Legal Ethics

  • January 12, 2026

    7th Circ. Finds DEA, State Officials Immune In Pill Mill 'Mess'

    The Seventh Circuit Monday overturned rulings that would have let a doctor's Fourth and Fifth amendments claims over a pill mill investigation go to trial, concluding federal and state officials are entitled to immunity in proceedings the court described as a "tangled mess."

  • January 12, 2026

    The Issues That Could Decide The Tom Goldstein Tax Case

    Federal prosecutors are set to begin making their case against famed U.S. Supreme Court lawyer and SCOTUSblog founder Tom Goldstein at trial Wednesday, alleging that he deliberately hid millions of dollars in high-stakes poker winnings from the Internal Revenue Service between 2016 and 2021 and lied on mortgage applications.

  • January 12, 2026

    Greenspoon Marder Hit With Malpractice Suit Over Boat Fight

    A catamaran company has launched a Florida state lawsuit against Greenspoon Marder LLP and three of its attorneys alleging the law firm botched an underlying dispute over a vessel and cost the business commissions.

  • January 12, 2026

    Ex‑NJ Judge's Trial Postponed Amid Police Immunity Appeal

    A New Jersey federal civil rights suit brought by a former state court judge against Woodbridge Township and two police officers stalled Monday, just days before a trial was set to commence, after the officers filed an interlocutory appeal challenging the court's refusal to grant them qualified immunity.

  • January 12, 2026

    Killer Pa. Brothers Win Resentencing Due To Judge's Role

    Two brothers sentenced to 60 years to life in prison for murdering their parents as juveniles should be resentenced, the Pennsylvania Superior Court said, finding that the judge determining punishment for the 1995 crimes should have recused himself because he prosecuted their co-defendant.

  • January 12, 2026

    NJ US Atty Office's 3-Person Leadership Unlawful, Court Told

    Criminal defendants in the District of New Jersey are challenging the three-person leadership structure now in place at the Garden State's U.S. attorney's office following the disqualification of Alina Habba, telling the court their due process rights have been violated by the allegedly unlawful system.

  • January 12, 2026

    Cayuga Nation, Cig. Sellers, Vie For Post-Verdict Wins

    The Cayuga Nation and a pair of entrepreneurs are each urging a New York federal court to modify or vacate a jury verdict that found the pair liable for racketeering in relation to an unsanctioned smoke shop on tribal land, with the tribe arguing the damages should be higher, while the couple argue the tribe should take nothing.

  • January 12, 2026

    Sitting Judges Advocate For Bill To Allow Them To Carry Guns

    Three federal judges have come out in support of a Republican-led bill to allow judges and prosecutors to carry concealed firearms across state lines.

  • January 12, 2026

    Justices Won't Hear Claims Highland Ch. 11 Judge Is Biased

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear arguments from the founder of hedge fund Highland Capital Management that the judge who presided over Highland's bankruptcy case was biased, and that two novels she has published prove it.

  • January 12, 2026

    Justices Won't Hear If Atty Needs Client's OK To Admit Crime

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to review a New Jersey man's conviction for unlawfully possessing a firearm as a felon, a case that asked if a lawyer could admit part of a crime on a client's behalf when the client himself objected.

  • January 12, 2026

    Justices Nix Petition On Legal Malpractice Arbitration

    The U.S. Supreme Court declined Monday to review a petition that sought clarity on whether a court or arbitrator decides the issue of class arbitrability when the parties incorporate certain arbitral rules, in a long, winding legal malpractice dispute involving Louisiana medical companies.

  • January 09, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Doubts Trade Secret Was Properly Spelled Out

    The Federal Circuit spent part of its Friday morning mulling whether it is the court's job to, in the words of the judge who killed the trade secrets claims brought by a MasterCard unit against two McKinsey consultants, "do APT's job for it by mining its trade secrets from the raw materials."

  • January 09, 2026

    Feds Seek To DQ Ex-Boxer's Atty Over Juror Bribery Probe

    Prosecutors urged a Brooklyn federal judge Friday to disqualify three attorneys who represent a former heavyweight boxer accused of participating in a $1 billion cocaine trafficking scheme, arguing that one of the lawyers is under investigation related to the alleged attempted bribery of a juror at his client's trial.

