednesday to sentence Michael Avenatti to 160 months in prison for tax fraud and stealing from clients, to be served atop the five-year term imposed in a pair of New York cases where Avenatti was convicted of trying to extort Nike Inc. and defrauding former client Stormy Daniels.

  • May 07, 2025

    Florida Judge In Ethics Case Defends Remarks As 'Dad Jokes'

    A Florida state judge facing suspension over allegations from the state Judicial Qualifications Commission that he made inappropriate jokes and comments while overseeing a criminal docket defended his statements as mostly inoffensive "dad jokes" and requested the matter go to trial.

  • May 07, 2025

    Texas Judge Among 6 Indicted For Alleged Vote Harvesting

    A Texas county judge is among the six individuals facing charges over an alleged vote harvesting scheme related to the 2022 election, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced on Wednesday.

  • May 07, 2025

    Baking Co. Says Trade Secret Sanctions Bid Is Undercooked

    An Ohio baking products company says it shouldn't be sanctioned for sharing some of the ingredients in one of its products in a temporarily public court filing, since the same ingredients had been discussed in open court during testimony about how that product allegedly differed from the trade-secret recipe a rival was trying to protect.

  • May 06, 2025

    Apple Seeks Sanctions Against Winston & Strawn In App Suit

    Apple has asked a California federal judge to sanction Winston & Strawn LLP and its client Musi Inc., arguing Monday they made "false and misleading allegations" in a lawsuit over Apple's decision to boot the music streaming service from the App Store for intellectual property infringement.

  • May 06, 2025

    Reed Smith Must Turn Over Docs In $102M Fraud Fight

    A New York federal judge on Tuesday determined that since enough evidence existed to show international shipping group Eletson Holdings may have committed fraud in an arbitration over a deal with another entity, Levona Holdings Ltd., the Reed Smith LLP attorneys who represented Eletson at the arbitration must hand over related documents.

  • May 06, 2025

    4th Circ. Affirms Win For Ariz. Law Firm In 'Sham' TCPA Suit

    The Fourth Circuit on Tuesday upheld a lower court's decision to vacate a $2 million jury award against a Phoenix-based law firm, saying the dozens of Telephone Consumer Protection Act cases the firm brought against a student loan servicer shouldn't be considered "sham litigation" as the jury initially held.

  • May 06, 2025

    Russia Loses DQ Bid In Ukraine Case Over Arbitrator's Tweet

    An international tribunal has voted by majority to reject Russia's bid to disqualify an arbitrator appointed to oversee Ukraine's claim against Moscow over the detention of Ukrainian naval vessels and servicemen, a challenge based in part on a social media post made by the arbitrator in Feb. 2022.

  • May 06, 2025

    Moye White Lease Default Left 'Shock', 'Uncertainty,' Co. Says

    A Denver landlord fought back against counterclaims lodged by defunct law firm Moye White LLP in Colorado state court, arguing that the firm wasn't wrongfully evicted from its Denver office space and willingly left the property.

  • May 06, 2025

    Judge Warns He Wants 'Candor' In Free-Speech Removal Suit

    A Massachusetts federal judge on Tuesday told counsel that he expects "absolute candor" as he presides over a suit challenging the Trump administration's practice of arresting and removing noncitizen students and faculty from the United States over pro-Palestinian speech.

  • May 06, 2025

    Sen. Judiciary Panel Clouds Prospects For DC US Atty Pick

    It's looking more likely that Ed Martin, nominee for U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia now serving in an interim capacity, will not be confirmed before his short-term status is up.

  • May 06, 2025

    Jay-Z Claims Atty Buzbee's Conspiracy Extends To NY Lawyer

    Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter expanded his malicious prosecution claims against attorney Tony Buzbee over a rape suit that has since been dropped to also target a New York personal injury lawyer over what the music mogul alleged was a conspiracy to coerce him into paying off their client.

  • May 06, 2025

    McCarter & English Pushes To End Ex-Atty's Firing Suit

    McCarter & English LLP has urged a New Jersey state court to toss an anti-veteran discrimination suit from a former firm attorney and Navy SEAL this week, arguing the lawyer is unsuccessfully trying to pivot off failed claims from his original complaint in later filings.