  • January 09, 2026

    Gov't Can't Use NYT Article As Evidence In Goldstein Trial

    A Maryland federal judge on Friday barred prosecutors from pre-admitting Thomas Goldstein's statements in a New York Times article as evidence in the SCOTUSblog co-founder's tax fraud trial, but she left open the possibility for the government to call either Jeffrey Toobin, the article's author, or a Times fact-checker, as a witness.

  • January 09, 2026

    7th Circ. Upholds Ex-Atty's Conviction In Burke Bribery Case

    The Seventh Circuit on Friday kept in place the conviction and 32-month prison sentence of a Chicago real estate developer and former attorney for offering legal work to ex-Alderman Edward Burke as a bribe for help with a zoning permit, finding the government presented sufficient evidence to support a guilty verdict and arguments to the contrary were "unavailing."

  • January 09, 2026

    Ramey Ducks BlackBerry's Sanctions Bid Over 'Frivolous' Suit

    Patent attorney Bill Ramey has avoided sanctions requested by BlackBerry Corp. for what the smartphone company called the "frivolous and unreasonable" way he litigated a case brought on behalf of Silent Communications LLC.

  • January 09, 2026

    10th Circ. Says Judge Didn't Cross A Line In Plea Deal Dispute

    A federal judge who told a man that a plea deal for distributing methamphetamine could be rescinded if he did not agree to it did not act inappropriately, a unanimous Tenth Circuit panel ruled Friday, finding the lower court had not interfered with negotiations by providing factual information.

  • January 09, 2026

    Texas Justices Say Judges Can Refuse Same-Sex Marriages

    The Texas Supreme Court on Friday told the Fifth Circuit that judges can refuse to perform same-sex marriages on moral or religious grounds, opening the door for the federal appeals court to find that state judges can refuse to perform the unions.

  • January 09, 2026

    Biz Owner's RICO Suit Says 5 Calif. Attys Helped Loot IT Co.

    A business owner has filed a lawsuit accusing five attorneys from five different small California law firms of conspiring with his ex-business partner to steal assets from a company the two had jointly owned.

  • January 09, 2026

    Judge Blocks Edwards' $945M Heart Valve Deal

    A D.C. federal judge issued an order on Friday preventing Edwards Lifesciences Corp. from moving ahead with its planned $945 million deal for JenaValve Technology Inc., torpedoing the merger challenged by the Federal Trade Commission.

  • January 09, 2026

    Panel OKs Sentence In Ex-Ky. Prosecutor Sex Bribe Scandal

    A former Kentucky state prosecutor must serve 41 months behind bars after a Sixth Circuit panel upheld his conviction on wire fraud and government bribery charges tied to his alleged criminal scheme of assisting a criminal defendant in exchange for sexual favors and explicit photos.

  • January 09, 2026

    Ex-Prosecutor OK For Drug Pricing MDL, Special Master Says

    Former Connecticut Assistant Attorney General Joseph Nielsen and his law firm, Lowey Dannenberg PC, should not be disqualified from representing insurers in multidistrict litigation over generic drug price-fixing because he did not have any special knowledge that the states suing drugmakers hadn't already shared with the private plaintiffs, according to a special master's report and recommendation.

  • January 09, 2026

    Calif. Wage Suit Settles Months After Atty Admits To AI Mishap

    A proposed wage and hour class action that drew the legal world's attention in November after the plaintiff's counsel admitted to using a half-dozen artificial intelligence tools to prepare a botched motion has now ended, with a Northern California federal judge granting a joint dismissal following a settlement agreement.

  • January 09, 2026

    NY Courts Open To Attys Using AI To Prep Filings

    Lawyers should not be barred outright from using artificial intelligence tools to prepare court documents, a New York court system advisory committee said in its annual report on Thursday.

  • January 09, 2026

    Bruce Fein Unauthorized To Represent Maduro, Atty Says

    When constitutional lawyer Bruce Fein entered an appearance as counsel for former Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro on Tuesday, it was without having ever spoken to the client, according to a Thursday filing by Maduro's attorney Barry Pollack seeking to remove Fein from the case.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Coaching Little League Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    While coaching poorly played Little League Baseball early in the morning doesn't sound like a good time, I love it — and the experience has taught me valuable lessons about imperfection, compassion and acceptance that have helped me grow as a person and as a lawyer, says Alex Barnett at DiCello Levitt.

  • 5 Litigation Funding Trends To Note In 2025

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    Lawyers and their clients must be prepared to navigate an evolving litigation funding market in 2025, made more complicated by a new administration and the increasing overall cost of litigation, says Jeffery Lula at GLS Capital.

  • Despite Political Divide, FEC Found Common Ground In '24

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    The Federal Election Commission, although evenly split between Republicans and Democrats, reached consensus in consequential advisory opinions, enforcement actions and regulations last year, offering welcome clarity on some key questions facing campaigns, PACs and parties, say attorneys at Covington.

  • Rethinking Litigation Risk And What It Really Means To Win

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    Attorneys have a tendency to overestimate litigation risk before summary judgment and underestimate risk after it, but an eight-stage litigation framework can clarify risk at different points and help litigators reassess what true success looks like in any particular case, says Joshua Libling at Arcadia Finance.

  • Public Corruption Enforcement In 2024 Has Clues For 2025

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    If 2024 activity is any indication, the U.S. Supreme Court will likely continue to rein in expansive prosecutorial theories of fraud in the year to come, but it’s harder to predict what the new administration will mean for public corruption prosecutions in 2025, says Cathy Fleming at Offit Kurman.

  • Series

    Playing Rugby Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My experience playing rugby, including a near-fatal accident, has influenced my legal practice on a professional, organizational and personal level by showing me the importance of maintaining empathy, fostering team empowerment and embracing the art of preparation, says James Gillenwater at Greenberg Traurig.

  • Opinion

    No, Litigation Funders Are Not 'Fleeing' The District Of Del.

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    A recent study claimed that litigation funders have “fled” Delaware federal court due to a standing order requiring disclosure of third-party financing, but responsible funders have no problem litigating in this jurisdiction, and many other factors could explain the decline in filings, say Will Freeman and Sarah Tsou at Omni Bridgeway.

  • 5 E-Discovery Predictions For 2025 And Beyond

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    In the year to come, e-discovery will be shaped by new and emerging trends, from the adoption of artificial intelligence provisions in protective orders, to the proliferation of emojis as a source of evidence in contemporary litigation, say attorneys at Littler.

  • Key Ethical Issues For Gov't Attys Moving To Private Practice

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    Transitioning from government service to private practice presents complex ethical challenges for attorneys, including navigating conflicts of interest, confidential information rules and post-employment restrictions, say attorneys at HWG.

  • 7 Ways 2nd Trump Administration May Affect Partner Hiring

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    President-elect Donald Trump's return to the White House will likely have a number of downstream effects on partner hiring in the legal industry, from accelerated hiring timelines to increased vetting of prospective employees, say recruiters at Macrae.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Rulings On Custodian Selection

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    Several recent rulings make clear that the proportionality of additional proposed custodians will depend on whether the custodians have unique relevant documents, and producing parties should consider whether information already in the record will show that they have relevant documents that otherwise might not be produced, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Series

    Exercising On My Peloton Bike Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    While I originally came to the Peloton bike for exercise, one cycling instructor’s teachings have come to serve as a road map for practicing law thoughtfully and mindfully, which has opened opportunities for growth and change in my career, says Andrea Kirshenbaum at Littler.

  • Exploring Venue Strategy For Trump-Era Regulatory Litigation

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    Litigation will likely play a prominent role in shaping policy outcomes during the second Trump administration, and stakeholders have several tools at their disposal to steer regulatory litigation toward more favorable venues, say attorneys at Covington.

  • Series

    Playing Esports Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Competing in a global esports tournament at Wimbledon last year not only fulfilled my childhood dream, but also sharpened skills that are essential to my day job, including strategic thinking, confidence and networking, says AJ Schuyler at Jackson Lewis.

  • An Associate's Guide To Career Development In 2025

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    As the new year begins, associates at all levels should consider establishing career metrics, fostering key relationships and employing other specific strategies to help move through the complexities of the legal profession with confidence and emerge as trailblazers, say EJ Stern and Amanda George at Fractional Law Firm.

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