  • May 06, 2025

    Firms Beat Malpractice Suit Over Chicken Plant Pollution

    Delaware's Supreme Court on Tuesday affirmed a trial court's dismissal of a malpractice suit against Brockstedt Mandalas Federico LLC and Schochor Staton Goldberg & Cardea PA for their alleged mishandling of claims associated with a child's "catastrophic injuries" purportedly caused by contamination from a chicken plant.

  • May 06, 2025

    Convicted Atty Among Pair Disbarred By Ga. Supreme Court

    The Georgia Supreme Court disbarred two attorneys on Tuesday, including a former operator of a Georgia-based real estate law firm for stealing at least $235,565 from a client — a move that comes after he was given a two-and-a-half-year jail sentence on federal fraud charges.

  • May 06, 2025

    Atty's Derisive Comments Warrant New Trial, NJ Panel Says

    A New Jersey appellate panel on Monday said that an attorney's comments during her opening and closing arguments in a trial over a real estate transaction gone wrong went way too far, vacating a jury's $420,000 verdict in favor of her clients.

  • May 06, 2025

    Relatives Shut Out Of Funds From BigLaw Atty's Slain Wife

    A Georgia state court judge said Tuesday that a prominent former Fisher Phillips attorney who fatally shot his wife could direct the proceeds of a wrongful death settlement to her godson and his family, beating back a "next of kin" claim to the funds from his wife's myriad cousins.

  • May 06, 2025

    Ex-Conrail CEO Says Saul Ewing Malpractice Suit Timely

    Former Conrail CEO David LeVan has asked a Philadelphia judge to reject Saul Ewing LLP's argument that his legal malpractice lawsuit against the firm should be deemed untimely, arguing his case over the firm's handling of legal issues stemming from a failed Gettysburg casino project was subject to a tolling agreement.

  • May 06, 2025

    Alex Jones' Atty Seeks Discipline Pause In Sandy Hook Leak

    Alex Jones' former lead Connecticut attorney has asked a state appeals court to pause the remaining seven days of a suspension he was handed for a role in transferring Sandy Hook families' confidential records to another Jones attorney in Texas, arguing the case should be stayed while he again appeals the punishment.

  • May 06, 2025

    Approach The Bench: Judge Robinson On Workplace Conduct

    A long-awaited survey of judiciary employees revealed misconduct is rare within the federal judiciary, but U.S. District Judge Julie Robinson says there's still plenty of work to be done.

  • May 06, 2025

    Temu Says IP Atty Lied To Bag Settlements For Clients

    Chinese e-commerce platform Temu accused a California intellectual property attorney of lying during critical negotiations to get the company to sign settlement deals for a street artist known for using the Mr. Monopoly character and a San Francisco apparel store.

  • May 05, 2025

    Ex-OneTaste Leaders Face Trial On Forced Labor Charges

    After nearly three years of bruising pretrial litigation, jury selection began Monday for OneTaste founder and "orgasmic meditation" advocate Nicole Daedone and her former deputy over allegations that they extracted free labor from followers by fostering an abusive environment at the sexual wellness company.

  • May 05, 2025

    Calif. Bar Sues Administrator Over February Exam 'Chaos'

    The State Bar of California on Monday sued the vendor it used to administer the February bar exam after "chaos ensued" as a result of pervasive technical glitches, saying the vendor misrepresented its ability to proctor the exam, and it won't hand over data that could shed light on what went wrong.

  • May 05, 2025

    Calif. Atty Gets 21 Months In Prison For $8.8M Investor Scam

    An Orange County lawyer who purported to provide short-term high-interest loans to the rich and famous but used the funds to gamble away about $8.8 million at Las Vegas casinos and live a lavish lifestyle was sentenced to 21 months in prison on Monday in California federal court.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Being An Artist Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My work as an artist has highlighted how using creativity and precision together — qualities that are equally essential in both art and law — not only improves outcomes, but also leads to more innovative and thoughtful work, says Sarah La Pearl at Segal McCambridge.

  • How Judiciary Can Minimize AI Risks In Secondary Sources

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    Because courts’ standing orders on generative artificial intelligence and other safeguards do not address the risk of hallucinations in secondary source materials, the judiciary should consider enlisting legal publishers and database hosts to protect against AI-generated inaccuracies, say attorneys at Lankler Siffert & Wohl.

  • How Attorneys Can Break Free From Career Enmeshment

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    Ambitious attorneys can sometimes experience career enmeshment — when your sense of self-worth becomes unhealthily tangled up in your legal vocation — but taking the time to discover and realign with your core personal values can help you recover your identity, says Janna Koretz at Azimuth Psychological.

  • Ex-Chicago Politician's Case May Further Curb Fraud Theories

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    The U.S. Supreme Court recently agreed to hear Thompson v. U.S. to determine whether a statement that is misleading but not false still violates federal law, potentially heralding the court’s largest check yet on prosecutors’ expansive fraud theories, with significant implications for sentencing, say attorneys at the Law Offices of Alan Ellis.

  • Lawyers With Disabilities Are Seeking Equity, Not Pity

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    Attorneys living with disabilities face extra challenges — including the need for special accommodations, the fear of stigmatization and the risk of being tokenized — but if given equitable opportunities, they can still rise to the top of their field, says Kate Reder Sheikh, a former attorney and legal recruiter at Major Lindsey & Africa.

  • Opinion

    Judicial Committee Best Venue For Litigation Funding Rules

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    The Advisory Committee on Civil Rules' recent decision to consider developing a rule for litigation funding disclosure is a welcome development, ensuring that the result will be the product of a thorough, inclusive and deliberative process that appropriately balances all interests, says Stewart Ackerly at Statera Capital.

  • The Strategic Advantages Of Appointing A Law Firm CEO

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    The impact on law firms of the recent CrowdStrike outage underscores that the business of law is no longer merely about providing supplemental support for legal practice — and helps explain why some law firms are appointing dedicated, full-time CEOs to navigate the challenges of the modern legal landscape, says Jennifer Johnson at Calibrate Strategies.

  • Series

    Beekeeping Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    The practice of patent law and beekeeping are not typically associated, but taking care of honeybees has enriched my legal practice by highlighting the importance of hands-on experience, continuous learning, mentorship and more, says David Longo at Oblon McClelland.

  • Opinion

    Legal Institutions Must Warn Against Phony Election Suits

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    With two weeks until the election, bar associations and courts have an urgent responsibility to warn lawyers about the consequences of filing unsubstantiated lawsuits claiming election fraud, says Elise Bean at the Carl Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy.

  • How Cos. Can Build A Strong In-House Pro Bono Program

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    During this year’s pro bono celebration week, companies should consider some key pointers to grow and maintain a vibrant in-house program for attorneys to provide free legal services for the public good, says Mary Benton at Alston & Bird.

  • Series

    Home Canning Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Making my own pickles and jams requires seeing a process through from start to finish, as does representing clients from the start of a dispute at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board through any appeals to the Federal Circuit, says attorney Kevin McNish.

  • Use The Right Kind Of Feedback To Help Gen Z Attorneys

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    Generation Z associates bring unique perspectives and expectations to the workplace, so it’s imperative that supervising attorneys adapt their feedback approach in order to help young lawyers learn and grow — which is good for law firms, too, says Rachael Bosch at Fringe Professional Development.

  • Opinion

    Congress Can And Must Enact A Supreme Court Ethics Code

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    As public confidence in the U.S. Supreme Court dips to historic lows following reports raising conflict of interest concerns, Congress must exercise its constitutional power to enact a mandatory and enforceable code of ethics for the high court, says Muhammad Faridi, president of the New York City Bar Association.

  • Series

    The Pop Culture Docket: Justice Lebovits On Gilbert And Sullivan

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    Characters in the 19th century comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan break the rules of good lawyering by shamelessly throwing responsible critical thought to the wind, providing hilarious lessons for lawyers and judges on how to avoid a surfeit of traps and tribulations, say acting New York Supreme Court Justice Gerald Lebovits and law student Tara Scown.

  • State Of The States' AI Legal Ethics Landscape

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    Over the past year, several state bar associations, as well as the American Bar Association, have released guidance on the ethical use of artificial intelligence in legal practice, all of which share overarching themes and some nuanced differences, say Eric Pacifici and Kevin Henderson at SMB Law Group.

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